Mahela’s finest hundred seen in Test
Aussies poised for 14th straight Test win:
Elmo RODRIGOPULLE
The Australians are nicely poised to register their 14th straight
victory under Ricky Ponting at the end of day three in the Second and
Final Test against Sri Lanka at the Bellrive Oval, here today.
When play ended, the Aussies who led Sri Lanka by 296 runs had
increased the lead to 407 scoring 111 for one wicket in their second
innings. The Aussies did not enforce the follow on. The not outs were
Phil Jacques on 53 and Ricky Ponting on 7. Hayden went LBW to
Muralitharan for 33 giving him his 704th Test wicket.
Australia made 542 for 5 declared and Sri Lanka in reply managed only
246.
It was a class act - the century made by Sri Lanka captain Mahela
Jayawardena which can easily be classed with the best in the history of
the game. It was his 19th ton in Test cricket and his first in
Australia. It was disciplined, it was courageous, it was examplary, it
was fantastic and it had class written it all over it.
This was one century that Jayawardena will treasure and once he hangs
it, tell his children, grand children and who knows even his great grand
children, how he performed the batting miracle.
Memories are made of this. When he majestically cover drove Brett Lee
to the boundary to reach the dream hundred, he punched the air in
delight and waved his bat at his team mates an the crowd and when he
finally fell caught at square leg by Michael Clarke off Lee flicking a
ball, the Aussie cricketers tapped him showering congratulations and
cheering him all the way back and the crowd giving him a standing
ovation.
When Dilhara Fernando fell at 207, Jayawardena was on 69. He farmed
the bowling protecting Malinga and slowly, yet steadily reaching the
dream mark. When he reached the 90s, he did not show the usual nerves,
but stood tall and when the century came, he would have had that over
the moon feeling. If ever there was a captain’s century, this was one of
it. It was a 267 minute knock that was studded with 13 fours off 194
balls.
When play began today, the Lankan had to conquer battings Mount
Everst to stay alive in the game and only hope to save it, because they
played themselves out of the winning channel by conceding a huge first
innings score of 542 for 5 declared, in which score centuries came from
the bats of Phil Jacques150, Michael Hussey 132, Michael Clarke 71 and
blistering knocks from Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist 50 and 67
unbeaten.
Leave alone battings Mount Everst, they could not even clear a track
hurdle as they stumbled and fell by the wayside to be all out for 246,
296 runs short of the Aussies huge first innings score. Sri Lanka lost
10 wickets for 216 on day three.
It was simply a lack of will, concentration and the temperament
needed for the longer duration of the game that had them without a straw
to cling on to and drowning. This was inexcusable because most of the
players have had experience figuring in this style of game.
It was their unwillingness and inability to accustom that had them
stranded and at the mercy of the Australian bowlers.
It was only a 73 run stand for the third wicket by captain and vice
captain Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara that was worth
mentioning. But once Sangakkara who was having a charmed life - there
was a disputed catch by Michael Clarke at gully early in his innings,
and then a drop by wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist on 13- went caught by
Michael Hussey for a plucky 57, the batting dam burst, although Mahela
Jayawardena tried his best to stop the ruination by playing a
responsible and scoring a marvellous century.
Sangakkara was very adventurous in stroking 9 fours in his knock.
When Sangakkara and Jayawardena were performing their rescue act and
hammering leg spinner Stuart MacGill all over the park, what was
interesting was that skipper Ricky Ponting was still persisting with
him. It was an example to most captains who do not have much confidence
in leg spinners.
Any other captain would have switched the leg spinner, but not
Ponting. Once Sangakkara went and with Ponting giving him all the
encouragement, MacGill went to turn his magic getting Chamara Silva
snicking to Gilchrist and bowling Sanath Jayasuriya playing across the
line which showed poor batting technique.
Earlier Marvan Atapattu 25 and Michael Vandort 14 went after taking
their overnight stand of 30 to 41 when Vandort had his stumps disturbed
by a ripping yorker from Brett Lee.
Attapattu was well held by Michael Clarke in the slips off Lee who
was delivering with tremendous pace and movement. Prasanna Jayawardena
could not maintain his batting form and snicked a Stuart Clarke delivery
to Gilchrist. Ferveez Mahroof went run out when his runner Chamara Silva
was stranded in a misunderstanding with Jayawardena. He made 19.
Malinga went for one and Muralidaran remained not out one. Brett Lee
once again bowled well to take 4 for 82 in 22.3 overs. Clarke had 2 for
32 and MacGill 2 for 81.
Australia 1st innings 542 for 5 declared
(P. Jaques 150, M. Hussey 132, M. Clarke 71; D. Fernando 2-134)
Sri Lanka - 1ST INNINGS
(30 for 0 overnight)
M. Atapattu c Clarke b Lee 25
M. Vandort b Lee 14
K. Sangakkara c Hussey b Johnson 57
M. Jayawardene c Clarke b Lee 104
S. Jayasuriya b MacGill 3
C. Silva c Gilchrist b MacGill 4
P. Jayawardene c Gilchrist b Clark 0
F. Maharoof run out (sub Lockyer) 19
D. Fernando c Gilchrist b Lee 2
L. Malinga b Clark 1
M. Muralitharan not out 1
EXTRAS (NB-9, LB-7) 16
TOTAL (all out, 81.2 overs) 246
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-41 (Vandort), 2-54 (Atapattu),
3-127 (Sangakkara), 4-134 (Jayasuriya), 5-152 (Silva),
6-163 (P. Jayawardene), 7-196 (Maharoof), 8-207 (Fernando),
9-243 (Malinga), 10-246 (M. Jayawardene)
BOWLING: Lee 23.2-4-82-4 (8nb), Johnson 17-3-44-1,
Clark 16-6-32-2 (1nb), MacGill 25-5-81-2
Australia - 2ND INNINGS
P. Jaques not out 53
M. Hayden lbw b Muralitharan 33
R. Ponting not out 7
EXTRAS (LB-1, B-2, NB-15) 18
TOTAL (1 wkt, 20 overs) 111
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-83 (Hayden)
BOWLING: Malinga 7-0-41-0 (9nb), Fernando 6-0-35-0 (6nb), Muralitharan 7-0-32-1
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK)
Rudi Koertzen (RSA)
Bellrive Oval, Hobart, Sunday |
