Warne Gets 527 as Sri Lanka Hold On
Tuesday, July 13 2004
The fifth day of the test was never going to be an easy one for the Sri Lankan side, who were deseperately seeking an unlikely victory. But the attention was on possibly the greatest leg spin bowler of all time, as Shane Warne equalled Murali's 527.
Starting the day on 2/194, Australia got off to a bad start with Damien Martyn being dismissed for 53, after only adding one run to his overnight score. This didn't stop the Aussies however as Matthew Hayden alongside Darren Lehmann continued to pile up the runs and the Australian's lead.
Matthew Hayden was in awesome touch once again, as he completed another test match century and the second in this match. Hayden who had scored a century in the first innings followed it up with another brilliant innings. Lehmann fell to Chandana for 21 and Katich didn't last too long out for 1 to the bowling of Dilshan.
Dilshan had dynamo Adam Gilchrist out bowled for 0 as Sri Lanka were showing glimpses of fight despite the game being well out of their grasp. Upul Chandana picked up Matthew Hayden and a total of 5/101 as Australia were bundled out for 292, but also setting a unlikely target of 355 for the Sri Lankan's to chase down.
In reply, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start with Marvan Atapattu being dismissed for 9 off the bowling of Jason Gillespie. With the score at 49, the magic of Shane Warne came to the fore as he had the vital wicket of Jayasuriya caught by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist for 22.
Jaywardene fell cheaply once more for 6, off the persistent bowling of Glen McGrath and then Damien Martyn was involved in the run out of Thilan Samaraweera (0) as Sri Lanka looked in danger of losing the match and handing Australia a clean sweep of the series.
Enter Kumar Sangakkara, the gritty Sri Lankan left hand batsman gave Sri Lanka the fight and the hope of seeing this match go to a draw. Along with Tillekeratne Dilshan, the two provided some backbone in a weak Sri Lankan batting order.
Gillespie had Dilshan caught at slip for 21 as Sri Lanka spiralled down to defeat once again. Romesh Kaluwitharana didn't last too long, as Shane Warne edged his way closer to the world record with that dismissal.
Upul Chandana and Sangakkara continued their fight back with some gritty batting. However, Shane Warne proved once more to the world that he is one of the best in the business as he bowled Sangakkara through the gate with a ripping leg break that pitched outside of his off stump and came back to clip his middle and leg stumps.
Warne ecstatic, Sri Lanka on the verge of defeat. The crowd was behind one of their favourite sons. Shane Warne edged his way closer and closer into cricketing history. With Chaminda Vaas coming in and not many overs to go, Warne fancied himself a chance at the world record.
However, to the Sri Lankan's credit, Upul Chandana and Chaminda Vaas fought it out and were on the verge of seeing the Sri Lankan's home. But that's when the magic happened, Chandana was stumped by Gilchrist off the bowling of Warne and the charismatic Australian leg spinner had equalled his Sri Lankan off spinning counterpart. Warne and Muralitharan had 527 wickets each to their name.
After all the excitement and grandeur, the match somewhat ended in a dull fashion. A draw, something that both sides wouldn't have wanted but will take. Australia with a 1-0 series victory, Sri Lanka with some pride restored on the way back home.
Brief Score Summary:
Australia (1st Innings): 517 All Out (Langer 162, Hayden 117, Martyn 97, Chandana 5/109, Malinga 4/149)
Sri Lanka (1st Innings): 455 All Out (Atapattu 133, Sangakkara 74, Samaraweera 70, Warne 3/129, Gillespie 3/116)
Australia (2nd Innings): 9/292 Declared (Hayden 132, Martyn 52, Chandana 5/101, Zoysa 2/34)
Sri Lanka (2nd Innings): 8/183 (Sangakkara 66, Warne 4/70, Gillespie 3/39)
Match Drawn
Australia Win Test Series 1-0
Cricket Web Player of the Match: ML Hayden(AUS)
Cricket Web Player of the Series: ML Hayden (AUS)
Posted by Sangrah
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