Australia v. Sri Lanka - 1st. Test

[Donny]

Why would it piss him off - other than it would mean his team lost ? He got Warney.
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MacGilla gets another. 6/89.

[Donny]

500 for Warney !!

And a very important wicket at that. Tilla was proving difficult to budge but Warne tempted a bit shot and up it went. Symmo was under it.

Congratulations Shane Keith Warne.

[Donny]

Another wicket for MacGill. He has 3/73.

It's 8/153.
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Warne gets his 5th. 9/153.

Hayden equals the world record for catches in a Test.
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All out 154. MacGill takes 4/74.

Now, who'll get Man of the Match ?

Although Murali got 11 wickets, Warne got 10 for the winning team and Hayden got 130 and 7 catches. I'll go Hades.

[Donny]

What a great win by the Aussies.

Knocked over for 220 on the first day. Really on the ropes after day 2 then stormed back to win in outstanding fashion.

The combo of Warne and MacGill took 15 wickets and Lehmann, Hayden and Martyn showed real guts in both innings but especially in the second.
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Matt Hayden was awarded the Man of the Match for his 41 and 130 and 7 catches. It could well have gone to Darren Lehmann - 63 and 129 - or Martyn - 40 and 110 - because of the context in which they scored their runs.

Warne and Murali weren't far behind.

[Donny]

Here's another interesting aspect of this present Australian XI. It's extremely flexible.

It might have been missed by some but the team that won this Test in such excellent fashion had 4 players who were not in Australia's last Test.

Two in the top 6 - Lehmann and Symonds - and two bowlers - Warne and Kaspa.

And there are players of such high calibre as Katich, Williams, Love, Hodge, Elliott, Lee, White, the Husseys, Clarke, North and Tait waiting in line and I've probably left out a few.

[Fradam]

Well Done, brilliant fighting effort Aussies

[piedys]

[Donny]

Obvious but beautiful in it's simplicity, Dyso.
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Aussie Test win unforgettable

From correspondents in Galle - Fox


RICKY PONTING will never forget his first Test victory as captain.

As the song goes, there's always something there to remind him.

Shane Warne reaching 500 wickets in Test cricket.

Darren Lehmann's emotional century – a tribute to the late David Hookes.

Damien Martyn's first century in more two years to repay the unwavering faith Ponting had shown him.

Matthew Hayden equalling the world record for catches in a match.

And last, but by no means least, the fact he led Australia to one of their most gritty, backs-to-the-wall fight backs.

Australia won by 197 runs after bowling out Sri Lanka for 154 midway through the final day after setting the home side 352 for victory at Galle International Stadium.

Steve Waugh's first Test, also in Sri Lanka five years ago, ended with Waugh and Jason Gillespie in hospital with a broken nose and broken leg respectively after a nasty outfield collision.

And this game too threatened to give Ponting a figurative poke in the eye as Australia slipped up badly on the first two days. But Ponting showed he can write Waugh-esque scripts as he lifted his team from the doldrums to deliver a win which will go a long way towards giving Australia a chance to win his first series and reverse the 1999 loss suffered by Waugh's team.

By not getting enough runs, just 220, and then letting Sri Lanka build a first innings lead of 161 on a ground where the home side has a magnificent winning record, Australia looked down and out here.

Add to that an injury to opening bowler Michael Kasprowicz and the permanent loss of Brett Lee, who flew home for treatment to his ankle problem, and the Australians had every reason to drop their heads.

But where they were headstrong in the first innings, playing irreverent strokes against a bowler as devilish as Muttiah Muralitharan, they showed they could learn, adjust and implement changes in the second innings.

Playing with straighter bats and more patience, Australia, led by centuries to Matthew Hayden, Lehmann and Martyn, built their own lead of 351.

Sri Lanka were never a chance to a win and on a fifth day wicket Australia's two-pronged leg spin attack was totally justified as Warne and Stuart MacGill beat Sri Lanka at their own game.

What makes the victory even more meritorious is the fact it came on a pitch custom-made to the home team's specifications.

Amazingly, Murali took 11 wickets for the match but it wasn't enough to prevent Sri Lanka losing just their second Test from 10 at this ground which had formerly been as much a stronghold as the centuries-old Dutch fort which overlooks the seaside oval.

The result also put paid to suggestions Warne and MacGill couldn't bowl in tandem, the pair taking nine of 10 second innings wickets between them.

Warne finished with his best figures against Sri Lanka of 5-43 for match figures of 10-159 and 501 wickets, while MacGill finished with 4-74 in the second innings.

Hayden took four catches in this innings to equal the world record of seven held now by five players including Greg Chappell.

[London Dave]

Top effort by Oz...but how weak are the Lankans? No Yorkshire get down and sniff ball lad, all throwing bat, tsk tsk tsk, in my day, grind out draw and bring on oz next test.

Next test in Kandy, which is a lovely place. Anyone fron Nicks ever visit Kandy, you must stay in Helga's Folly . Without doubt, one of the most fantastic places I've ever been!

[London Dave]

and click on the Helga's Folly link in my last post, the place is just fan-bloody - tastic, worth the trip to Sri Lanks for!