Aussies fail the Murali test

Close Sri Lanka 81 for 1 (Atapattu 29*, Sangakkara 16*) trail Australia 220 (Lehmann 63, Muralitharan 6-59) by 139 runs
Scorecard

Muttiah Muralitharan burst out of the blocks in the race to 500 wickets, ripping through Australia's formidable batting order to leave Sri Lanka in pole position in the opening Test in Galle. Australia, wasting a crucial toss on a bald, sun-baked pitch, were bowled out for just 220 in 68.3 overs. Muralitharan snapped up 6 for 59, his best figures against Australia. Marvan Atapattu finished off the day with a brace of elegant cover-drives, and Kumar Sangakkara smashed Stuart MacGill for a magnificent six in the last over as Sri Lanka closed on 81 for 1 from 22 overs.

It was the 40th time in his 86-match career that Murali had taken five wickets in an innings - extending his own world record - and it wiped out Shane Warne's six-wicket lead as he extended to his career tally to 491 wickets. The chances of Murali reaching 500 in this game remain extremely remote, but Sri Lanka's cricket board is taking no chances, speeding up the production of souvenir T-shirts and a commemorative award.

Darren Lehmann, back in the side after an Achilles-tendon injury, used his experience and prowess against the spinners to hold the innings together with a battling 63. Lehmann added 72 with Damien Martyn (42) for the fourth wicket, and then 52 for the seventh with fellow returnee Warne (23), who was playing his first Test for 12 months after a drugs ban.

The Australian innings, though was dominated by incendiary passages of play. First, midway through the afternoon with a small crowd tiring under a fierce sun, three wickets fell for 15 runs to bring the Martyn-Lehmann recovery to an abrupt halt. Then, straight after the tea interval, the last four wickets tumbled for just five runs in the space of 13 balls.

Sri Lanka's dream day continued as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya added 53 for the first wicket. But Warne's return to the bowling crease gave Australia something to cheer. There was no wonder-ball to relaunch his career, as eight runs were scored off his first over, but an innocuous straight one accounted for Jayasuriya (35), who missed an attempted sweep.

Earlier, Sri Lanka opened the bowling with Chaminda Vaas, their only fast bowler, and Kumar Dharmasena, one of six slow men in the XI. Vaas found a smidgin of swing in his first couple of overs, but the pitch was back-breakingly slow from a fast-bowler's perspective and, although Hayden offered a difficult return chance on 19, the spinners were always going to hold the key.

Justin Langer was the first spin casualty of the series as he rocked onto the back foot and tried to punch Dharmasena through the off side. He was deceived by the low bounce of the offbreak, and Sangakkara took a juggling catch off the toe of the bat (31 for 1).

Ricky Ponting, who had finally assumed the Test leadership from Steve Waugh, showed his aggressive intentions immediately. He had batted superbly in the one-day series, clocking up four consecutive fifties, and he started in an equally business-like manner here as 31 runs were added in 39 balls.

Muralitharan was drafted into the attack with immediate success, courtesy of an athletic, full-stretch catch by Upul Chandana, sprinting around from a deepish square leg. Hayden, who had top-edged an attempted sweep, had scored 41 from 46 balls, with six fours. The introduction of Chandana was equally successful, this time accounting for the prized scalp of Ponting, stumped by two metres after being lured down the pitch by a flighted legbreak (76 for 3).

Martyn and Lehmann steadied the innings for a while, adding 72 in 131 balls for the fourth wicket either side of lunch. Like their colleagues back in the dressing-room, they endeavoured to be positive whenever given an opportunity to score. Lehmann was the bolder, shuffling down the wicket to the slow bowlers as often as he could, even to Muralitharan, whom he lifted for six over long-on.

As the partnership started to reach sizeable proportions, Sri Lanka slipped back onto the defensive. Dharmasena operated with a 7-2 field against Martyn, who hasn't scored a Test century for 25 months. The ploy worked, as he paddle-swept an offbreak straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at leg slip. Martyn had scored 42 from 81 balls and hit three fours (148 for 4).

Muralitharan, called back into the attack for a second spell, then spun Sri Lanka firmly back into the driving-seat: Andrew Symonds was adjudged to have edged a fizzing offbreak via his pads to Jayawardene at slip for a debut duck, and Adam Gilchrist's poor run continued as he toe-ended an awkward sweep to Dharmasena, running in from deep square (163 for 6).

Sri Lanka were firmly in charge now, as three wickets had tumbled for 15. But Lehmann, dropped at silly point when 30 off Muralitharan, battled hard, along with Warne. Lehmann chugged past fifty for the fifth time in his career while Warne, riding his luck against Muralitharan, smacked four meaty fours in a valuable cameo.

They carried Australia within sight of a competitive score by tea. But Muralitharan ensured that was never achieved after Lehmann fidgeted too far across his stumps, leaving them exposed. Vaas's offcutter feathered Warne's outside edge, and Murali mopped up the rabbits: Kasprowicz was bowled through the gate, and Stuart MacGill made a complete hash of a straight one, to leave Murali on a hat-trick in the second innings.