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 'Careless' Drama to the end as Sri Lanka triumphs
Posted: Saturday September 11, 1999 03:47 PM
KANDY, Sri Lanka (Reuters) -- Sri Lanka made a bizarre and controversial test breakthrough on Saturday when they beat injury-hit Australia for the first time. The six-wicket win was achieved inside three days and ended a sequence of seven Australian triumphs and three draws. Australia's stand-in captain Shane Warne blamed its defeat on careless batting and lamented Friday's freak collision between skipper Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie. Waugh broke his nose and Gillespie his leg. Sri Lanka was made to fight to reach the modest target of 95 -- a task that would have been even harder had one dismissal decision not gone its way. What appeared to be a brilliant caught and bowled by Colin Miller was adjudged not out as the hosts teetered on 39 for three. Sri Lankan umpire Peter Manuel was at the center of an outburst after Miller dived full stretch to his left and grasped the ball centimeters from the pitch in what television replays appeared to show as a stunning catch off Mahela Jayawardene. Manuel remained unmoved much to the anger and dismay of the Australians, believing the Sri Lankan had hit the ball into the ground. Warne, who had implored his teammates to perform a cricketing miracle for Waugh and Gillespie, risked censure in approaching Manuel to ask for the third umpire to make a ruling. Warne knew such an act was against the rules but risked punishment because having Sri Lanka four down on a pitch offering spin might have launched his team to a sensational victory. A drained and disappointed Warne recounted: "I said [to Manuel]: 'Is it worthwhile just calling for the third umpire to see if it's out or not? I'm not saying you have made a mistake but let's just be sure'." "He said 'no', it was definitely a bump ball'. So that was the umpire's decision and we had to get on with it and play the game. "We've all read about the history of the game and the low scores -- and Sri Lanka had never beaten us so they were obviously going to feel the pressure. Miller, who led Australia's attack with Glenn McGrath in the absence of Gillespie, gained some consolation by taking three wickets with his fast off-breaks. McGrath removed opener Marvan Atapattu for a duck to reduce Sri Lanka to 12 for one, then Miller kept Australia's faint hopes alive with the cheap wickets of captain Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana and, finally, Jayawardene. Experienced campaigner Aravinda De Silva finally halted the slide and steered his team home with an unbeaten 31. Australia resumed at 89 for six overnight, but with only nine men batting a recovery was beyond them and they were dismissed for 140. Chaminda Vaas bowled Miller for eight in the fifth over of the morning. McGrath stuck for 51 minutes for 10 not out to help Ricky Ponting complete his second half-century of the match. Warne said the Australian top order was responsible for the defeat. "If we had batted better and had 150 on the board [for Sri Lanka to chase], I would have fancied our chances." Waugh was discharged from hospital on Saturday morning. He and Gillespie watched the drama unfold from the team's hotel in Colombo. There was more bad news for the Australians when McGrath's troublesome left thigh flared up again. With Gillespie set to return home once cleared for travel by surgeons, Australia can hardly afford to lose McGrath with back-to-back tests following the three-day match starting in Colombo next Friday.
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