Australia v Sri Lanka, CB Series 3rd final, Adelaide,Australia Beat Srilanka By 16 Runs and get CB Series

Australia 231 (Wade 49, Warner 48, Herath 3-36, Maharoof 3-40) beat Sri Lanka 215 (Tharanga 71, McKay 5-28) by 16 runs

Unwavering spells from Clint McKay and the stand-in captain Shane Watson delivered the triangular series trophy to Australia in a fittingly tense third final against a doughty Sri Lanka at Adelaide Oval.

As the injured captain Michael Clarke watched intently from the boundary's edge, Brett Lee and McKay nipped out Sri Lanka's top four batsmen inside the first 10 overs, after the visitors had threatened to repeat the runaway start they had made in Tuesday's second match.

Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne threatened a recovery, but Watson was stinginess itself in the middle overs and McKay returned to help round up the Sri Lankans 16 runs short, the fitting final chapter of a compelling limited-overs tournament. The visitors' contribution to the summer was underlined by Tillakaratne Dilshan's selection as player of the series.

McKay's figures were his best in international cricket, and followed a critical 28 at the tail-end of Australia's innings. Watson will now take a weary but happy team to the West Indies for the ODI portion of the tour, having delivered the first triangular series contested in Australia since 2008.

Australia's fielding and bowling effort was its best for some weeks, and needed to be after the batsmen had cobbled only 231 on a slowing pitch. Led adroitly in the field by Mahela Jayawardene, the visitors had not been perturbed by an opening stand of 75 at better than five runs an over between David Warner and Matthew Wade, and chipped away diligently at the hosts with a combination of spin and reverse swing. No Australian batsman passed 50 as they were bowled out in the final over.

Rangana Herath and Farveez Maharoof shared six wickets, while Nuwan Kulasekara also contributed to a tidy ensemble, of which only Lasith Malinga struggled to contain.

Herath bowled his best and most incisive spell of the tournament to return 3-36, helped by the use of the same pitch that had hosted Tuesday's second final. As he had done in that match, Dilshan took the new ball and bowled his overs with thrift and direction.

Taking Sri Lanka's lead, Watson opened up with the spin of Xavier Doherty at the other end to Lee, but the initial gambit did not work. Dilshan and Jayawardene capitalised on Doherty's errors of line and length, collecting four boundaries from his first two overs as they swept to 0 for 33 from the first four overs.

Lee was also slipping in a final effort for the home summer, and he gained a critical break when Dilshan tried to work a lifting delivery to the leg side and managed only to loop a catch to cover from the front-edge of his bat. Kumar Sangakkara looked in truly sparkling touch upon his arrival, and had sprinted to 19 from eight balls when Lee coaxed an edge from his ninth - the high chance very well held by Watson.

McKay had replaced Doherty, and was soon settled into a precise spell that exploited the vagaries of a wearing surface to the maximum. Dinesh Chandimal was pinned lbw by a delivery that whirred in at middle stump, before Jayawardene was undone by another that seamed back just enough to beat his forward press and graze off stump.

Extremely unsteady at 4 for 53, Thirimanne and Tharanga fought to keep the chase afloat, but the caution forced by the loss of early wickets forced the required rate back up into awkward territory against the older ball. Watson, Nathan Lyon and Daniel Christian bowled intelligently without a wicket, as the match and series edged towards a nervous finish.

Thirimanne had added 60 with Tharanga and the Australians had grown tense by the time Watson found a way to eke out a wicket. Angling across Thirimanne, he coaxed a sliced drive that flew low into Warner's safe hands at backward point. Kapugedera could manage only 7 before he edged another McKay delivery, the deflection held by a diving Wade.

Kulasekara threatened a repeat of his Gabba heroics, cracking two boundaries in a brief stay, before Lee followed the batsman's retreat outside leg stump to cramp his room and prompt a catch to mid-on. Maharoof had been held back to No. 9, and he would provide a calming presence alongside Tharanga as the target was whittled down.

Watson had led his side well in testing circumstances, but he perhaps erred in his judgement to let Sri Lanka sneak closer. Having bowled five searching overs for only eight runs, Watson nonetheless preferred two overs of Doherty's spin, costing 16 runs. By the time he recalled himself to the attack, Watson had only 30 runs to defend from the final five overs.

This all made Watson's sixth over, the 46th of the innings, crucial. He responded in the best possible fashion, conceding only two runs and finding Tharanga's outside edge. Next over McKay found a way through Herath, and 17 were still required when he yorked Malinga.

In the afternoon, Warner and Wade were conscious of the need for greater impetus at the top of the innings and played their shots early on, though taking more liberties against the pacemen than Dilshan's part-time spin.

