Sri Lanka stifled Australia with disciplined bowling and fielding and shot out the home side for a modest 158 in a rain-curtailed triangular series match in Sydney on Friday.
Electing to bat, the Australians failed to stitch any substantial partnerships in the face of tight bowling by the Sri Lankans at the SCG, in a match reduced to 41-overs-a-side, after rain interrupted play at the end of the 26th over.
But for a 49-run stand between David Hussey (58) and No 10 Mitchell Starc (17 not out) for the ninth wicket -- the highest stand in the Australians innings -- the total would have been lower.
Hussey and Starc batted sensibly for eight overs to give respectability to the Australian innings after the top-order came a cropper and they were reduced to 88 for 6 at the rain interruption.
Hussey, when on eight, was, however, fortunate to survive a dropped chance from Lasith Malinga at third man.
The Sri Lankans also effected three run-outs to add to the misery of the home side, which was bundled out with one ball left.
For Sri Lanka, Farveez Maharoof and Thisara Perera bagged two wickets each for 18 and 29 runs respectively. Malinga, Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath grabbed one each.
Malinga struck the early blow, dismissing dangerous opener David Warner (13) with a slower delivery.
Warner punished Malinga with a pair of crisp boundaries but struggled with the bowler's change of pace and ultimately lobbed a catch to mid-on in the fifth over.
Maharoof, in his return match, used a similar slower delivery to account for stand-in skipper Ricky Ponting (2), who was foxed into an early stroke and offered a simple return catch in the 11th over.
Next over, Thisara Perera engineered the run-out of Matthew Wade (15) with a lightning throw to snap the stumps and soon Angelo Mathews joined the party to account for Michael Hussey (13).
Michael Hussey, who returned to the Australian side after being rested for the Adelaide match, was looking good as he hit a six off Mathews, but, next ball, failed to negotiate a delivery too close to his body and edged behind.
Peter Forrest (16) was the second victim of Maharoof's tight length and line and offered a catch to the slips. And before rain intervened, Daniel Christian (6) fell lbw to Perera as Australian sauntered to 88 for six.
After the rain break, Clint McKay (3) and Bret Lee (0) fell in quick succession before David Hussey and Starc took the score past 150 with some sensible batting.
David Hussey was finally out in the penultimate over after hitting six fours in his 64-ball knock of 58.
