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| January 27, 2006 | Friday | Zilhaj 26, 1426 |
Australia ground out unspectacular victory
ADELAIDE, Jan 26: Sri Lanka’s hopes of replacing Australia at the head of the triangular series table were scuttled Thursday but only after off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan gave the hosts a few heart flutters at the Adelaide Oval.
The Australians eventually ground out an unspectacular five-wicket win, reaching 219-5 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 218-8 off 50 overs.
But Muralitharan sent a few late shudders through their camp when he grabbed 2-3 in the 41st over to leave them still chasing 42 runs with 57 balls remaining.
In the end batsmen Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke steered their team home with a 42-run partnership.
The Australians had played a steady but unremarkable innings up to that point, anchored by 52 off 89 balls from opener Simon Katich.
Just as the Sri Lankans before them had failed to set the match alight, so too did the Australians, with Damien Martyn making a sluggish 46 off 72 balls.
Opener Adam Gilchrist with 34 off 33 and Andrew Symonds with 32 off 33 had set a livelier pace.
Nuwan Kulasekera finished with 2-32 off nine overs while Muralitharan took 2-35 from 10, snaring both Symonds and Martyn.
Sri Lanka had earlier struggled without the services of big-hitting opener Sanath Jayasuriya, who has a thigh injury.
He was replaced by Upul Tharanga who opened with Jehan Mubarak. The pair started steadily, keeping the run-rate ticking at four an over until their 53-run stand was ended by Symonds.
Mubarak had clouted him for a six over long on to bring up the half century two balls into the 14th over. But with the next delivery he popped a catch to Brett Lee at mid-off to be out for 34.
Danger man Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga dug in for 10 overs to add another 43 when the latter fell victim for 31 to a clearly elated Glenn McGrath.
McGrath came into the match under considerable pressure, with media reports quoting former Australian fast-bowling great Jeff Thomson as saying the 35-year-old was on the downhill slide.
Thomson was quoted as saying that McGrath, who had taken just three wickets in three matches so far in the series, was getting too old to recapture his best one-day form.
“I have said for a long time that McGrath’s best days are behind him,” Thomson told newspapers.
Acting Australian captain Adam Gilchrist then brought left-arm chinaman bowler Brad Hogg into the attack with immediate effect. Hogg extracted plenty of spin and took a wicket with his fifth delivery.
Sangakkara, on 25, played defensively but caught an inside edge and clipped the ball onto the stumps, putting pressure back on Sri Lanka with the score at 100-3.
Paceman Nathan Bracken then turned up the heat, claiming the wickets of captain Marvan Atapattu for 32 and Mahela Jayawardene for 25 to leave Sri Lanka on 161-5 off 39 overs.
Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for just 63, with Symonds claiming the final two to finish best of the Australian bowlers with 3-48 from nine overs. He won the man of the match award.
Sri Lanka now travel to Perth for matches against Australia on Sunday and South Africa on Tuesday.
Australia remain at the head of the table with three wins from five matches while Sri Lanka have two from five. South Africa have two wins from four matches.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka:
J. Mubarak c Lee b Symonds 34
U. Tharanga c Martyn b McGrath 31
K. Sangakkara b Hogg 25
M. Jayawardene c Symonds b Bracken 25
M. Atapattu c Martyn b Bracken 32
T. Dilshan b Hogg 1
R. Arnold not out 27
C. Vaas c Hogg b Symonds 15
A. Ganegama b Symonds 7
N. Kulasekara not out 2
Extras: (b4, lb4, w8, nb3) 19
Total: (Eight wkts) 218
Fall of wkts: 1-53, 2-96, 3-100, 4-155, 5-161, 6-167, 7-195, 8-207.
Did not bat: M. Muralitharan.
Bowling: B. Lee 10-0-40-0 (2w 1nb), G. McGrath 8-1-26-1 (2nb), N. Bracken 10-1-45-2, A. Symonds 9-1-48-3 (5w), B. Hogg 10-0-35-2 (1w), B Hodge 3-0-16-0.
Overs: 50.
Australia:
A. Gilchrist c Ganegama b Kulasekara 34
S. Katich c Sangakkara b Dilshan 52
B. Hodge b Kulasekara 5
D. Martyn b Muralitharan 46
A. Symonds c Tharanga b Muralitharan 32
M. Clarke not out 16
M. Hussey not out 25
Extras: (lb2, w7) 9
Total: (Five wkts) 219
Fall of wkts: 1-47, 2-73, 3-115, 4-175, 5-177.
Did not bat: B. Hogg, B. Lee, N. Bracken, G. McGrath.
Bowling: C. Vaas 8.3-0-41-0, A. Ganegama 6-0-41-0 (4w), N. Kulasekara 9-0-32-2, M. Muralitharan 10-0-35-2 (1w), M. Bandara 10-0-44-0 (1w), T. Dilshan 5-0-24-1 (1w).
Overs: 48.3.
Man of the Match: A. Symonds (AUS).
Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) Aleem Dar (PAK).—AFP
Standings matches played, points.
Australia 5 14
Sri Lanka 5 9
South Africa 4 8
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