- Reuters
Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya celebrates reaching his century during the fourth day of the second Test against Australia at Asgiriya Sportsground in Kandy yesterday. Australia were all out for 442 runs in their second innings, setting Sri Lanka 352 runs to win. Australia hold a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Test series after defeating Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle by 197 runs.
KANDY, Sri Lanka (AP):
JASON GILLESPIE and Shane Warne took three wickets apiece yesterday before Chaminda Vaas led a Sri Lankan rearguard revival as the hosts moved within 51 runs of an unlikely win in the second Test against Australia.
Gillespie dented Sri Lanka's charge at an unprecedented run-chase at Asgiriya Stadium when he had Sanath Jayasuriya caught behind for 131 and Sri Lanka slipped to 218 for five chasing 352 to win on the penultimate evening.
But No. 8 Vaas who scored 68 not out and shared a record 79-run for the last-wicket in Sri Lanka's first innings of 211 remained unbeaten on 30 when bad light stopped play with the home team on 301 for seven. Kaushal Lokuarachchi was not out 13.
Jayasuriya said it was a great hundred "for me and for the team" after Sri Lanka lost the first Test by 197 runs last week.
"We need a win here," he said. "We still have a great chance ... we're in a great position.
"We're very confident also because Vaas, Loku and Zoysa can all bat and the wicket is still good."
Australian coach John Buchanan thinks the balance still favours his tourists.
"At this stage, I'm happy to have the 51-run lead and only three wickets to get," he said. "In a last innings chase, whether it be on the third, fourth or fifth day, there's always a difficulty.
"It'll depend on the first half hour if we can create a sense of pressure, that not only permeates the batsmen out there but also the dressing room."
Muttiah Muralitharan had taken four wickets in the morning session as Australia slumped to 442 all out after resuming yesterday at 320 for five.
42ND FIVE-WICKET HAUL
His last wicket, Damien Martyn stumped for 161 just before lunch, gave the Sri Lankan offspinner his 42nd five-wicket haul in Tests, improved his series tally to 20 wickets and boosted his career total to 505 four behind Warne in the race for the world record (519).
Martyn's score was the highest in Sri Lanka for Australia and his second in consecutive Tests. But it was the fourth-slowest ever by an Australian.
Jayasuriya's innings was opposite in the extreme. The 34-year-old former skipper defied the bowling attack for 143 balls, blazing 17 boundaries and two sixes for only his second hundred against Australia and first in any Test since July 2002.
His 11th Test hundred came with some luck, after a reprieve on 25 when his edge off Michael Kasprowicz was dropped by Martyn at third slip.
The close call didn't inhibit his strokemaking as he raced to 100 from 107 deliveries.
He took Sri Lanka past 200 with consecutive boundaries and a six off legspinner Stuart MacGill in the 42nd over and then, after needing treatment for wrist cramps, played a tired prod at Gillespie to present wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist with a simple catch.
When he went out, Sri Lanka's hopes of setting up a series-decider in the third Test at Colombo next week faded.
India are the only team to chase a target of more than 200 at Kandy and win, scoring 264 for three to beat Sri Lanka in 2001-02.
But Tillakaratne Dilshan (43) and Vaas inspired a lower-order revival. Sri Lanka still have three wickets in hand and at least 100 overs to bat.
One good omen for the hosts was that Australia's only Test loss at against Sri Lanka was on this ground five years ago.
Jayasuriya shared important partnerships Kumar Sangakkara (29) and Mahela Jayawardene (13) after Sri Lanka slumped to 36 for two, with Marvan Atapattu (eight) and Avishka Gunawardene (nine) were adjudged lbw to Gillespie and Kasprowicz.
Warne opened his account with a return catch off Sangakkara to end a 62-run third-wicket stand before Jayasuriya and Jayawardene put on 76.
The Gillespie-Gilchrist combination struck twice, with the wicketkeeper gloving a one-handed catch in front of first slip to complete Jayawardene's dismissal with the total at 174 and holding an easier chance to remove Jayasuriya 44 runs later.
Warne struck again when Ricky Ponting took a sharp, diving catch off rival skipper Hashan Tillakaratne's bat-pad deflection to make the total 239 for six.
Dilshan was industrious, hitting six boundaries before he was bowled by Warne with a ball that pitched on leg and took out middle stump when Sri Lanka was 274, still 78 runs behind.
Gillespie returned 3-61 and Warne had 3-83.
Earlier, Muralitharan snared 4-49 in the morning session, sparking a lower-order collapse when he got a contentious lbw decision against Andrew Symonds (23).
Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series when the Sri Lankans crumbled to be all out for 154 last week in Galle chasing 352 to win.
