Sri Lanka 343 for 5 (Jayasuriya 122, Atapattu 101) beat Australia 264 (Jayasuriya 4-39) by 79 runs
Scorecard

Having been beaten twice by Australia's reserves on Tuesday, Sri Lanka fared a little better against the first team today, hammering them by 79 runs when the VB Series resumed at Sydney. Sanath Jayasuriya, with the ultimate captain's performance, did almost all of the work on his own.

First he flayed a devastating 122 off 105 balls to take his side to 343 for 5 off 50 overs – more than five times the 65 they were skittled for by Australia A two days ago - and then took 4 for 39 as Australia were bowled out for 264 with four balls to spare. Given Sri Lanka's desperate form on tour so far, it was an astounding turnaround.

Sri Lanka's total was the highest ever made in one-day internationals against Australia. Jayasuriya, who hadn't made a fifty - never mind a hundred - in his last nine one-day innings, added 237 with Marvan Atapattu (101), the fourth-highest opening partnership in ODI history and the highest for any wicket for Sri Lanka. When Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to field, it's a fair bet he didn't envisage that.

Jayasuriya's innings was a classic of its kind, but he rode his luck early on. He was yorked by a Brett Lee no-ball on 2, and when he was 26 Brad Hogg at backward point dropped a sitter off Shane Watson. Jayasuriya celebrated by slashing the next ball over third man for the first of his four sixes, and he was away.

Hogg (0 for 75) and Watson (2 for 72) would have even greater cause to regret that miss later, as Jayasuriya absolutely slaughtered them. He picked Watson up for sixes over square leg and deep midwicket, and boomed Hogg over extra-cover for another. In one vicious six-over spell, 62 runs were haemorrhaged. But rather than switch the bowling, Ponting left them to find their own solutions. They looked more likely to find a cure for cancer than to stem the flow. Hogg in particular was absolutely wretched.

Australia's performance in the field was thoroughly ragged, and they conceded 40 extras – their worst-ever in a one-dayer. Jayasuriya was dropped again off Watson on 118, another dolly to Michael Bevan at fine-leg, but Watson had his revenge soon after, trimming the top of leg stump as Jayasuriya made room. It was the end of a cyclonic call-to-arms.

Aravinda de Silva slogged over a straight one to give Watson another wicket (267 for 2), but Atapattu, who was dropped on 83 by Adam Gilchrist, moved to a correct 121-ball century. He fell straight after, run out smartly by Ponting at mid-on (283 for 3), and Russel Arnold was stumped first ball off Andrew Symonds as he overbalanced.

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara made merry at the end, adding 55 in six overs before Sangakkara slogged a full-toss from Andy Bichel straight up in the air. It goes without saying that Australia desperately missed Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne – but they didn't help themselves by picking a top-heavy side, and you know you're a bowler light when Damien Martyn is bowling at the death.

Australia's target of 344 would have been a record for a side batting second to win an ODI, but they never looked like making it once Gilchrist was bowled through the gate third ball – for 6 – by Chaminda Vaas (6 for 1). Ponting breezed to 15 before clipping a slower ball from Pulasthi Guanaratne to short midwicket (35 for 2), and Matthew Hayden (35) also fell to the slower ball, this time from Dilhara Fernando, scooping to mid-on where Jayawardene, back-pedalling furiously, took a very good catch (78 for 3).

With Muttiah Muralitharan (2 for 44), on his return to action, proving impossible to get away, the run-rate just kept rising and rising. Martyn (40) and Bevan (41) added 65 in 14 overs, but when both fell in consecutive overs from Jayasuriya – Martyn missed a hoick, Bevan jabbed to short midwicket – the game was up.

Symonds slogged Murali up in the air, but the denouement was most notable for three extraordinary non-decisions by Russell Tiffin, and one by Simon Taufel, on some of the plumbest lbws imaginable.

They were never likely to affect the outcome, however: Jayasuriya took care of Jimmy Maher and Lee with consecutive deliveries as Australia's hopes of even a bonus point drifted away, despite a record tenth-wicket partnership of 63 in eight overs between Watson and Andy Bichel. Played two, lost two: 2003 hasn't started very well for the Australians.

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