12 July 2004	Monday	23 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

CAIRNS, July 11: Captain Marvan Atapattu hit a century to lead Sri Lanka to 411 for five on the weather-disrupted third day of the second Test against Australia on Sunday.

Atapattu top-scored with 133, including 19 fours, as his side trailed by 106 runs on first innings with two days remaining. When play was called off for the day at 1720 local (0720 GMT) because of rain and bad light, Thilan Samaraweera was unbeaten on 53 with wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana not out 30.

Atapattu reached his 15th Test century in the morning session but failed to add to his score after lunch. "It is special. It was hard work and I'm glad to get a hundred against Australia in Australia," he said.

The 33-year-old right-hander was dismissed in the first over of the afternoon session for 133, caught at gully by Matthew Hayden off the pace bowling of Glenn McGrath.

Atapattu, who hit 19 fours and batted for five-and-a-half hours, had put on 124 for the third wicket with Mahela Jayawardene. Jayawardene fell in the next over for 43, miscuing an attempted hook shot off Michael Kasprowicz to be caught by the bowler with the score on 280.

Australia had claimed two wickets for no runs but Samaraweera and Tillekeratne Dilshan guided Sri Lanka safely past the follow-on mark of 318 in a fifth-wicket stand of 65.

Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne picked up his second wicket of the innings, finishing with figures of 2-117, and needs another five to equal Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan's world record of 527.

Australia coach John Buchanan said Warne's record bid had not been a big talking point among the players. "I'm sure Shane thinks about it every so often, particularly as he takes a wicket and edges closer," Buchanan said.

"Great credit to the Sri Lankan batsmen. Their batting has been of great patience, trying to bat as long as they possibly can." Atapattu appeared set for his seventh double century in 75 Tests and described his departure immediately after lunch as a shock.

"We had one or two soft dismissals. I have faced better wicket-taking deliveries than the one I got out to, put it that way," the opening batsman said. "My scores are either very high or very low. If you get a good start, you should go out and make the most of it," added Atapattu, who made one run in his first six Test innings.

Sri Lanka had resumed on their overnight score of 184 for two, with Atapattu on 75 and Jayawardene on nine. Dilshan fell to Warne for 35 shortly after tea, leaving Sri Lanka on 345 for five.

Samaraweera, however, resisted the Australia attack for three hours before the premature close, hitting five fours. Kumar Sangakkara (74) and Atapattu shared a second-wicket stand of 138 on Saturday.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 517 (J.L. Langer 162, M.L. Hayden 117, D.R. Martyn 97, D.S. Lehmann 50; U.D.U. Chandana 5-109, S.L. Malinga 4-149).

SRI LANKA (1st Innings, overnight 184-2):

S.T. Jayasuriya c G'rist b G'espie 13

M.S. Atapattu c Hayden b McGrath 133

K.C. Sangakkara c G'espie b Warne 74

D.P.M.D. Jayawardene c and b Kasprowicz 43

T.T. Samaraweera not out 53

T.M. Dilshan c Kasprowicz b Warne 35

R.S. Kaluwitharana not out 30

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-8, W-2, NB-17) 30

TOTAL (for five wkts, 122 overs) 411

FALL OF WKTS: 1-18, 2-156, 3-280, 4-280, 5-345.

TO BAT: U.D.U. Chandana, W.P.U.J.C. Vaas, D.N.T. Zoysa, S.L. Malinga.

BOWLING (to-date): McGrath 28-9-64-1 (3nb); Gillespie 32-4-110-1 (2w); Kasprowicz 26-4-104-1 (13nb); Warne 33-5-117-2 (1nb); Lehmann 3-0-5-0. -Reuters