Australia restrict Lanka to 226 all out

St George's, Grenada, Apr 16 (UNI) Sri Lanka middle order collapsed inexplicably after skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva's solid 140-run fourth wicket stand and were all out for 226 in 49.4 overs against Australia in their Super Eights league game at the National Stadium here today Sri Lanka suffered early setbacks when they lost three quick wickets in the space of 6.4 overs and team total of 27 but Jayawardene and Silva stabilised the innings and thereby negating the early damage inflicted by Nathan Bracken (2 for 8) and Glenn McGrath (1 for 22).

Opting to bat first in a game that has no real bearing on the respective standings of the two sides, Lanka played a physiological game against their opponents by resting old warhorses Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan while Lasith Malinga was ruled out due to an injury.

Legspinner Malinga Bandara and seamer Nuwan Kulasekara were brought in their places alongside Dilhara Fernando and Farveez Maharoof.

Bracken was impressive in the first spell of six overs that went for just six runs and scalped the wickets of openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Thranga as the new ball expectedly proved difficult to negotiate. The lanky left-armer had Jayasuriya (12) trapped plumb leg before and then removed the tentative Tharanga (6), who was well taken in the slips by Matthew Hayden.

In between, McGrath continued to increase his record World Cup tally when he removed Kumar Sangakkara for a four-ball duck. McGrath was brought on earlier than planned as Shaun Tait was even more wayward than usual and went for 18 runs from his opening two overs.

Jayawardene and Silva were circumspect initially, as was only to be expected after three batsmen returned to the pavillion with just 27 runs on the board, but once they had settled, the bowlers started to feel the heat.

Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting pressed as many as six bowlers into service, but the two right-handers batted comfortably as the track eased out more and more.

The Lankans seemed set for a big score but a mistimed sweep by Silva led to his downfall as he was caught at fine leg by Clarke to give Brad Hogg his first wicket of the match. The batsman scored 64 (107 balls, 6X4).

Playing his 22nd One-Day International, this was Silva's fifth half century. And Sri Lankans were 167 for four after 37.2 overs when Silva was out.

Seven runs and eight balls later, Hogg struck again when he got rid off well-settled Jayawardene who was superbly stumped by Adam Gilchrist. The Lanka skipper,playing is 244th one-dayer scored 72 (88 balls, 5x4, 1x6), hit his 38th half century.

And then the Lankans lost three quick wickets to be 184 for 8 but Maharoof's 22-ball 25 (4x4) and Bandara's 17 with two sixes enabled their team score to reach 226.

Bracken took four wickets for 19 runs while Tait, McGrath and Hogg scalped two wickets each.

Both teams are already through to the semi-finals and Jayawardene, who said that there were no injury concerns, added they wanted to give the youngsters a chance as well, while Australia made just one change to the side that beat Ireland, with Bracken returning for Stuart Clarke.

Ponting said he would have liked to have batted first as well on a surface that might crumble as the day goes on, but added that bowling first would be a challenge.

''Our plan will be to get through the new ball as well as we can and keep wickets in hand for the middle part of the game when they slow things down with their spinners.'' Jayawardane said, ''It's an ideal time to play them because we are very relaxed. It is an important game for us, but I don't think it's that important for us to risk Lasith if he is not 100 per cent fit. We've got guys who can step up to his place and deliver for us, so I'm not very concerned about his fitness right now.'' Australia, who have not lost in a World Cup match since going down to Pakistan by 10 runs at Headingley back in 1999, have won 41 of their 62 ODIs against Sri Lanka, and four of five at previous World Cups.

UNI