Warner cleared the boundary once and looked rather more fluent than he had during most of his century on Tuesday, but on 48 he edged a bouncing delivery from Maharoof to Kumar Sangakkara.

Wade had been struggling physically, vomiting at one point in what appeared an attack of gastro, but it was a surprise when a punchy Watson picked out Herath on the leg-side boundary off Dilshan's bowling, the fielder clasping the sharp chance to his chest.

Michael Hussey's stay was brief, Dilshan's swift gather and throw from short third man finding him short of his ground after he had called Wade through for a single. Sri Lanka's sense of momentum only grew when Wade's dogged stay was ended by Herath, who coaxed an edge that Sangakkara held with a juggle.

Forrest could make only 3 before misreading Herath's length and being bowled by a delivery that straightened just enough to beat his defensive blade and flick off stump. David Hussey was given lbw to a ball that would have passed over the top of the stumps, while Christian was undone by a Maharoof slower ball that he could only punch to mid off.

McKay and Lee did their best to swell the total in the closing overs, and their contributions were ultimately vital to a fighting victory.

Smart stats

• Australia won the tri-series for the first time since their triumph in 2005-06. In the previous two finals in 2006-07 and 2007-08, Australia had lost to England and India. It is also their 19th win in the tri-series overall.
• For the first time in the last four finals (when the decider was required), a team went on to win the third final and take the series after losing the second. In their three previous wins against South Africa (1993-94 and1997-98) and Sri Lanka (2005-06), Australia lost the first final but went on to win the second and third.
• Clint McKay's 5 for 28 is his second five-wicket haul inODIs and the third-best by an Australian bowler against Sri Lanka. His previous five-wicket haul also came against Sri Lanka in Brisbane in 2010.
• Mckay's performance is the fifth-best in ODIs inAdelaide. It is also joint-second on the list of best bowling performances in a tournament final against Sri Lanka.
• David Warner's aggregate of 311 runs is the highest for a batsman in the finals of a tri-series tournament in Australia. He went past Greg Chappell's 266 runs in the 1981 series.
• Upul Tharanga, who went past 4500 runs in ODIs, scored his 24th half-century. In his last six innings against Australia, he has scored a hundred and two half-centuries at an average of 42.20.

Cb Series 2nd Final Srilanka Beat Australia By 8 Wickets,Level 1-1

Sri Lanka 2 for 274 (Dilshan 106, Jayawardene 80) beat Australia 6 for 271 (Clarke 117, Warner 100) by eight wickets

Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan took full toll of a wayward Australia as Sri Lanka forced a third triangular series final in Adelaide. Chasing 272, the visitors galloped to the target with 5.4 overs to spare, benefiting greatly from a rollicking start when the first three overs reaped 30 runs.

Dilshan alternated between the brazen and the cheeky, crashing 10 fours and also being struck on the helmet when he attempted his patented Dil-scoop. The captain Jayawardene was more cultured, but outpaced his partner in a princely innings that would have ended in the second over if not for a Clint McKay no-ball.

Such indiscipline summed up Australia's predicament, having struck a horrid patch of form in the field midway through the first final in Brisbane and then being unable to rise above it in Adelaide. The captain Michael Clarke is also in the unenviable position of carrying a left hamstring problem perilously close to the start of the West Indies tour, due to begin almost immediately after the third final.

Clarke had done his best to give his side a decent total. His 117 in Australia's 6 for 271 was the fastest of his limited-overs career and the second of his ODI captaincy. David Warner was more circumspect, but his chanceless 100 demonstrated a range of concentration and focus reserved for the best of batsmen. Famed as a boundary hitter, Warner reached the rope only four times in his innings and cleared it only once, but the value of his effort was reflected in a final total far greater than seemed possible at the innings' midpoint.

Matthew Wade departed early to the spin of Dilshan, who opened the bowling and completed a tidy 10 overs, before Shane Watson played a chancy innings in which he was grassed twice. Each dropped catch fell off the bowling of Farveez Maharoof, who ultimately ran out Australia's vice-captain with a direct hit in his follow through. Lasith Malinga was the tightest of Sri Lanka's bowlers and deserved his three wickets.

Two more catches would go down off Clarke's bat later in the innings, while Jayawardene raged against a delayed no-ball call at the height of his opposite number's innings. Debating the point angrily with both umpires after Maharoof had strayed above waist height with a full toss, Jayawardene lost his cool. His fury would be far more controlled when the reply began.

A second-over edge behind by Jayawardene was cancelled out by McKay's overstep, typical of the abject way in which Australia's bowlers began their defence of a less than watertight total. Brett Lee gave up three wides on the way to conceding 12 from the opening over, and James Pattinson's first two overs were taken for 22 despite an abundance of away swing.

