Australia v Sri Lanka
15-Apr-2004
At Perth, December 22, 2002 (day/night). Australia won by 142 runs. Australia 6 pts. Toss: Australia.
Lehmann had asked for a chance further up the order, got it because of an injury to Adam
Gilchrist, and responded with a century against the beleaguered Sri Lankans. His run-a-ball 119
combined brute force and improvisation, setting the tone for a one-sided game which culminated
in another Sri Lankan surrender on a fast pitch ideal for Lee. After an opening partnership of 162
had set Australia charging towards a daunting 305 for five, Sri Lanka needed a vibrant start, but
instead batted abjectly, losing their top three for 25. Defeat left them winless after three games -
and apparently out of the running for a place in the final. As the series paused for the last two
Ashes Tests, their only hopes lay in the return to fitness of Muttiah Muralitharan and the arrival
of Aravinda de Silva.
Man of the Match: D. S. Lehmann.