The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : McGrath, Gilchrist put Aussies in control

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Saturday, Jul 03, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

McGrath, Gilchrist put Aussies in control

Australia 207 & 201

Sri Lanka 97

DARWIN, JULY 2. Acting skipper Adam Gilchrist made 80 to put Australia in a commanding position against Sri Lanka in the first Test here on Friday.

Play ended when the host was bowled out for 201 at the Marrara Oval in the penultimate over of the day, leaving Sri Lanka with a target of 312. With 20 wickets falling in two days, that total looks an imposing one for the visitor.

Gilchrist, leading Australia in place of regular skipper Ricky Ponting, came to the crease with his team in trouble at 77 for five and was run out nine balls before stumps.

Australia dismissed Sri Lanka for 97 before lunch — the island nation's sixth-lowest total in history — to take a lead of 110. The home side, however, lost three wickets for just 14 runs within 25 balls in the second innings.

Darren Lehmann scored his second half-century of the match as the Aussies recovered. His 50 came off 55 balls with eight fours, but four balls later he was out for 51, dismissed by Lasith Malinga for the second time in the match as Kumar Sangakkara took his fourth catch of the innings.

Gilchrist then posted a patient half-century in just over two hours off 80 balls with six fours. He was run out when he tried to steal a single and couldn't get back before Mahela Jayawardene's throw.

Gilchrist batted for three hours and faced 123 balls, hitting 10 fours.

Debutant Malinga took four for 42 to make it a memorable start to his career.

Warne moves past Walsh

Shane Warne took three wickets in Sri Lanka's first innings to move to 520 Test wickets — one ahead of retired West Indian Courtney Walsh and seven behind record holder Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. Muralitharan decided not to tour Australia citing personal reasons.

Glenn McGrath, back in the team after a year-long break due to an ankle injury, passed former world record holder Kapil Dev to reach fourth place on the all-time list.

The paceman ran through the Sri Lankan middle-order early in the day, scalping three wickets to finish with figures of five for 37. When he removed Russel Arnold, he claimed his 24th five-wicket haul in Tests and moved past Kapil's tally of 434.

McGrath said he was ready to quit cricket last week over the frustration of his ankle problems. He volunteered to play for the Northern Territory Chief Minister's XI against Sri Lanka in an effort to prepare for the first Test.

Midway through that match, Australia's most successful fast bowler felt he couldn't go on when pain returned to an ankle which has already been operated on twice.

``After the second day, I was pretty disappointed with the way I bowled and I mentioned to Justin (Langer) how I could quite easily have retired then,'' McGrath said.

``But I woke up the next morning, the ankle felt great and I hit the crease hard — it was like a total reversal overnight,'' he said.

``I'd gone from `ready to retire' to `couldn't be happier' with the way I bowled so I was glad I came up here to play that match.''

Sangakkara said Sri Lanka put itself in a bad position with its poor performance with the bat in its first innings.

``But we did well I think, it was a big confidence boost to get back out there and have them in trouble again and get them out for 201,'' he said. ``It's just up to us now to step up and take up the responsibility and try and win.

``It's going to be a difficult one. You have to be realistic — when you look at the totals that both teams got on this track, they haven't been high.'' — AP

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