No fewer than 11 of the first 30 runs were handed to Sri Lanka via the extras column, as Australia's bowlers maintained the poorly form they had demonstrated in the latter overs in Brisbane. Clarke had taken the field despite his injury, but his presence did not make much of a difference.

Jayawardene and Dilshan did not get too frantic after the start they were given, and slipped into comfortable gears that involved regular singles and the odd boundary whenever the bowlers strayed in search of a first wicket. Australia's mid-innings options were milked for regular runs, Xavier Doherty's first five costing 37.

Dilshan was first to pass 50, and Jayawardene soon followed. Australia's frustration grew when Asad Rauf refused a concerted appeal for caught behind from Dilshan on 77, as replays revealed a substantial edge that Wade gathered while keeping up to Watson.

Jayawardene's sparkling stay was ended by a hint of Pattinson reverse swing and a clear lbw, but Dilshan went on to his second century of the tournament before Dinesh Chandimal and Kumar Sangakkara guided the visitors home.

Clarke had little hesitation batting upon winning the toss, but the early overs were slow going. Jayawardene's imaginative use of Dilshan added to the openers' uncertainty, and Wade's impatience proved terminal when he swung at a ball not quite short enough for the stroke and was bowled.

Watson's innings was halting, and he was dropped by Dilshan in the fielding circle then by Rangana Herath on the long-off boundary - the latter unable to complete an equivalent of his spectacular outfield take in the first final. However Maharoof was not discouraged by the missed chances, and when Watson was 15 he gathered and swivelled from Warner's offside bunt to throw down the stumps and find a diving Watson comfortably short. Clarke helped to build some greater momentum in the company of Warner, who was less conspicuous than he had been at the Gabba.

The pair accumulated steadily, adding a little more impetus with the batting Powerplay, and continuing to benefit from profligate fielding from the tourists. Clarke was turfed on 71 and 77, the second chance falling to Malinga, who managed only to palm the chance over the rope for six.

It set the scene for an explosive over, in which Clarke took Maharoof for six, four, six, four - the last a high full toss swung behind square leg. Initially the umpires did not call it a no-ball, but on reflection Bruce Oxenford raised his arm to hand Australia an extra run and another delivery. Jayawardene was incensed by the delayed call, arguing at length with both officials in a manner that suggested more of the incident would be heard later.

Clarke had blazed past Warner despite the opener having a 23-run start, and he was first to reach his century with a flick through square leg. Though he had made plenty of useful contributions in the interim, it was Clarke's first ODI century since his first innings as the fully-fledged captain, against Bangladesh in Dhaka in April 2011.

Warner's hundred arrived in the next over, an effort of composure and also courage after his groin complaint in Brisbane. He skied a catch without adding another run, leaving an increasingly restricted Clarke to guide the hosts to a total rather less substantial than was ultimately needed.

CB Series First Final Australia Beat Sri Lanka By 15 runs

Australia 6 for 321 (Warner 163, Wade 64) beat Sri Lanka 306 (Kulasekara 73, Tharanga 60, D Hussey 4-43, Watson 3-33, Lee 3-59) by 15 runs

David Warner chose a fine time to awaken from his one-day international slumber. His first ODI century set up a 15-run victory in the first final for Australia, who will raise the Commonwealth Bank Series trophy if they repeat their success in Adelaide on Tuesday. But Sri Lanka will enter the second final with some confidence after a remarkable, though ultimately futile, fightback in a chase of 322.

Warner made 163, the sixth-highest score by an Australia player in an ODI, and he batted through until the last ball of the innings as they made 321, the second-best one-day international total ever achieved at the Gabba. Sri Lanka's batsmen then struggled against the pace of Brett Lee and the canny spin of David Hussey, and the top order left too much work for those who followed.

Not that those who followed gave up. Far from it. Nuwan Kulasekara and Upul Tharanga came together at 6 for 144, needing another 178 runs at nearly nine an over. It seemed an unrealistic goal, and in the end it was. But only just. They used the batting Powerplay to great effect, taking 68 runs from it and attacking Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson, who both served up too many half-volleys and between them finished the match with 0 for 95 off nine overs.

Though Kulasekara and Tharanga had both fallen in the search for boundaries by the time the last few overs came around, they had left their colleagues with some hope. Sri Lanka needed 20 off the final two overs but they couldn't quite get there and the end came when Lasith Malinga skied a catch to deep square leg off Shane Watson when they needed 16 from five balls, leaving Dhammika Prasad unbeaten on 31.

