Australia Defeat Sri Lanka
Friday, March 7 2003
The Australian captaincy pair of Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist have blasted Australia to a 96 run win in their opening Super 6 match against Sri Lanka.
Australia were first to bat in the first match of the crucial Super Six round against Sri Lanka at Centurion Park.
Andrew Symonds was ruled out with a groin injury for the Australians, with Ian Harvey earning his place in the starting XI.
The Sri Lankans were unchanged from their final match against South Africa.
The Australians began in relatively controlled manner, seeing out the first five overs before many risks were taken.
Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden, however, soon exploded, taking account of opening bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Pulasthi Gunaratne.
Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya then introduced a three-pronged off-spin attack: Aravinda de Silva, Muttiah Muralidaran and Russel Arnold.
Predictably, Muralidaran was the man to gain the first wicket when Matthew Hayden was dubiously given out caught at silly point for 22.
However, Australia captain Ricky Ponting continued the batting onslaught, with both Arnold and de Silva being hit out of the attack for the Sri Lankans.
Gilchrist’s glimpses of blistering form against the English soon became more consistent as he punished the Sri Lankan bowlers to their knees in a freaky display of power stroke play.
However, his innings ended in a magnificent direct hit run-out for 99 from Chaminda Vaas, who gathered on the circle and hit the stumps at the non-strikers end. He faced just 88 balls.
The Australian vice-captain became the 12th player to be dismissed on 99 in ODI history.
Ponting, however, continued on the brilliant display of batting, taking a particular liking to Chaminda Vaas, who was punished for 59 from his 8 overs.
The Australian captain (114 from 109) reached his 12th ODI century, an excellent display of mature aggression at the crease before he was caught pulling from Dilhara Fernando by Kumar Sangakkara.
Damien Martyn, meanwhile, had put together a silky 52 from just 58 balls before his stumps were smashed by Fernando in the quest for quick runs in at the end of the innings.
Darren Lehmann’s recent good form yielded just 10 today when he picked out Aravinda de Silva at midwicket from Fernando, giving the big fast bowler his third and final wicket of the innings.
Ian Harvey, promoted to number 6, finished with 5* from 3 deliveries while Michael Bevan made 1 from his 1 ball faced.
For the Sri Lankans, Dilhara Fernando was the pick of the bowlers with 3/47 from his 10 overs. Muttiah Muralidaran took 1/47 while Chaminda Vaas, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Aravinda de Silva, Russel Arnold and Sanath Jayasuriya went wicket less for the Lankans. .
Sri Lanka’s 300+ run chase then began in disaster with captain Sanath Jayasuriya forced to retire hurt on 1.
He was struck by a ferocious Brett Lee delivery on the left arm, retiring hurt and being sent to hospital for x-rays in what looked like another broken arm for the fragile batsman.
However, the x-rays later confirmed it was only severe bruising, as well as picking up a chip thumb sustained before this match, great news for Sri Lankan cricket.
Hashan Tillakaratne was then forced to join Marvan Atapattu at the crease, with the pair batting stably together.
Atapattu took particular liking to Glenn McGrath, who was struggling with a swinging ball, caressing him for a handful of boundaries.
The Sri Lankans poor luck continued, however, when the vice-captain was freakishly caught-and-bowled by Brett Lee after making a neat 16 from 24 balls.
Tillakaratne was the next to fall when he was bowled by a nagging Glenn McGrath for 21 from 41 deliveries at number 3 in trying circumstances.
Out-of-form Mahela Jayawardene’s miserable World Cup continued when he fell caught behind to Brett Lee for a duck, with the talented Sri Lankans challenging Inzamam-ul-Haq as the most disappointing batsman at the Cup.
Russel Arnold then joined his seasoned team-mate Aravinda de Silva at the crease, making just 1 from 6 deliveries before being trapped LBW to a rampaging Lee.
Lee was unlucky not to be on a hat-trick the very next delivery when keeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara was seemingly trapped plumb LBW when on nought.
However, umpire David Shepard felt the ball was heading down leg side, earning the keeper a welcome reprieve.
The lucky Sangakkara and de Silva then put together a solid partnership of 50 before the keeper’s luck ran out after a brilliant piece of fielding by Brad Hogg.
Hogg ran out Sangakkara for 20 from 38 balls after the Australian earned a direct hit with just 1 stump to aim at, leaving the batsman marginally short of his ground.
Chaminda Vaas then joined de Silva at the crease and made 21 from 45 deliveries before being trapped LBW by a flat Brad Hogg wrong-un, giving the ever-improving Western Australians his first wicket.
Muttiah Muralidaran, however, offered de Silva little support when he was caught on the boundary by Brett Lee, from the bowling of Darren Lehmann, needlessly throwing his wicket away.
Aravinda was the next man to fall following a masterly 92.
De Silva was eventually caught and bowled by Brad Hogg following an innings of brutality, finesse and common-sense that deserved more support.
His shots on both off and leg side were a joy for the spectators around the world and at the ground, including a flicked leg-side six off Brett Lee.
Glenn McGrath then returned to gain his second wicket of the innings and the final wicket of the day when he trapped Dilhara Fernando LBW for 9 to hand Australia victory.
For the Australians, Brett Lee took 3/52, McGrath 2/25 and Brad Hogg 2/45. Darren Lehmann pitched in with one wicket while Andy Bichel bounced back to earth, going wicket less with Ian Harvey.
Scores:
Australia 5/319 (R Ponting 114, A Gilchrist 99, D Martyn 52, D Fernando 3/47)
Sri Lanka 223 (A de Silva 92, B Lee 3/52)
Australia won by 96 runs.
Cricket Web Player-of-the-Match: Ricky Ponting.
Points: Australia 4.
Posted by Andre
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