Gillespie the wrecker is back in harness

Galle (Sri Lanka) - In an accent perhaps a bit broader than his bat was yesterday Steve Waugh admitted while he was not into crystal ball gazing he expected a worthwhile contribution from Jason Gillespie when he returned to the international scene in Sri Lanka.

Injured in the West Indies and ruled out of the World Cup squad Gillespie made the sort of impressive return to the international scene which help set up the world champions for a comfortable 51 runs victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the Aiwa Trophy triangular at this colourful seaside city.

Against the backdrop of the magnificent 300-year-old Dutch fort, its granite battlements overlooking the oval thronged with twice as many spectators as the 4 000 inside the ground, Gillespie reduced the Sri Lanka top order to 41 for four as he generated lift, awkward bounce and generated enough hostility to make it uncomfortable for the batsmen.

A first spell of three for 26 by the 24 year-old South Australian may also raise a bit of a sweat among the Indians, the other side in this three-cornered contest, when the two meet today, but his dropped catch blemish is unlikely to lose him any sleep. Yet it was his general aggressiveness which enabled him to wreck Sri Lanka's reply in search of a victory target of 212 courtesy of the Messrs Duckworth and Lewis and their unfathomable calculations. The Australians, sent in to bat by Sanath Jayasuriya, managed 205 for six in a game reduced to 43 overs after 40 minutes were lost to rain in the morning. Which meant that should have Sri Lanka managed to score 206 - one run more than the Wizards of Oz produced, they would have still lost.

While trying to work out that mathematical equation Jayasuriya produced a LOI career-best five for 28 haul, owing three of his wickets to the wicketkeeping efforts of his former batting partner Romesh Kaluwitharana whose three stumpings were more than a fair effort considering the strength of the Australian batting.

In the end the Sri Lankans were dismissed for 160 with some middle and lower-order heroics from new cap Indika de Saram, Kaluwitharana and Upal Chandana, who added the necessary spine when it was needed. Only with the 24-year-old Gillespie's demolition job getting rid of Avishka Gunawardena, Mahela Jayawardena and Marvin Atapattu in that order, the spectre of defeat loomed for the hosts.

After so much criticism, and a solid bowling effort to put the World Cup champions under pressure, the failure of the Lanka top order against Gillespie is going to cause some concern for coach Dav Whatmore and the chairman of selectors, Sidath Wettimuny, who is also a member of the interim committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka.

Much emphasis had been placed on the side and this defeat needs to be taken in the context of it being in a limited-overs match against the World Cup champions and the selectors had made several important changes. While not experimental it is hard to see too many changes for the game against India at R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday in the first of the two day/night games. Russel Arnold may come in down the order, but at the expense of who? Perhaps De Saram who did nothing wrong yesterday.

Once the pomp and ceremony was out of the way and before the rain blew in from the sea to disrupt the game, there was the impression from the first few overs that Jayasuriya might have thought he should have batted first. After all Chaminda Vaas is of a gentler pace than either Gillespie or Damien Fleming and the pitch was a bit damp and by early afternoon it would have firmed up a lot more, giving Nuwan Zoysa and Chaminda Vaas more bounce and perhaps a surface on which to exploit the conditions.

As it is the rain seemed to change the way the Australians approached their batting. And with the spin of Mutiah Muralitharan and Jayasuriya pitching on a nagging length, there was pressure to keep the run rate above four an over. And Steve Waugh would have no doubt admitted that they have put together better performances. It was a little like the World Cup, a slow start, but as we know, the Aussies know how to put it together. How they handle India is another matter.