Watson had also accounted for the important penultimate wicket when Rangana Herath pulled to deep midwicket for 5. If only, Sri Lanka must have been thinking, we hadn't left it all up to the tail. With each boundary struck by Kulasekara and Tharanga - and there were plenty - Sri Lanka gained hope. Australia's bowling at the death in this series has left a lot to be desired and again it was a weakness.

Kulasekara was especially impressive and a pair of consecutive slog-swept sixes off Hussey really brought the crowd alive. But two balls later he sent a catch to extra cover and was out for 73 from 43 deliveries, his best ODI score. Although Tharanga was the specialist batsman in the partnership he had been the quieter of the two, and he followed a few overs later when he holed out to long-on off Watson for 60.

Sri Lanka will rue their top-order struggle. Mahela Jayawardene was caught behind for 14 when he pushed tamely at Lee and his opening partner, Tillakaratne Dilshan, followed in Lee's next over. Dilshan had picked up five boundaries in his 27 from 22 balls, before his innings ended when Lee nipped one through the gate as Dilshan tried for a big drive.

Dinesh Chandimal cut the first ball from David Hussey, who finished with 4 for 43, to backward point and Kumar Sangakkara lobbed a delivery from Lee to mid-off for 42, trying to lift the tempo as the required run-rate increased. Lahiru Thirimanne and Farveez Maharoof both fell to Hussey prior to the partnership that nearly saved Sri Lanka.

Even though they didn't steal the win, Tharanga and Kulasekara still created a wonderful match. If anyone thought one-day internationals were dead, they need only see the past week in Australia for the counterargument. On Tuesday, Virat Kohli set up India's incredible chase of 321 in 37 overs and on Friday, Sri Lanka held on for a tense nine-run win despite the best chasing efforts of David Hussey.

And then there was this match, which began with 163 from Warner, an innings that threatened to be forgotten by the end of the game. He was bowled off the last ball of Australia's 50th over and by then he had done enough not only to set up Australia's win, but also to ease any pressure over his place in the side following an indifferent series at the top of the order.

Warner and Matthew Wade gave Australia an outstanding start with a 136-run opening partnership and although Wade fell for 64, Warner went on and made the most of the platform. He brought up his century with a fortuitous edge to the third-man boundary from his 111th delivery and celebrated with the now-familiar Warner high-leap and punch of the air.

It was a more restrained innings than many of Warner's limited-overs efforts but that was no bad thing, and he still had the confidence to go for his shots when the bowlers gave him the opportunity. Warner was especially strong with his drives down the ground, which were generally timed to perfection, and he also pulled with power from midwicket to long-on.

His scoring-rate didn't pick up as much as the fans might have liked towards the end of the innings but it was still a wonderful display. He had late support from Michael Clarke, who scored 37 from 25 balls batting at No.6, and Michael Hussey sent a couple of balls over the rope in the final few overs to help Australia to their hefty total.

Michael Hussey had come in at No.7 after a reshuffle in the batting order. Australia had sent in Daniel Christian and David Hussey early, keen to make the most of the strong opening stand, which ended with a spectacular, freakish catch in the outfield from Herath.

Wade seemed to make good contact with a delivery from Kulasekara but it only got as far as long-on; Herath set himself for the catch but seemed to misjudge the trajectory slightly and in a last, desperate attempt thrust his left hand in the air as he fell backwards, plucking the catch one-handed and avoiding the boundary rope as he fell over and held on to the ball. He appeared almost as stunned by his feat as the spectators were.

It wasn't the last remarkable thing achieved by Sri Lanka in this match. But despite their fight, they will enter Tuesday's second final in Adelaide needing a win to force a decider. And, after such a closely fought series, that would be a fitting finale.

Sri Lanka Goes To Finals In CB Series

Sri Lanka 238 (Chandimal 75, Sangakkara 64, Thirimanne 51, Christian 5-31, Pattinson 4-51) beat Australia229 (D Hussey 74, Watson 65, Malinga 4-49) by nine runs

Sri Lanka entered this match with their fate in their own hands. It turns out those are pretty safe hands. Not even a hat-trick from Daniel Christian, a four-wicket comeback from James Pattinson, a captain's half-century from Shane Watson or a remarkable, late, fighting fifty from David Hussey could prevent Sri Lanka from winning the last qualifying match at the MCG. Lasith Malinga led a strong bowling performance to complete Sri Lanka's nine-run victory, which propelled them into the tri-series finals.

No doubt Australia were disappointed, for they must now enter the best-of-three deciders knowing they have lost their previous three games to their Sri Lankan opponents. But India would have been even more gutted. An Australia win would have sent Sri Lanka packing and secured India a place in the finals. Instead, MS Dhoni's men will now fly home at the weekend, ending a disheartening three-month tour.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have a chance to win a tri-series in Australia for the first time at their ninth attempt. Their total of 238 at the MCG, set up by half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal, Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne, seemed a fraction skinny on what looked like a reasonable batting surface. But despite losing Thisara Perera to injury during his first over, Sri Lanka's total proved defendable with Malinga in their attack.

