da dobrowin： Marvan Atapattu stroked a classy 133 – his 15th Test century – while the middle order chipped in with useful contributions to ensure that Sri Lanka were comfortably placed at close of play on the third day
The Bulletin by Christian Ryan11-Jul-2004Sri Lanka 5 for 411 (Atapattu 133, Sangakkara 74, Samaraweera 53*) trail Australia 517 by 106 runs
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Marvan Atapattu: a classy hundred© Getty Images
Australia have not lost a Test in Queensland in 15 years, which is almost aslong as Joh Bjelke-Petersen – implausibly undemocratic yet unfailinglypopular – spent running the joint. For two hours this morning Sri Lanka, ledby their admirable captain Marvan Atapattu, made slow but steady inroadsinto one of cricket’s safest fiefdoms. Just as slowly, and a little lesssteadily, Australia’s bowlers hit back with two pantomime wickets afterlunch and another after tea. By the end of a tense and twisting third day’splay, prematurely cut off by rain and bad light, Sri Lanka trailed by 106runs with five wickets in hand.Commonsense and recent history dictates that if any side is to win thisintriguing contest, which has spawned 928 runs in three days, it must beAustralia. Before lunch, however, with Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene infull effortless swing, anything seemed possible. Ricky Ponting juggled hisbowlers and shuffled his field, in much the same way Bjelke-Petersen used toshuffle the electoral boundaries when he was in a tight spot. It workedwonders for old Joh but brought only frustration for Ponting, captainingAustralia for the first time on home soil. Seldom were the batsmeninconvenienced, much less imperilled.The history of Sri Lankan batting has mostly been a story of dashers andcrashers, of destroyers and de Silvas. Apart from occasional outbreaks ofdogged mutiny – or dogged Wettimuny, if you want to get really specific -the general philosophy has been to hit out lest you get out.Atapattu is cut from different cloth: hard to distract from the task athand, even harder to dislodge once set. His 133 today was his third hundredin five innings since taking over the captaincy from Hashan Tillakaratne,another resilient type. It would be premature to leap to conclusions – twoof those centuries came against a team masquerading as Zimbabwe’s 4th XI,after all – but he would appear to be grooming this Sri Lankan side in hisown image.Where Tillakaratne could be unflappable to the point of strokelessness,Atapattu exudes a sense of purpose about his patience. This morning he wasscintillating through the covers, severe on anything short and stoic at allother times. So prolific was he on the cover-drive that Ponting, more inhope than inspiration, planted a row of three short covers with the aim ofluring a catch. Atapattu kept his head and the ball along the ground – andhe kept cover-driving too. With yet another clinical snap of the wrists, hebrought up his 15th Test hundred.Much of the pre-play pontificating had inevitably centred on Shane Warne,and whether yesterday’s ominous late spell might mean he stood a better thaneven chance of breaking Muttiah Muralitharan’s world record. Happily fornostalgics, today’s play was televised ad-free throughout Australia on theABC, with Channel 9 preferring to serve up a midwinter’s footy smorgasbord.Kerry Packer, confronted by the vague possibility of his star employee’scrowning moment, might briefly have entertained second thoughts.He needn’t have fretted. Atapattu sat on Warne for the most part and pouncedon anything short, twice cutting him for three and once pulling him forfour. Warne was removed after two overs, brought back on the hour, butlacked verve and variety, turning his legbreak painfully slowly. At theother end Jayawardene looked no less secure, albeit slightly less likely toset hearts aflutter. Sri Lanka, resuming on 2 for 184, went to lunch at 2for 280. If not quite in the ascendancy, they had at least got the better ofAustralia for the fourth consecutive session.Old habits, however, tend to die hard. Two hours of grinding certainty werelargely undone in two overs of blinding recklessness. Glenn McGrath, after atight but rarely testing opening spell, tossed down a slow loosener secondball after the break. Atapattu, the lunchtime barramundi barely digested,caressed it sleepily to gully. Next over Michael Kasprowicz dug in a shortball high outside off. Jaywardene, apparently attempting to swat itcrossbatted over the bowler’s head, succeeded only in hoicking it straightup for a return catch.Tillakaratne Dilshan uncoiled successive pulls for four off McGrath to carrySri Lanka past the target, probably notional, to avoid the follow-on. He andThilan Samaraweera calmly added 65 before post-break madness descendedagain. Dilshan had lunged forward at one of Warne’s sliders just before teaand survived a convincing lbw appeal. Now, with only three runs added, hecharged at Warne, failed to get to the pitch of the ball and drilled itstraight to mid-on, where Kasprowicz juggled a comfortable catch. Victim522; the record hunt was on again.
Romesh Kaluwitharana plays an innovative hoick on the way to an entertaining 30 not out© Getty Images
For a few moments Warne, perhaps sensing it was now or never, looked his oldself. He mixed his flight and varied his pace; his drift, more importantly,had re-materialised. The new man Romesh Kaluwitharana, playing his firstTest in a year, appeared temporarily dumbstruck but soon settled, using hisfeet industriously and adding a vital 66 runs with Samaraweera.It felt like an important innings for Samaraweera who, until today, averaged71 at home and only 18 away. Unlike his skipper he scarcely drove at all,preferring to wriggle inside the line and alternately hook over square legor spoon over third man. By stumps, light-footed and inventive, he was notout on 53, his first Test half-century abroad.And so for the second time a Test match in Australia’s tropics extends to afourth day. A result one way or the other still looks a fair possibility,despite the blustery rain and gloomy light – another first on this Top EndTour – which cajoled the players off the field 21 overs early.Ah, the Queensland weather. There’s one thing even Bjelke-Petersen couldn’tfix.