Match Report: Sri Lanka beat Australia, dump India

Sri Lanka innings (Overs 1-10)

Having opted to bat first, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan came out with the intention of rapid scoring from the get-go.

Shane Watson promptly adjusted, tightening the field and pulling his fielders well inside the circle. It worked – in the second over, an attempt to sneak a single behind the bat on the off side saw Michael Hussey pick up and, one-handed, break the stumps at the bowler’s end with ... more 

Sri Lanka innings (Overs 1-10)

Having opted to bat first, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan came out with the intention of rapid scoring from the get-go.

Shane Watson promptly adjusted, tightening the field and pulling his fielders well inside the circle. It worked – in the second over, an attempt to sneak a single behind the bat on the off side saw Michael Hussey pick up and, one-handed, break the stumps at the bowler’s end with Mahela hopelessly out of his ground. The single was suicidal – Mahela had been forced onto his back foot by Ben Hilfenhaus, and thus was in no real position to respond to Dilshan’s call.

Against laser-sharp bowling, Lanka struggled to get the ball off the square – and the tight bowling and fielding paid off, with Pattinson bowling a sequence of four dot balls to Dilshan around off, then slipping one in at pace outside off, moving away. Dilshan, on the back foot, had a go at the first sign of width, but was surprised by the additional pace and bounce and only managed to edge to the keeper.

The highlight of the first ten overs was Pattinson’s bowling to Dilshan. The Australians clearly had a plan against the free-stroking opener who in the previous game against India had produced a brilliant century - the bowlers concentrated on keeping it short of driving length and tight around off, denying the Lankan opener room to express himself. Frustration, coupled with the obvious need to get a move on, finally produced the fatal error. less