Not that it was straightforward. Hussey's run-a-ball 74 nearly snatched victory for Australia. They needed 10 runs from the final over, bowled by Kulasekara, but Hussey holed out to long-off from the first ball of it and Sri Lanka celebrated. They had been on top early, when Australia were 3 for 26 after Malinga and Kulasekara troubled the top order, but then Australia fought back.

Batting at first drop, the stand-in captain Watson - Michael Clarke was not risked ahead of the finals - led Australia's fightback with a solid, composed 65 and he had good support from Michael Hussey (29). But once their 87-run stand was broken, Australia struggled again.

Michael Hussey has proven a handy partnership breaker with his slow-medium bowling recently and this time he was on the receiving end of a similar ploy, as Thirimanne drew an edge behind that was well taken by Sangakkara. It was Thirimanne's first international wicket and his second in all List A cricket, and importantly for Sri Lanka it was followed a few overs later by the departure of Watson.

Watson had brought up his half-century from his 61st delivery with a straight drive off Thirimanne and he had been strong when the bowlers had strayed too straight, but he was in no particular hurry. His innings, an encouraging one in his second match back from a long injury lay-off, ended when he played all around a fast, straight Malinga ball that knocked middle stump out of the ground.

David Hussey kept Australia afloat and did a fine job but his partners gradually dwindled. His fifth half-century of the series shot him to the top of the tournament runs tally but it wasn't quite enough for Australia, whose innings started with the loss of both David Warner and Matthew Wade, who had been reunited as the opening pair. Warner (6) slapped Malinga to short cover, a strange shot to a ball that sat up on him, and Wade was lbw for 9 to Kulasekara, before Peter Forrest tickled a catch behind for 2 when he tried to cut Malinga.

It was just the start Sri Lanka needed in the field after posting 238. Their three half-centuries at the top of the order made for a lopsided scorecard as the lower order struggled, especially against Christian, who collected a career-best 5 for 31 and wrote himself into the record books as the first player from Australia since Brett Lee in 2003 to take an ODI hat-trick, and the fourth overall alongside Lee, Bruce Reid and Anthony Stuart.

Christian was mobbed by his team-mates after completing the feat, which began when Thisara Perera skied a ball and was taken at deep midwicket by Michael Hussey, who caught the ball inside play, tossed it up before he fell over the rope and completed the catch after stepping back in. The ball had gone so high that the batsmen had crossed twice, leaving the new man Sachithra Senanayake on strike instead of the established Thirimanne.

Senanayake was lbw first ball and replays indicated the ball would have gone on to hit leg stump. The same could not have been said for the next delivery. Rod Tucker raised his finger to give Kulasekara lbw but the ball appeared to be sliding down leg side and replays confirmed it was a poor decision. Christian didn't care. It was a hat-trick, and they are rare.

Thirimanne (51) was good enough to help Sri Lanka survive their quota of overs, falling only in the penultimate over when he played on while trying to paddle sweep Pattinson. Rangana Herath remained 14 not out and Malinga was bowled off the last ball of the innings to give Christian his fifth wicket.

By batting out their time Sri Lanka ensured that the efforts of Sangakkara and Chandimal were not wasted. They had put on 123 for the third wicket and Chandimal was the more aggressive partner. He continued his good series and brought up his fifty off his 47th delivery with a glanced single off Clint McKay, before Sangakkara registered his in the same over from his 79th ball. Throughout his innings, Sangakkara had been in no hurry and didn't score a boundary until his 55th delivery, when he punched Ben Hilfenhaus forward of point.

His runs came largely through ones and twos and it was an important stabilising performance after Sri Lanka were 2 for 17. Sangakkara fell for 64 when he top-edged a pull off Pattinson, and his departure slowed Chandimal down. Chandimal was out for 75 from 84 when he too was beaten by the pace of Pattinson, lobbing a ball to mid-off.

Chandimal had been willing to play his strokes and he brought the crowd to life with a muscular hit that sailed straight over the head of the bowler Christian and crashed into the sightscreen. Another followed off the spin of Xavier Doherty, over long-on this time, and Chandimal spent most of his time hovering around the run-a-ball mark.

As it turned out, the Chandimal-Sangakkara combination was just what Sri Lanka needed after Mahela Jayawardene was run out early thanks to a poor call by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who followed by edging Pattinson behind. At that point, Sri Lanka were wobbling. But they will enter the finals with stability, and form against Australia, on their side.

