After bowling out Australia for its lowest ODI score of 162 against Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya and Atapattu went about scoring runs in a very sedate manner. Jayasuriya did play a few powerful shots to the boundary, but was not at his demolishing best. There was a job to be done, and the skipper showed the Aussies, how to accumulate runs on a dust bowl of a pitch.

Australia fielding was not at its best, given the fact that they are defending a very low total. Skipper Ponting was guilty of putting down Atapattu, on eight at that time, at mid-wicket. Glenn McGrath was the unlucky bowler. After missing out on that window of opportunity, the chances of Australia running through vanished.

Jayasuriya and Atapattu added 67 runs for the first wicket partnership, easily the best of the game so far. The Sri Lankan skipper looked good for a big match-winning knock, but was completely undone by the ‘Warney Flipper’. Jayasuriya struck half a dozen boundaries in his knock of 42 off 51 balls before being comprehensively bowled by Warne.

Shane Warne has seen the best slip fielders taking catches off his bowling, through his career as an Australian cricketer. Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh has held some amazing reflex catches at first slip off Warne’s bowling in the past. Warne is getting the ball to turn on this dust bowl in Colombo, and to his horror he saw Hayden put down catches off consecutive deliveries. Atapattu being the lucky batsman, and he was on 25.

Catches do win matches, and the misses are going to haunt the Australians for a long time. They were the hot favourites to win this tournament when it started, and not anymore as Sri Lanka wouldn’t choke like the South Africans while chasing a target.

Ponting has been scratching his head to find out some magic, but there isn’t one. After the abject surrender by the Aussie batsmen, the innocuous left-arm bowling of Darren Lehmann is not going to win them anything. Kumar Sangakkara has taken a particular liking for Lehmann’s bowling, and has struck boundaries through covers and mid-wicket.

Warne has looked menacing but there has been hardly any good support for the leg spinner in every sense.

Soon after the 25th over, Michael Bevan (12 off 37 balls) was guilty of playing a rash shot; he swung the ball straight into the safe hands of Arnold at mid-wicket off the bowling of Dharmsena.

The big young hope of Australian cricket, Shane Watson had an opportunity to make a name for himself. With full 25 overs to bat and make a big score, Watson (7 off 26 balls) getting a top edge to a sweep shot off the bowling of Muralitharan, and Jayasuriya took the catch. Australia were in hopeless position of 107/7 in the 33rd over.

Shane Warne has seen all this before, and his batting is the only heartening thing the Aussies would draw from their batting display. Warne found a good ally in Brett Lee, and the two batsmen rescued Australia from a complete disaster. No flamboyant stroke was attempted, as both Warne and Lee were happy in taking the singles and the odd twos.

In the 47th over bowled by Jayasuriya, Lee (18 off 38 balls) trying to play a forceful shot, got a bottom edge onto the stumps. Warne was brilliantly stumped by Sangakkara off Muralitharan in the 48th over; it is a touch ironic that the leg-spinner top scored with 36 off 69 balls, when all the leading batsmen failed to make an impression.

Glenn McGrath didn’t know much about the big turning delivery from Muralitharan, and was bowled for a golden duck. Muralitharan finished with the figures of 9.4-0-26-3. Barring a tremendous bowling performance from the Aussies, Sri Lanka should cruise through to a final clash with India on Sunday.

“You have to absorb the pressure and stay in the ball game,” said Stephen Fleming, when asked about the success formula to topple the mighty Aussies. For a change, at the Premadasa Stadium, the pressure is right on the Aussies after a listless batting performance in the first 15 overs. Australia are desperately trying to stay in the ball game.

Sanath Jayasuriya packed his team with spin bowlers, hoping that the Aussies would flounder against the slow variety. Much to the delight of the big crowd at the Premadasa Stadium, the spinners rocked Australia by claiming the wickets of Matt Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in the space of three balls. Australia were 49/2 in the eighth over.

This was after Gilchrist had got off to a blistering start, playing the trademark square cuts and pulls to the fence. Hayden was content on giving support to his belligerent partner.

