Jayawardena shows the way with a captain’s knock:

Lankans Crush Aussies

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE reporting from Australia

The Sri Lankan cricketers sent their merry making fans into raptures by inflicting a crushing 8 wicket defeat on the Australians in Commonwealth Bank overs reduced Tri series game at the SCG under lights, here today.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardena played a truly captain’s innings by staying put at the wicket till victory was achieved making 61 in 67 balls with 5 fours. Thissara Perera was the Player of the match.

After rain reduced the game to a 41- over bash, the Lankans restricted the home team to 158 all out in their 41 overs. The target was reduced to 152 and the Lankans dashed to victory making 152 for 2 in 24.2 overs.

When Sri Lanka began the chase skipper Mahela Jayawardena who opened the innings with Tillakaratne Dilshan laid the platform with a rollicking stand of 74 in 70 balls with Dilshan the aggressor.

After Dilshan went for 45 in 41 balls with 4 fours and a six, Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara who completed 10,000 runs in one-day cricket took the bull by the horns and hoisted a stand of 59 in 57 balls before Sangakkara went for 30 in 28 balls with 3 fours and six.

Jayawardena and Dinesh Chandimal rammed in the last nail in the Aussie coffin with a stand of 19 to seal victory.

Meant business

It was obvious when the Sri Lankans took the field that they meant business, the determined manner in which they bowled and fielded egged on by skipper Mahela Jayawardena. The bowlers gave nothing away and the fielders were like vultures waiting to pounce on the mistakes made by the Aussie batsmen, stopping the runs with excellent ground fielding and sure catching.

The running out Opener Matthew Wade by Thissara Perera at short cover was wonderful. Perera stopped a powerful drive diving Jonty Rhodes like and his throw to the bowler found Wade stranded when Kulasekera gleefully removed the bails.

The five-man seam attack of Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Farveez Maharoof, Angelo Mathews and Thissara Perera showed discipline and bowled wicket to wicket and never let the much hyped home batsmen to cut loose.

Too early

After Malinga induced David Warner to play too early and dollied a catch to Maharoof at mid on for 13 with the score on 21, Maharoof foxed Ricky Ponting with a well disguised slow ball and the batsman lollied it to the bowler for 2 on 37.

At the same score further disaster struck the Aussies when Wade was run out 15 and then Maharoof, Mathews and Perera showed Michael Hussey 13, Peter Forrest 16 and Daniel Christian 6 at 60,74 and 81 to the pavilion and five runs later at 86 for 6 and 26 overs bowled, the rain gods, not wanting to see further disgrace heaped on the Aussies had pity on them and began to weep and the umpires stepped in to end the agony.

When play resumed after the rain, it was reduced to 41 overs. In the 15 overs Australia scored 72 losing 4 wickets in the process with David Hussey who was dropped twice, on 8 by Malinga and 33 by Mathews making merry to make 58 in 64 balls with 6 fours.

What added respectability to the Aussie total was a 49- run stand for the ninth wicket between Hussey and Mitch Starc 17, after losing Clint Mckay LBW to Herath for 3 at 95 and Brett Lee run out for no score at 104.

Taken at point

Hussey was taken at point by Thirimanne off Perera and Starc was run out for 17. Australia was all out in 40.5 overs. Although Australia made 158, Duckworth and Lewis reduced the target to 152 for Sri Lanka.

Arriving at the ground, I was amazed to see hundreds of Sri Lankans domiciled in Sydney, sporting their cricketing shirts carrying their papara, parara bands and other noise making instruments queuing up to enter the ground.

Inside the ground it was one helluva din, with shouting, singing, dancing and cheering the cricketers and urging them to bring down the Aussies. All Sri Lankans here will have no better joy than to see the Aussies beaten.

With the Lankans looking to win every game from here, the selectors after having a look at the wicket decided to bench Upul Tharanga who has been hopelessly out of form and Sachitra Senanayake and brought in Lahiru Thirimanne who had recovered and another all rounder Farveez Maharoof.

Condemned

Ricky Ponting’s elevation to captain Australia again and not vice captain David Warner in the absence of Michael Clare which move has been condemned by critics here won the toss and decided to bat.

When the Aussies went into bat it immediately got overcast and the selectors decision to go in with five seamers was justified. The seamers used the conditions very cleverly, getting the ball to wobble around and the experienced Aussie batters were struggling.

Rains were predicted and it began to drizzle and umpires Billy Bowden and Simon Fry decided to stop play with the home team on the skids at 88 for 6 with David Hussey on 15 and Clint McKay on 0.

The Australians would have been in a worst plight had Lasith Malinga fielding at third man not dropped David Hussey on 8 with the score on 78 off Thissara Perera and Maharoof held on to a caught and bowled by Daniel Christian on 5 at 80. But the miss did not prove costly as Perera had the batsman LBW one run later. Sydney, Friday

Australia:

D. Warner c Maharoof b Malinga 		13
M. Wade run out (Perera) 		15
R. Ponting c and b Maharoof 		 2
P. Forrest c Mathews b Maharoof 	16
M. Hussey c Sangakkara b Mathews 	13
D. Hussey c Thirimanne b Perera 	58
D. Christian lbw b Perera 		 6
C. McKay lbw b Herath 			 3
B. Lee run out (Perera) 		 0
M. Starc run out (Kulasekara) 		17
X. Doherty not out 			 2

EXTRAS (lb2, w11) 			13
TOTAL (all out; 40.5 overs) 		158
Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Warner), 2-37 (Ponting), 3-37 (Wade), 4-60 (M. Hussey), 5-74 (Forrest), 
		6-81 (Christian), 7-95 (McKay), 8-104 (Lee), 9-153 (D. Hussey), 10-158 (Starc)
Bowling: Malinga 8.5-0-42-1 (2w/10), Kulasekara 8-1-29-0, Maharoof 8-1-18-2, Mathews 4-0-26-1, Perera 7-1-29-2, Herath 5-1-12-1 (1w)

Sri Lanka:

M. Jayawardene not out 			61
T. Dilshan c D. Hussey b McKay 		45
K. Sangakkara c Doherty b Lee 		30
L. Chandimal not out 			 6

EXTRAS (lb5, w5) 			10
TOTAL (2 wickets for; 24.1 overs) 	152
Fall of wickets: 1-74 (Dilshan), 2-133 (Sangakkara)

Bowling: Lee 7-0-42-1 (2w), Starc 4-0-32-0 (1w), McKay 6-1-23-1 (1w), Christian 5.1-0-32-0 (1w), Doherty 2-0-18-0