Just two days after being skittled for a humiliating 65 against Australia A, with confidence at its lowest ebb since the 1999 World Cup, the visitors piled up a towering 343 for five in 50 overs.

Jayasuriya and Atapattu laid the foundations for that total, the highest ever total scored against Australia by any side, with a record tumbling 237 run partnership in just 33.4 overs.

It was the Sri Lanka’s highest opening stand, the highest opening partnership compiled by any side in Australia and the third largest in ODI history.

Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s captain, led from the front, scoring a brilliant century, his first against Australia and the 14th of his career from just 88 balls.

The left-hander was eventually bowled by the luckless Shane Watson for 122 from 105 deliveries, having smashed 12 fours and four sixes.

Atapattu, content to play second fiddle to the destructive Jayasuriya, played sedately, easing himself to his eight ODI hundred off 121 balls.

The right-hander finished with 101 from 122 balls after a direct hit from Ricky Ponting, having hit just five fours.

The Australians were left ruing a wretched fielding display, totally out of character with their clinical performance in their first three games of the tournament, all of which they won comfortably.

Three catches were dropped in all, including a regulation chance off Jayasuriya at backward point by Brad Hogg when the Sri Lankan skipper had scored just 26.

Not only did the fielders fumble but the bowlers, weakened by the absence of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne, were ill disciplined, conceding an unacceptable 40 sundries during the innings.

That included a no ball from Brett Lee early on that thundered into the stumps of Jayasuriya in just the third over of the innings.

The Australian bowling figures told a sorry tale: Watson conceded 72 runs from his ten overs, Andy Bichel’s quota cost 70 and wrist-spinner Brad Hogg leaked 75 from nine overs.

Sri Lanka lost some momentum after Jayasuriya dismissal, when they lost fours wickets in the space of eight overs, but Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara then finished the innings strongly with a 45 run stand for the fifth wicket.

Sangakkara scored 25 from 20 balls before he skied a catch into the deep, whilst Jayawardene finished unbeaten on 37 from 38 balls.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu threw off the shackles of poor form, both scoring unbeaten half centuries to lay foundations for a formidable first innings score.

After 25 overs, Sri Lanka had raced to 159 without loss, a dramatic improvement on Tuesday’s humiliating performance when they had been skittled out for just 65 by Australia A.

The stand was a record against Australia, surpassing the 145 scored by Avishka Gunawardene and Romesh Kaluwitharana at Melbourne in 1999.

Jayasuriya, who had come into the game desperately short of form and confidence, completed a rapid fifty off just 49 balls with a clipped six.

The Sri Lankan captain enjoyed some good fortune early on as he was bowled off a Brett Lee no ball when he had made just two.

He then survived two close lbw appeals and was dropped at backward point by Brad Hogg when on 26, a regulation chance that should have been snaffled.

Jayasuriya celebrated with a six over third man next ball and sped to his 52 one-day half-century with a flurry of boundaries.

Mid-way through the innings he was unbeaten on 71 from 74 balls having hit seven fours and two sixes.

Atapattu, who scored a century against Australia A on New Years Day, played a more measured hand.

Nevertheless, he threaded stylish boundaries through the off-side in the opening 15 overs.

After the fielding restrictions the right-hander was content to play second fiddle to his partner, settling down to milk Australia’s second-string bowlers.

The vice-captain had scored 56 from 80 balls with four boundaries after 25 overs.

With Australia missed their star trio of bowlers: Glen Mcgrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne, all of whom are recovering from injury.

Failing to make the early inroads after winning the toss and asking the Sri Lankans to bat, the decision to field just three frontline bowlers backfired.

Australia went into the game minus their bowling stars after injuries to Glenn McGrath (side strain), Shane Warne (shoulder) and Jason Gillespie (elbow).

The world champions also left out left-hander Darren Lehmann who scored a century when the two sides last met at Perth on Dec 22. He is 12th man.

Batsman Jimmy Maher, fast bowler Andy Bichel, spinner Brad Hogg and all-rounder Andrew Symonds, all members of Australia’s World Cup squad, take their places.

Sri Lanka were boosted by the return of star spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, who plays his first competitive game since Nov 19 after undergoing hernia surgery.

The world’s best bowler according to Wisden, Muralitharan is just three wickets away from claiming 300 ODI victims.

Sri Lanka, woeful in the first stage of the tournament, decided to field seven batsmen, recalling left-hander Hashan Tillakaratne for just, his third ODI in four years.

Sri Lanka lost their first three games of the VB Series.

Teams:

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Bevan, Andrew Symonds, J. Maher, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Andy Bichel, D. Lehmann (12th man)

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Hashan Tillakaratne, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Dilhara Fernando, Chaminda Vaas, Jehan Mubarak (12th man)