Cricket:Australia's Ashes build-up suffered another blow today when Sri Lanka clinched the Commonwealth Bank series - and inflicted a seventh successive defeat on the hosts — with a convincing 29-run victory in Sydney.
The tourists dominated throughout and not even several rain delays, which threatened to derail their progress, enabled Ricky Ponting’s side to escape another morale-sapping setback.
Sri Lanka made 213 for three from 41.1 overs before inclement weather halted their innings - Upul Tharanga top-scoring with an unbeaten 86 - with Australia’s reply falling well short.
Their target was set under the Duckworth-Lewis method to 244 from 39 overs, and then revised again to 240 from 38 after more rain.
It proved to be beyond them as Sri Lanka’s bowlers, led by the evergreen Muttiah Muralitharan, strangled Australia to secure a 2-0 series win - their first on Australian soil - and render the third and final match in Brisbane on Sunday a dead rubber.
Meanwhile, England bowler James Anderson is confident his rib injury will be no bar to Ashes success this winter.
Anderson today confirmed he broke a rib bone in his infamous boxing bout with Chris Tremlett during England’s pre-Ashes bonding trip to Germany.
But after bowling 22 overs and taking one wicket in Western Australia’s 242 for eight declared today, he confirmed he is no longer suffering any discomfort from the injury suffered at the end of September.
England closed day one of their first tour match on 10 for one, having lost Alastair Cook cheaply in the six overs they faced in deteriorating light at the WACA.
Anderson, however, was largely satisfied with the day and confident he is unlikely to suffer any further discomfort.
“I’ve not been thinking about the ribs for quite a while now,” he said, having bowled with no evident pain in the nets for the past week.
“It’s just as though it never happened. I don’t feel anything at all while I’m bowling. To break a bone in your body is a bit of a worry and I was a bit concerned the first week after it happened.
“It was quite sore. But once I got training again and running again, I didn’t feel it so I was pretty confident I’d be fine.”
England got off to a flying start when Stuart Broad put himself on a hat-trick and reduced the hosts to nought for two in his first over.
But Wes Robinson (62) and Adam Voges (72) ensured WA salvaged an acceptable total.