The Hindu : Australia clinches series

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Australia clinches series

GOOD SHOW MATE: Australia's captain Ricky Ponting hugs Shane Warne, who had a match haul of 10 wickets, - AP

Australia 120 & 442

Sri Lanka 211 & 324

KANDY, MARCH 20. Shane Warne took two of the three Sri Lankan wickets to fall as Australia took 34 minutes on Saturday to wrap up the second Test and the series with a tense 27-run win.

Sri Lanka resumed at 301 for seven, needing 51 runs to win in 104 overs, and progressed to 319 in three overs before losing its last three wickets for five runs.

Australia became only the third team in 50 years to win after scoring 120 or less in the first innings of a Test.

Warne broke through first, enticing Chaminda Vaas to hit out and having him caught on the ropes at deep mid-wicket by Justin Langer. Jason Gillespie removed Nuwan Zoysa (0) and Warne returned to trap Kaushal Lokuarachchi in front for 16 to seal the result.

The Australian leg-spinner returned with figures of five for 90 for the innings, taking his match tally to 10. He also picked up 10 wickets in Australia's 197-run win in Galle last week.

Warne now has 511 career wickets — only eight behind the world record held by retired West Indies paceman Courtney Walsh.

"I don't think I could have bowled much better than I have in the last couple of Tests," said Warne, now eyeing the record in next week's third Test at Colombo.

"I've never really thought about the record. Now only nine wickets away, it's definitely in my mind. If I bowl like I did in this Test and the first one, I suppose it's a chance as long as it's a big turning wicket again."

Sanath Jayasuriya had given Sri Lanka some chance of getting the 352 runs to win when he blazed 131 on Friday. Nerves took over on the tail-enders, and so, India remains the only team to chase a target over 200 at Kandy and win, scoring 264 for three to beat Sri Lanka in 2001-02.

"It was tense most of the last innings. The way Jayasuriya played yesterday, he really took it up to us, had us on the back foot," said Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. "It was a great game of cricket, went right down to the wire. "Warney was fantastic again. We've taken a lot of positives out of it. After being bowled out for 120 on the first day, it was a great effort to turn this Test around and win it."

Australia - 1st innings: 120.

Sri Lanka - 1st innings: 211.

Australia - 2nd innings: 442.

Sri Lanka - 2nd innings: M. Atapattu lbw b Gillespie 8, S. Jayasuriya c Gilchrist b Gillespie 131, A. Gunawardene lbw b Kasprowicz 9, K. Sangakkara c & b Warne 29, M. Jayawardene c Gilchrist b Gillespie 13, T. Dilshan b Warne 43, H. Tillekeratne c Ponting b Warne 7, C. Vaas c Langer b Warne 45, K. Lokuarachchi lbw b Warne 16, N. Zoysa c Gilchrist b Gillespie 0, M. Muralitharan (not out) 4, Extras (b-4, lb-14, nb-1) 19, Total 324.

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-36, 3-98, 4-174, 5-218, 6-239, 7-274, 8-319, 9-320.

Australia bowling: Kasprowicz 17-1-55-1, Gillespie 20-1-76-4, Warne 21.1-2-90-5, Symonds 3-0-16-0, MacGill 12-0-69-0.

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