Smart stats

• Sri Lanka beat Australia for the third time in the series. This is the first ever series in which Sri Lanka have managed three wins over Australia.
• 
  
• Daniel Christian became the fourth Australia bowler overall and the first since Brett Lee (2003 World Cup) to pick up an ODI hat-trick. He became only the fourth bowler after Shahadat Hossain, Shane Bond and Lasith Malinga to pick up a hat-trick in a defeat.
• 
  
• Christian's 5 for 31 is the third-best bowling performance for an Australia bowler in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Mitchell Johnson holds the record with 6 for 31 in Pallekele in 2011.
• 
  
• For the fourth time against Sri Lanka and the 11th time overall, two Australia bowlers 
• picked up four or more wickets in an innings. The last time this happened was in Colombo in 2011.
• 
  
• David Hussey scored his fifth half-century of the series. He became the ninth Australia batsman to score five or more fifty-plus scores in the Australian tri-series. Mark Waugh and Dean Jones have achieved the feat twice.
• 
  
• The 123-run stand between Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Sri Lanka in ODIs against Australia.
• 
  
• The target of 239 is the third-lowest that Australia have failed to chase down against Sri Lanka and the second-lowest in Melbourne after the 222 in 2008.
• 
  
• Shane Watson improved on his tremendous record in ODI chases. In chases, he now averages 59.10 with five centuries and 12 fifties.

CB Series Last League Match Sri Lanka Va Australia

Simple equation for startled Sri Lanka

Match facts

March 2, Melbourne
Start time 1420 (0320 GMT)

Big Picture

So much has changed in the course of an innings. Had India failed in their most unlikely pursuit of 321 inside 40 overs to earn a win and a bonus point in Hobart, Australia's final round robin match against Sri Lanka would have served primarily as a preparatory spar between the two sides ahead of Sunday's first final in Brisbane. However the extraordinary effort of Virat Kohli has added plenty of edge to the encounter at the MCG. Sri Lanka must now win or tie to make the finals, while Australia have a direct say in which team they face in the competition deciders.

The task of seeing off Sri Lanka may yet fall to Shane Watson as stand-in captain, as the selectors weigh up whether or not to play Michael Clarke in the final qualifying fixture. Clarke began the week by winning the Allan Border Medal as Australia's most outstanding cricketer of the past year, while Watson also scooped awards in the ODI and Twenty20 categories. Their squad for this match and the deciders features James Pattinson, recalled after injury, while the likes of Daniel Christian and Clint McKay will want to perform strongly to shore up their places for the finals.

Much of the certainty and stability built up by Sri Lanka was shaken in Hobart, leaving question marks against the captain Mahela Jayawardene and the fast bowler Lasith Malinga in particular. Jaywardene was not as tactically sharp as he should have been against India's blazing bats, while Malinga was treated with astounding contempt by Kohli in particular. Having only recently begun to demonstrate the consistency missing since last year's World Cup, a loss at the MCG and quick fade from the tournament would damage morale as much as anything else.

Form guide

Australia WLWLL (Most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWWT

In the spotlight

James Pattinson was man of the match last time he played at the MCG, in Australia's scene-setting Boxing Day Test victory over India. Since then he has suffered from a foot injury and missed almost two months of international cricket, returning to action with match figures of 6-37 in a Futures League match for Victoria. Competition for pace bowling places in Australia's team is fierce, as Ryan Harris and Mitchell Starc can attest, so Pattinson will want to find his rhythm quickly.

No bowler has ever conceded a higher rate of runs in an ODI stint of at least five overs than the 12.52 given up by Lasith Malinga in his 1-96 against India. For one of the world's most feared limited overs fast men, Tuesday was a most sobering night. The faster Malinga bowled, the further Kohli hit him, and his attempts at yorkers were repeatedly flicked to the legside boundary. Australia will be aware that Malinga's confidence has taken a hit, and will be sweating on any looseness at the MCG.

Team news

Australia may choose to give Michael Clarke another two days to rest his recovering hamstring before the first final on Sunday, leaving the captaincy in the hands of Shane Watson. They are also likely to recall James Pattinson for his first international appearance since the Sydney Test against India.

Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson (capt), 3 Peter Forrest, 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Brett Lee, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty.

Sri Lanka must decide whether or not to make changes to a team that was purring nicely before Tuesday's startling loss in Hobart. One adjustment has been forced by Farveez Maharoof's back complaint.

Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Sachithra Senanayake, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana Herath.

Pitch and conditions

Melbourne's last international match can be expected to offer bounce to the pacemen and value for shots for committed batsmen. There has been cloud and rain around the city this week, but the forecast is for a clearing day tomorrow.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka last qualified for the triangular series finals in 2006
• In 1996 Sri Lanka won through to the finals by beating Australia in the final qualifying match at the MCG.

