— Photo: AP

DECEIVED: Andrew Symonds could not read the `doosra' from Muttiah Muralitharan and is stumped by Kumar Sangakkara.

ADELAIDE: Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan ran out four Australian batsmen on Friday to spark a 22-run victory in the first final of the tri-series limited overs series.

The Australians, a strong 1-4 favourite before the start, suffered five run outs in all at the Adelaide Oval, including captain Ricky Ponting who was out without facing a ball. They will have to come back from 1-0 down for only the third time in 26 years to claim the best-of-three series.

``We were clearly the underdogs before the series and people thought it was a two horse race (between Australia and South Africa) but here we are,'' said Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu. ``We believe in ourselves and back ourselves and we played almost as well as we can today.''

Consistent Sangakarra

Sri Lanka batted first and set a formidable target as Kumar Sangakarra's 83 helped it reach 274 for eight in 50 overs.

Atapattu also scored a half-century (53) but the game shifted on a late burst from Chamara Kapudegara (38 off 21 balls) and Dilshan (26 off 20 balls). Sri Lanka added 88 runs in the last 10 overs, making the most of the absence of Australia's spearhead Glenn McGrath. McGrath is missing as his wife Jane battles breast cancer and Ponting acknowledged it detracted from his team both at the start and finish of Sri Lanka's innings.

``It has a different look when you don't have McGrath in the team,'' he said. ``But we're putting a good team on the park and it's up to us to bounce back.''

McGrath wasn't the only missing factor Friday. The world's No.1-ranked team is usually superb at running between wickets but not so on Friday.

``We had a few communication mix ups and it cost us,'' said Ponting. ``Two of our first three wickets were run outs and we were on the back foot for most of our innings. Sri Lanka played a very good game though — they batted well and put us under pressure.''

Dilshan ran out Ponting by the length of the pitch after a mix-up with opener Simon Katich but his best intervention removed Damien Martyn. Stretching to his right he picked off a shot into the covers with his fingertips and rifled the ball into the stumps at the non-strikers' end.

``He's been doing a lot of work on his fielding and it paid off in a final,'' Atapattu said.

Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took three for 40 to make sure of the result, Sri Lanka's first win over Australia in Adelaide.

Important toss to win

Atapattu had won an important toss, allowing him and Sanath Jayasuriya to attack from the start. Jayasuriya raced to 25 before falling but Sangakarra played an intelligent and well-paced innings, especially through the middle overs.

In the late rush, Kapugedara and Dilshan hit five sixes between them to ensure a strong total.

The target went from challenging to distant in the space of three overs after Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich had added 51. Gilchrist's exit, caught at deep backward square for 26, was followed by the run out dismissals of Ponting and Martyn.

Ponting was stranded when Katich refused a single and when Martyn was out the Australians were 64 for three.

Muralitharan joined the attack with plenty of runs still to defend, and silenced crowd taunts of "no ball'' by artfully deceiving Andrew Symonds (16) with his doosra.

Katich (56) was run out by Dilshan as Michael Clarke (80) refused his partner's optimistic call and Mike Hussey fell to the same fielder after Clarke took off to escape a leg-before appeal.

Panic had set in, and when Super Sub James Hopes swept Muralitharan straight to Dilshan the match was effectively over.

A last wicket stand of 39 between Clarke and Nathan Bracken only served to narrow the margin before Clarke was dismissed, run out.

The second match of the finals will be played on Sunday in Sydney with game three, if needed, scheduled for Brisbane on Tuesday. — AP

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