SRI LANKA v AUSTRALIA

At R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, September 7. Sri Lanka won by 50 runs. Toss: Australia.

Australia had always won when chasing a Sri Lankan target, so Healy fielded first. But the new Sri Lankan game laughs at precedent. The visitors paid dearly for missing both Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana, and the 100 came up in the 13th over with only one of them out. Later De Silva lifted Reiffel for successive sixes to reach 75 not out from 64 balls. The Australians might have been hard-pressed to beat 234 in 50 overs, but this was a 35-over game because overnight rain had delayed the start. Although Steve Waugh scored a run-a-ball fifty in his 200th one-day international, Sri Lanka were always on top. They fielded only one pace bowler, Vaas, but leg-spinner Chandana took four wickets, suggesting they had the depth to hold sway in one-day cricket for some time.

Man of the Match: P. A. De Silva. Man of the Series: P. A. De Silva.