Cricket
Sri Lanka all out for 294
2013-01-03 09:23
Lahiru Thirimanne (Gallo)
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Sydney - Stand-in Lahiru Thirimanne and
skipper Mahela Jayawardene missed centuries as injury-hit Sri Lanka
slumped to 294 all out after a strong start to the third Sydney Test
against Australia on Thursday.
Thirimanne, who only arrived in
Australia this week to cover for the injured Kumar Sangakkara, threw
away a chance of a first Test hundred.
Jayawardene scored his first away Test 50 in more than three years but was caught at slip on 72.
The
tourists, demoralised after last week's innings and 201-run defeat in
Melbourne to lose the series, showed greater resolve in the dead-rubber
final Test as they chased their first ever Test win Down Under at the
13th attempt.
They were all out shortly before stumps on the opening day with paceman Jackson Bird taking four for 41 off 19.4 overs.
Thirimanne
reached his highest Test score after he was given out leg before wicket
to Bird for no score before the dismissal was overturned on review.
Thirimanne
also had a life on 65 when put down by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade off
spinner Nathan Lyon, but with a century in sight off 151 balls, he
tossed away his wicket on 91.
His flashing miscue off Lyon was brilliantly caught by David Warner diving full length at cover point.
Thirimanne trudged from the wicket shaking his head as he watched his dismissal on the large screen.
Jayawardene earlier steadied the tourists after the loss of both openers before lunch.
The
last time Jayawardene had passed 50 in an away Test was way back in
November 2009 in India, although he has continued to score heavily at
home. He went 26 innings outside Sri Lanka without a half-century.
It
was a more confident Jayawardene than seen in the Hobart and Melbourne
Tests and he faced 110 balls in 154 minutes before he was snapped up by
Michael Clarke at slip off Mitchell Starc in the 43rd over.
Starc
had a few anxious moments when New Zealand umpire Tony Hill checked for
an overstepping no-ball. But replays showed that Starc's heel was just
behind the popping crease before he dragged it forward and the dismissal
was confirmed.
Bird snared the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne in
the eighth over but Australia had to wait until 20 minutes before lunch
for a second, with the dismissal of Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Karunaratne
was out to a poor shot, attempting to pull Bird but only getting a top
edge that was safely caught by Mike Hussey, playing in his 79th and last
Test match. Dilshan was caught behind off Bird for 34.
Thilan
Samaraweera went leg before wicket to Peter Siddle for 12. Angelo
Mathews put on 55 runs for the fifth wicket with Thirimanne before he
edged Starc to Hussey at second slip for 15.
Left-armer Starc yorked Dinesh Chandimal with the first ball of the second new ball for 24 late in the day.
Skipper
Clarke had looked for a quick return on a bold toss decision to bowl on
a green-tinged pitch, after going into a Test with four quicks for the
first time since the third Test against India in Perth a year ago.
The
Sydney Test had a poignant opening, with both teams paying their
respects to Tony Greig in a moving farewell to the former England
captain.
Players and fans observed a minute's silence in honour of
Greig, who died at the weekend aged 66 from a heart attack while
battling lung cancer.