Quotes

"We think he's going to be okay for Friday. But we're certainly going to have a low-risk strategy. If he's just about right, I don't think we'll play him. But I think he'll be okay."
The national selector John Inverarity on Michael Clarke's fitness for the Sri Lanka match.

"Farveez is very doubtful for the game tomorrow. We can't take a risk with him, so he'll be out. Unfortunately we can't even have a look at the wicket because it's under cover. We'll try to have some sort of combination that we think will be good. We'll have a good look tomorrow and make a final call. There's definitely at least one change because of the injury to Maharoof."
Mahela Jayawardene on Farveez Maharoof and how to replace him.

India Beat Sri Lanka By 7 Wickets

India 321 for 3 (Kohli 133*) beat Sri Lanka 320 for 4 by seven wickets

Turnarounds don't come any better. Fortunes don't change more dramatically. And emotions don't bear a starker contrast. At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka would have felt they had one foot in the final, having left the India bowlers deflated after a dominating performance with the bat. And they would have been right to think that way, the Indian batting having shown little promise in the series and the team on the brink of elimination.

But Virat Kohli put on an imperious display of strokemaking, his malleable wrists powering an Indian fightback conspicuous by its absence on what had been, until now, two forgettable overseas trips. Kohli's innings made a mockery of an imposing score, kept India's finals hopes alive and left Sri Lanka with the unenviable task of beating the form team in the tournament to knock India out.

Given India's poor outings with the bat in their recent games, one would have expected them to struggle to chase a target of 321 in 50 overs. They achieved it in 36.4 - needing to chase it in 40 to stay alive in the series - and did so with Kohli finishing things off in a blaze of glory. Kohli was, as Nathan Astle said after his whirlwind 222 against England in 2002, "in the zone". He dismissed anything that came his way with clinical precision, found the boundary at will whether the field was in or pushed back, ran swiftly between the wickets to catch the fielders off guard and middled the ball with scarcely believable consistency.

While Kohli was the protagonist in India's successful chase, the other characters played their due part. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have wanted to do more but gave India the explosive start they desperately needed to stage a counterattack; Gautam Gambhir continued to be fluent, just four boundaries in a knock of 63 off 64 balls showing the toil behind the runs; and Suresh Raina, under pressure to perform, gave Kohli valuable company in a matchwinning stand.

If India were insipid with their bowling, Sri Lanka were far worse, as wides flowed, gift balls were doled out on the pads with regularity and the fielding buckled under the pressure of an unexpected fightback. Both innings were replete with fumbles, misfields, wayward throws - one of them, had it been on target, could have run Kohli out - making batting even more profitable on the easiest track in the series thus far. The brisk start to the chase and the subsequent consolidation by Gambhir and Kohli meant India were in with a fighting chance with two Powerplays still remaining, and both proved highly lucrative.

Kohli made both his own, first targetting Nuwan Kulasekara in the 31st over, which began with India needing 91 in 10 overs for a bonus point. He carted three consecutive fours as attempted yorkers failed to meet their desired lengths and served as tempting length balls. Two were whipped - in trademark Kohli fashion, a momentary turn of the wrists imparting tremendous force to the ball - and the other sliced over point in an act of improvisation.

The Sri Lanka fast bowlers misfired badly but even when they got it right, like an accurate yorker from Malinga, Kohli was able to shuffle across and expertly work it past the short fine fielder. He took 24 from Malinga in the 35th over, flicking him for six and picking four fours past short fine, and finished the game with two thunderous drives through the off side. A pump of the fists was followed by a roar of elation and relief as a perennially inanimate MS Dhoni calmly trudged on to the field to join in the celebrations.

A win this dominating seemed a distant possibility when Kohli joined Gambhir at the fall of Tendulkar's wicket. Tendulkar had walked across too far to be caught plumb by Malinga, ending an innings in which Tendulkar seemed devoid of pressure and completely uninhibited in his approach. Sehwag and Tendulkar batted with freedom, the former smashing Malinga into the grassbanks behind deep midwicket in a fiery opening stand of 54, and Tendulkar going over the top on the off side, and displaying an adeptness in picking Malinga's variations. But at 86 for 2 in the 10th over, with India's two most experienced batsmen back in the pavilion and the required-rate still very high, Kohli and Gambhir faced a daunting task.

That both took little time to get going was crucial in maintaining the tempo that had been set. Gambhir steered Kulasekara for four off his third delivery before punching one past midwicket, and Kohli warmed up with one of several whips off Malinga off his second ball. The pair didn't get bogged down despite a 35-ball boundary drought, running swiftly between the wickets, converting ones into twos by putting the outfielders under pressure and making the fielders inside the circle appear redundant by stealing quick ones.