After cutting and pulling Chaminda Vaas and Pulasthi Gunaratne for fours, Gilchrist struck three boundaries off Vaas’ third over.

Five overs of pace had cost Sri Lanka 42 runs, and Jayasuriya immediately brought in Kumar Dharmasena to bowl. Hayden cracked the only boundary of his knock, a cracking cover drive off Dharmasena. There was a shocking appeal from Kumar Sangakkara for a caught behind, the bowler joined in the appeal a bit late, and umpire Steve Bucknor took the safe route of consulting the third umpire. The replays suggested that there was no edge.

Veteran Aravinda de Silva replaced Vaas and delivered the first big blow, Hayden (13) charged down the track and played all over an innocuous full delivery to be castled. Gilchrist (31 off 24 balls, 6 fours) perished sooner, caught by Marvan Atapattu at mid-off, slicing the ball in an effort to clear the ground.

Australia brought up their 50 in just 7.1 overs. Skipper Ricky Ponting was extremely lucky not to be given out lbw to Vaas. What stopped umpire Bucknor from consulting the third umpire will remain a mystery. Vaas suddenly had rediscovered the late inswinger to the right-handed batsman, which he struggled to bowl in this English summer.

Vaas slipped in another late inswinger in the following over, and Ponting (3 off 22 balls) played down the wrong line and was rapped on the back pad. Bucknor consulted Rudi Koertzen this time, and the decision rightly went in favour of Vaas.

The last time these two met, and that too at this venue, Sri Lanka ended up winners by eight wickets with almost eleven overs to spare. The Sri Lankan spin bowlers had wreaked havoc at that time claiming eight Aussie wickets. Interestingly, Steven Waugh with 43 top-scored for Australia, and Mark Waugh made 32. Well, the twins are in Colombo, and watching this game.

When Australia would have hoped for the experienced Darren Lehmann to play an innings that Steve Waugh would have. But it was not to be; Lehmann was run out for a duck. With the decision referred to the third umpire, Michael Bevan started to walk towards the middle after having seen the replays on TV, which showed Lehmann fall short of the crease to a direct throw from Jayasuriya. Australia had lost four wickets in the space of eight runs and 25 balls, to be reduced to 57/4 off 13 overs.

From the fifth to the 15th over, Australia couldn’t hit even one boundary in scoring 15 runs off 10 overs, losing four valuable wickets in the process.

In the 20th over, the magician from Kandy – Muttiah Muralitharan produced the magic, a top spinner that almost took the edge of Martyn’s bat.

In the 25th over, Damien Martyn (28 off 47 balls, 4 fours) was run out by a direct hit by Russel Arnold at mid-on.

de Silva bowled his ten overs in one spell (10-2-16-1), which included ten singles, a two and an edged boundary in his final over. Michael Bevan is unbeaten on 12 and Shane Watson is yet to open his account.

Sri Lanka have decided to pack their side with spin bowlers; Dilhara Fernando has been left out to accommodate Upul Chandana.

Australia have made the expected change; Damien Martyn comes back in after having missed out the last game with an injury. Jimmy Maher is the man left out.

This is the 22nd one-day encounter between the two teams, and Australia have a slight advantage of 10-9, with two games producing no result.

Playing in Sri Lanka, Australia have not had that much of success, they have lost eight, and won three games. The record at the Premadasa Stadium is in favour of Sri Lanka, winning four and losing two. Australia have lost five off the eight games they have played at this venue against all opposition.

The stadium is almost packed to its capacity, with the Sri Lankans taking on Australia in a one-day game in almost 37 months.

Australia team: +AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, *RT Ponting, DR Martyn, DS Lehmann, MG Bevan, SR Watson, SK Warne, B Lee, JN Gillespie, GD McGrath.

Sri Lanka team: *ST Jayasuriya, MS Atapattu, +KC Sangakkara, PA de Silva, DPMD Jayawardene, RP Arnold, WPUJC Vaas, M Muralitharan, UDU Chandana, HDPK Dharmasena, PW Gunaratne.

Umpires: SA Bucknor (WI) and DL Orchard (SA) TV Umpire: RE Koertzen (SA) Match Referee: Wasim Raja (Pak)