VB Series, 2005-06
VB Series, 2005-06
Daniel Brettig
15-Apr-2007
At Adelaide, February 10, 2006 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by 22 runs. Toss: Sri Lanka.
Never before had a final of the Australian triangular been held outside Sydney or Melbourne
(the MCG was unavailable due to Commonwealth Games preparations). And the bubbly Sri Lankans
seemed more at home on this slow turner than Australia, who lost a finals match for the first time
since South Africa beat them at the MCG eight years earlier. Pre-match wisdom had Jayasuriya's
wicket as the key, but it was Dilshan and teenager Chamara Kapugedera who stunned Australia
with a late stand of 58 from 31 balls. A target of 275 was more than the Australians had bargained
for, and Gilchrist's demise in the deep sparked a night of madness between the wickets. Ponting
and Katich fetched up at the same end to send the captain back without facing a ball; Martyn
challenged Dilshan's arm and lost; and Symonds danced disastrously down the wicket to
Muralitharan's doosra. In all, five batsmen were run out - equalling the one-day international
record - with Dilshan having a hand in four. From 166 for eight, Clarke's doughty partnerships
with Lee and Bracken could only narrow the margin.
Man of the Match: K. C. Sangakkara. Attendance: 23,152.