Sri Lanka v Australia, 3rd Test, Colombo, 5th Day

Australia complete a remarkable win

The Wisden Bulletin by Charlie Austin

March 28, 2004

Australia 401 and 375 beat Sri Lanka 407 and 248 (Jayasuriya 51, Samaraweera 53, Warne 4-92) by 121 runs, and won series 3-0
Scorecard

Shane Warne turned things around with four wickets in the final session © Getty Images

Sri Lanka stopped Shane Warne from overhauling Courtney Walsh's 519-wicket world record - but could not prevent Australia from inflicting their first series whitewash on home soil with a 121-run victory at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Warne played his part, snapping up four wickets in the final session, as Sri Lanka came within eight balls of saving the game before they were finally bowled out for 248.

During the afternoon, the band played, Warne toiled, and the threat of Sri Lanka's first home whitewash seemed to be fading as Thilan Samaraweera and Mahela Jayawardene battened down the hatches after lunch, and added 64 in 160 balls for the third wicket.

Warne had failed to make any headway despite the dusty dry pitch, and Australia's seamers were also beginning to show signs of tiredness after an exhausting tour, although Michael Kasprowicz was still gunbarrel-straight and Jason Gillespie occasionally conjured up some real devil from the placid surface.

But as tea approached, Darren Lehmann - the Man of the Match after 153 in the first innings and five wickets in the game - reclaimed the initiative for Australia with the wickets of Samaraweera and Jayawardene. At 186 for 4, the Sri Lankans sipped their tea nervously.

Samaraweera, pushed up to No. 3, had bedded down on his favourite home pitch (he has scored all three of his Test tons here) and looked set for a long stay as he passed 50 again. But then he was drawn down the pitch and stumped (156 for 3). Then Jayawardene, who had batted so well and watchfully for his 97-ball 37, was given out caught behind off Lehmann, although the TV replays showed the ball had only brushed his pad (181 for 4).

After tea, Warne finally claimed his first wicket of the innings as Kumar Sangakkara - who was shifted down toNo. 5 after Samaraweera's promotion - patted a legbreak defensively which then spun between his legs onto the stumps. He made 27 (191 for 5).

Until he was lured down the pitch, Thilan Samaraweera played resolutely for his 53 © Getty Images

Hashan Tillakaratne and Tillakaratne Dilshan held Australia's bowlers at bay for nearly an hour. Tillakaratne blocked each delivery, while Dilshan played his natural free-spirited game, hitting five fours and speeding to 31 from 44 balls. But Dilshan's aggressive approach eventually proved his downfall, as he miscued an attempted inside-out drive over cover and was caught at mid-off (232 for 6). The breakthrough opened up Sri Lanka's lower order - and, crucially, the new ball was just moments away.

Tillakaratne's last innings as captain ended shortly after the start of the final hour when he was trapped in front by Jason Gillespie, who was hunting for his 200th wicket with a shiny new ball. Warne returned to the attack to snare Nuwan Zoysa four overs later.

Chaminda Vaas resisted for 74 minutes for his 9, eschewing the daring approach that had cost Sri Lanka dearly in the second Test at Kandy, but was finally trapped lbw by Warne in the 13th over of the final hour. Next over, the penultimate of the series, Kasprowicz pinned Rangana Herath leg-before for a duck, to seal Australia's victory.

Sri Lanka's morning had started brightly, with Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu extending their opening partnership to 45. Jayasuriya cut a couple of early boundaries and Atapattu drove crisply straight down the ground. Kasprowicz was denied Jayasuriya's wicket on 28 when Adam Gilchrist floored a difficult one-handed chance.

But Kasprowicz was not to be deprived for long, as Atapattu's off stump was sent cartwheeling by an offcutter, a carbon copy of his first-innings dismissal. He made 14 (45 for 1). It was the sixth time in 11 innings during this tour that Atapattu's stumps had been rattled, a worrying statistic for an opening batsman.

Jayasuriya's 131 at Kandy was an electric innings, a knock that carried Sri Lanka to the brink of a famous win, but today's was more sedate. There was the odd signature rifle-cracking boundary through the off side, an area the Australians protected with a deep point, but he stopped short of an all-out assault.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka were scoring at a good rate, and local dreamers might have started to ponder a remarkable victory. But an umpiring blunder quashed those hopes when Jayasuriya was given out caught at backward short leg off Lehmann's first delivery of the morning. Like Jayawardene's dismissal later on, the ball appeared only to brush the pad.

It was that sort of day for Sri Lanka. And the news didn't get any better after the match, when it was revealed that Chris Broad, the match referee, was reporting Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action to the ICC. Broad, it seems, has reservations about Murali's newish doosra delivery.

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