Australia needed this; what with their crop of injuries, various unlikely upsets and the Ricky Pontin affair, which had not been off the back pages until the Muttiah Muralitharan business began on Saturday.

They are still missing the polish expected of Australian teams fielding is a mixed bag and the bowlers are leaking too many no-balls - but the good form of key players is getting them through.

McGrath bowled with great hostility and accuracy. He followed the team plan to the letter, aiming short of a length and into the rib cages of unsuspecting batsmen. Four of the first six Sri Lankans were caught fending off the precisely short-pitched ball and though Roshan Mahanama and Upal Chandana battled on bravely the damage was done by the new ball.

McGrath took the first three wickets for 30 runs and at one point Sri Lanka were 40 for five. The World Cup holders were dismissed for 190 in 41.4 overs.

McGrath finished with his best one-day international figures, five for 40, beating his five for 52 against Pakistan at Lahore in 1994-95.

Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist had given the Australians a terrific start after Arjuna Ranatunga had again won the toss and chosen to field first. This was a mistake, given the mental energy used up by his team the night before in first overcoming the Muralitharan 'throwing' incident and then chasing 302 to beat England.

The fielders looked knackered and the seam bowling was all over the place.

Gilchrist scored at better than a run a ball, Waugh barely any slower. Three hundred was on the cards until the spinners found a bit of turn and the Australian middle-order lost their timing.

Thankfully Muralitharan was well received and warmly applauded when he clung on to a skier at deepish mid-off.

There is no doubt that Sri Lanka get a raw deal in Australia. This was their fourth game in six days and their second in succession over the weekend. They did not finish until after 10.15 on Saturday night and were hardly likely to be sharp enough to take on Australia in front of a crowd of 26,000 by lunchtime yesterday.

The win left Australia second, two points behind England, in the triangular series.