Bird takes 2 wickets as Sri Lanka makes 80-2 at lunch on day 1 of final test vs. Australia

By Stuart Condie

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SYDNEY, Australia — Australia paceman Jackson Bird took two wickets Thursday to help restrict Sri Lanka to 80-2 at lunch on day one of the third and final test.

Australia captain Michael Clarke’s decision to bowl at the Sydney Cricket Ground initially looked to have backfired as Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan guided Sri Lanka toward the interval before Bird had Dilshan caught behind for 34.

Bird had accounted for opener Dimuth Karunaratne (5) an hour earlier and almost snared Lahiru Thirimanne, as well, but a leg-before-wicket decision was overturned on appeal.

In his final test as Sri Lanka captain, Jayawardene was 30 not out and moved up to eighth place in test cricket’s all-time leading scorers list, passing Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 10,696 runs.

Bird had figures of 2-14 at the break.

Seeking a 3-0 series whitewash, Australia fielded a four-man pace attack at the SCG for the first time since 1954-55 and Clarke asked his pack to bowl first after he won the toss.

Karunaratne played and missed at Bird outside his off stump in only the second over and the paceman snared the opener with the day’s play just over half an hour old.

Karunaratne completely mistimed a stroke and caught the ball late, top-edging to Mike Hussey, who stayed cool under the high ball and took a catch to huge cheers from a crowd keen to see a victory in his final test before retirement.

The score was 26-1 as Karunaratne departed for a 23-ball 5 and another collapse by Sri Lanka seemed possible.

But Dilshan, who scored a century in the first test in Hobart, and Jayawardene set about establishing themselves, dispatching anything remotely wide to the boundary.

Jayawardene had a let off when he edged Peter Siddle between first and second slips for four runs, just eluding the fingertips of the diving Hussey, but then pulled another boundary and hit a top-edged pull from Siddle for four more.

It was a quickly run single that took Jayawardene to 23 and past Chanderpaul’s mark, making him test cricket’s eighth-highest run scorer.

The pair looked set to continue their strong opening, but Bird had Dilshan caught behind by Matthew Wade and the paceman thought he was on a hat trick when his next delivery thumped into Thirimanne’s pads.

An appeal by the new batsman showed the ball had not pitched in line with the stumps and umpire Aleem Dar’s decision was overturned.

21:23ET 02-01-13