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Aussies fail the Murali test

You did not need Nostradamus to predict what the lucky winner of the tosswould do

Muttiah Muralitharan burst out of 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, career-best figures against Australia. Atapattu (29*) finished off the day with a brace of elegant cover drives and Kumar Sangakkara smashed Stuart MacGill with a magnificent six in the last over as Sri Lanka closed on 81 for 1 after 22 overs.

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

Darren Lehmann, back in the side after an Achilles 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 wicket with fellow returnee Warne (23), who played his first match for 12 months after a drugs ban.

The Australian innings though was dominated by incendiary passages of play. First, mid-way 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 Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu 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 ball 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 bowlers in the XI. Vaas found a smidgen 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 slow bowlers 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 through the off side. He was deceived by the low bounce of Dharmasena's offbreak, and Kumar 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, set up an aggressive stall immediately. He'd batted superbly in the one-day series, clocking up four consecutive fifties, and he started in an equally business-like manner as 31 runs were added in 39 balls.

Muralitharan was drafted into the attack with instantaneous 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 leg break (76 for 3).

Martyn and Lee steadied the innings for a while, adding 72 in 131 balls for the fourth wicket either side of the lunch break. Like their colleagues back in the dressing room, they endeavored to be positive whenever given an opportunity to score runs. Lehmann was the boldest, shuffling down the wicket to the slow bowlers as often as he could, even to Muralitharan, who 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 was without a Test century for 25 months. The ploy worked as Martyn paddle-swept an offbreak straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at leg slip. Martyn had scored 42 from 81 balls and hit three boundaries (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 toed an awkward-looking sweep to Dharmasena running in from deep square (163 for 6).

Sri Lanka were firmly in the drivers' seat after Australia had lost three wickets for 15 runs. But Lehmann, dropped at silly point on 30 off Muralitharan, battled hard with Warne. Lehmann chugged past fifty for the fifth time in his career and Warne, riding his luck against Muralitharan, smacked four meaty boundaries in a valuable cameo.

The pair had 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 Muralitharan mopped up the rabbits: Kasprowicz was bowled through the gate and Stuart MacGill made a complete hash of a straight ball.