It’s only a matter of time

Australia were all set for victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Brisbane after play ended on day three with the tourists 80-2 in their second innings. Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 211 and were asked to follow on.

At stumps they were still 260 runs behind after Brett Lee had taken 4-26 in the first innings, Mitchell Johnson adding his first two wickets in Tests. Marvan Atapattu (51) and Chamara Silva (40) were the best of a poor set of scores from the Sri Lankans.Lee, the new leader of the Australian bowling attack in the absence of retired greats Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, warmed to the responsibility thrust upon him. But after the day began with Sri Lanka on an uncertain 31-2, it was his seam-bowling colleagues Johnson and Stuart Clark who supplied the early incisions.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene poked tentatively at Clark, edging to Adam Gilchrist for the first wicket on Saturday to make it 45-3.

Left-arm seamer Johnson's first strike in Test cricket followed 11 overs later, Thilan Samaraweera giving Gilchrist a fourth catch off a superb delivery that squared him up.

A moderate stand of 54 followed between Atapattu and Silva, but it was nowhere near enough.

The positioning of Michael Clarke at short third man paid off a treat as Silva slashed Clark straight to the fielder.

Sri Lanka took lunch on 124-5, and after the interval Atapattu's 127 ball vigil was finally ended as he mis-hit a pull off Lee to square leg. Andrew Symonds and Stuart MacGill joined the fun with a wicket apiece before Lee returned to dispose of the tail.
With Australia's bowlers having barely broken sweat it was no surprise the follow-on was enforced.

Atapattu was dismissed for the second time in the day when gloving a pull shot off Symonds to Gilchrist.

And with the shadows creeping across the square, Ricky Ponting took a sharp slip catch to give Lee another wicket after Jayasuriya had blazed 39 off 49 balls.

It had been a decent cameo for a one-day match perhaps, but his innings had not aided Sri Lanka's cause.