Sri Lanka pay price for aggression

Sri Lanka 251 v Australia

Sri Lanka 251 v Australia

Shane Warne moved within sight of 200 Test wickets yesterday as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 251 on the first day of the first Test against Australia in Perth.

The leg-spinner overcame the handicap of several niggling injuries to claim three Sri Lankan wickets and lift his haul to 198 in only his 42nd Test.

Sri Lanka elected to bat after winning the toss. They batted positively and aggressively but lost wickets at regular intervals to lose momentum whenever they appeared poised to dominate.

Australia's fast bowlers shared the remaining seven wickets to fall, with Glenn McGrath finishing with figures of 4 for 81 and Craig McDermott, who wrapped up the innings two balls before the scheduled close by bowling Kumar Dharmasena, ended with with 3 for 44.

Warne made his most significant intervention when he removed Romesh Kaluwitharana, Sri Lanka's top scorer, for 50. The leg-spinner, who took 19 wickets in Australia's 2-1 series win against Pakistan, also dismissed Aravinda de Silva and Chaminda Vaas.

McGrath made the early inroads by dismissing Asanka Gurusinha, Arjuna Ranatunga and Chandika Hathurusinghe.

Australia made three changes from the side that lost the third and final Test against Pakistan on Monday, drafting in batsmen Stuart Law and Ricky Ponting for their Test debuts, and pace bowler Brendon Julian.

(First day of five; Sri Lanka won toss)

SRI LANKA - First innings

R S Mahanama c Warne b McDermott 15

C M Hathurusinghe c Law b McGrath 14

A P Gurusinha b McGrath 46

P A De Silva c and b Warne 10

*A Ranatunga c Healy b McGrath 32

H P Tillekeratne lbw b McDermott 6

R S Kaluwitharana c Taylor b Warne 50

H D P K Dharmasena b McDermott 30

W P U J C C Vaas c Healy b Warne 4

G P Wickremasinghe c Julian b McGrath 28

M Muralitharan not out 0

Extras (b4, lb9, nb3) 16

Total (89.4 overs) 251

Fall: 1-25, 2-38, 3-54, 4-129, 5-132, 6-172, 7-193, 8-205, 9-251.

Bowling: McDermott 18.4-5-44-3; McGrath 24-3-81-4 (nb1); Julian 17-8- 32-0; Warne 27-7-75-3 (nb2); Waugh 3-1-6-0.

AUSTRALIA: *M A Taylor, M J Slater, D C Boon, M E Waugh, R T Ponting, S G Law, I A Healy, B P Julian, S K Warne, C J McDermott, G D McGrath.