Kohli broke that drought with a drive off Thisara Perara past extra cover and later clobbered Angelo Mathews over the wide long-off boundary. At the halfway stage in the chase, the pair had notched up half-centuries, laying a solid foundation for the onslaught to follow with ten Powerplay overs still remaining. After Gambhir fell to an accurate throw while trying to steal a second, Raina infused the innings with greater urgency, providing a quicker partner at the other end to Kohli and indulging in some power play of his own to help hasten the finish.

The Kohli show overshadowed an assured and commanding performance by Sri Lanka with the bat, and centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, who capitalised on a palpably below-par show from India's bowlers.

Dilshan shrugged off his initial unease against the swinging ball to gradually open up and march towards his 11th ODI century and Sangakkara played an innings as attractive as several of his abruptly terminated cameos this tournament, only longer in duration this time, full of confidence and more pleasing on the eye. The determination and focus of trying to bat India out of the game was unwavering in their innings, and the smiles on their faces and the India players' drooping shoulders suggested a one-sided game. But body-language is not always a reliable indicator, for it had taken an about turn in three hours' time.

India Attempt Last League Match In CB Series

Wounded India's last attempt to stay alive

Match facts

February 28, Hobart
Start time 1420 (0320 GMT)

Big Picture

On a tour of many disappointments for India, Tuesday's contest against Sri Lanka offers them a chance, albeit an extremely difficult one, of prolonging their fight to stay alive in the tri-series. Going by recent results - three straight defeats - the bonus-point win that India need to entertain any hope of qualifying for the finals seems a long shot.

Their bowling attack is weakened due to injuries, their batsmen have struggled, there's been talk of a communication gap between players, their captainwasn't even aware the team stood a chance of qualifying going into their final league game and they are up against opponents who've peaked impressively.

There is much at stake for India in what might or might not be their last match of the trip. A shot at a place in the finals aside, there'll be those in the team who'll be under pressure to keep their spots in the ODI side as the selectors meet to pick the squad for the Asia Cup on Wednesday. The misery of the India teams of the 90s when touring overseas has returned to haunt this side and Tuesday's contest is as much an opportunity to restore some pride, to slightly repair a damaged reputation - something that, if achieved, will mark a significant rise from a spate of on-field problems that has let the team down.

A bonus-point win is only the first step - India's fate will then hinge on the result of Sri Lanka's game against Australia on March 2 - but it will be a sign of determination to fight back, a strong urge to reach the finals and give some back to a team that's been responsible for the misery inflicted on them over the last two months.

Sri Lanka are well-equipped to thwart any such turnaround after three straight wins, the third a hard-fought one against Australia in Hobart, the venue for Tuesday's game. Both Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene have scored at the top, their young middle order has been productive, and the bowling largely consistent and free of injury. A defeat is a possibility, a cataclysmic fall that will concede a bonus point a very distant one.

Form guide

India: LLLTW (Most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WWWTL

In the spotlight

Another failure could land Virender Sehwag in a tricky situation with the selectors ahead of the Asia Cup. Sehwag has scores of 23, 10, 20, 0 and 5 and, in an urgent need of recovery, his own extravagance often cuts short his stay at the crease.

Kumar Sangakkara has delighted in this series but only in parts, walking in, scoring a fluent, attractive cameo and then heading back. He has been consistent in his short bursts of strokemaking, but has failed to push on. His scores read 26, 22, 31, 30, 8 and 22.

Team news

Zaheer Khan has a calf injury and Vinay Kumar has hurt his hamstring. Irfan Pathan should be fit but it remains to be seen if he's affected by the collision he had with Suresh Raina in the previous game. They were beaten soundly by Australia but India may be forced to go in with the same line-up.

India (possible): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Umesh Yadav.

After their win in Hobart against the hosts, Sri Lanka could be tempted to go in with the same team.

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana Herath.

Stats and trivia

• Kumar Sangakkara joins Muttiah Muralitharan with his 63rd ODI against India - the third-highest for a Sri Lanka player against India. Sanath Jayasuriya has played 89 games against India, and Mahela Jayawardene 73.
• No India batsman has managed a century in this tournament so far. Since 2001, this is only the second ODI tournament where India have played at least seven matches and not managed a century. The previous series was the bilateral Natwest series in England, in 2007, which the visitors lost 3-4.

Quotes

"That would be saying I am very optimistic, seeing that we have not consistently done well with the bat - it means whatever the opposition scores we will have to score in 40 overs, which will be a very difficult task. But I am happy that at least there is a chance, subject to some other game, and I would love to take it."
MS Dhoni concedes winning with a bonus point is a stiff ask