Sri Lankans shock Aussies

Australia suffered five run outs in a 22-run loss to Sri Lanka in the first final of the VB Series in front of a stunned crowd at Adelaide Oval.

All-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan was the main impetus behind the Sri Lankan win.

Playing the match of his life, he made 26 invaluable runs with the bat, effected four brilliant run outs and a took a catch, to inspire the historic win and put Sri Lanka one-up in the best of three VB Series finals.

Captain Ricky Ponting (0) was the first Dilshan victim, run out without facing a ball. Damien Martyn (1), Simon Katich (56) and Michael Hussey (16) were the others caught short of their ground as Sri Lanka recorded its first victory against Australia in one-day internationals at Adelaide Oval and only its third at the ground.

Michael Clarke was the fifth run out of the innings, after hitting a defiant 83-ball 80, backing up too far to the first ball of the 50th over, as Australia was dismissed for 252 in reply to Sri Lanka's 274-8 off 50 overs.

Australia started the big run-chase well with Adam Gilchrist (26 off 27 balls) and Katich hurrying to 51 off 10 overs for the first wicket before Australia lost 3-13 in 27 balls to be 64-3 in the 15th over.

Gilchrist was caught at deep backward square leg off Nuwan Kulasekara, and Ponting and Martyn were run out by Dilshan's slick work.

Katich edged Chaminda Vaas onto a pad and the ball went only a few metres behind point where Dilshan swooped on it and ran to the bowler's end to remove the bails while Ponting had joined an unresponsive Katich at the batsman's end.

Martyn drove Kulasekara to cover where Dilshan swooped again and threw down the stumps at the bowler's end with Martyn well short of the crease.

Andrew Symonds belted a straight-driven six off Kulasekara on his way to 16, before he was stumped misreading a Muttiah Muralitharan's doosra, leaving Australia 94-4 in the 20th over.

Brett Lee gave Australia some late hope, contributing 19 runs in a ninth-wicket stand of 47 with Clarke, but he was bamboozled by a brilliant Muralitharan delivery that clean bowled him.

Nathan Braken (13no) and Clarke compiled a brave run-chase, but with 23 runs needed from the final over the equation proved too much as Jayasuriya ended the innings with yet another run out.

Sri Lanka's total of 274-8 was built around four productive partnerships, including a sizzling sixth-wicket union of 57 off only 32 balls by Dilshan and 18-year-old Chamara Kapugedera.

Skipper Marvan Atapattu contributed a classy, 77-ball 53 while sharing first and second-wicket stands of 44 with Jayasuriya and 65 with Sangakkara, who finished with a fine 106-ball 83, including 46 in a fourth-wicket stand of 67 off 72 balls with Russel Arnold.

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