SYDNEY — Michael Hussey ended his Test career on a high Sunday when Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets with a day to spare in the third Test to sweep the series 3-0. The 37-year-old was deprived of the ultimate fairytale ending when his batting partner Mitchell Johnson scored the winning run but Hussey, ever the team man, was not remotely concerned. “It couldn't have ended any better,” he said after being applauded off the pitch by both teams at the end of his 79th test. “I feel very proud to have worn the baggy green cap and I've probably achieved a lot more in my career than I ever dreamed I could.” Australia, chasing 141 runs to win the Test, lost three wickets in quick succession just before tea to bring Hussey out for his final Test innings before retirement. The break came with the hosts just five runs shy of victory and when Johnson pushed the ball wide of point for his only run of the innings, Hussey was already halfway down the pitch to secure the winning run. Hussey finished unbeaten on 27 for a career average of 51.52. Australia had dismissed the tourists for 278 before lunch to set up the run chase but it inched nervously toward the target after David Warner had departed for a duck without a run on the board. Seamer Suranga Lakmal had the opener caught in the slips by his captain Mahela Jayawardene but it was the spin-bowling of Tillakaratne Dilshan and particularly Rangana Herath that was always going to provide most problems on a turning wicket. The peace of a hot afternoon at the Sydney Cricket Ground was punctuated by the loud appeals of the Sri Lankans pretty much any time the ball came near a batsman's front pad. Jayawardene, so profligate with his appeals to the TV umpire in this series, made the most of his first of the innings to remove Phil Hughes for 34 with Australia still 96 runs short of its target. There was some confusion as to whether they were appealing for a catch or lbw off the Herath delivery. The TV pictures showed no nick or glove but did reveal that the ball would have hit the stumps so Hughes was out. Clarke, the most prolific Test batsmen of last year and later named Player of the Series, came to the crease for another duel with Herath, who took more Test wickets than any other bowler in 2012. In the end though, it was the spin of Dilshan which removed the Australia skipper for 29 although opener Ed Cowan (36) and Matthew Wade (9) did then quickly fall victim to Herath. The crowd had already started chanting Hussey's name before Clarke's dismissal in the hope he would get out to bat again in his final test after being run-out in the first innings and they got their wish. Sri Lanka had resumed on 225-7 in the morning looking to bulk up its lead of 87 and give its bowlers something to work with. Dinesh Chandimal hit a defiant 62 not out off 106 balls but ran out of partners when Jackson Bird had Nuwan Pradeep caught behind for nine half an hour before lunch. Chandimal and Pradeep had put on 41 for the final wicket after Herath (10) and Lakmal (0) had departed relatively cheaply. Bird, the least experienced of the four paceman deployed by Australia in the test, was named Man-of-the-Match after bagging figures of 7-117. Australia won the first Test in Hobart by 137 runs and the second by an innings and 201 runs inside three days in Melbourne last week. — Reuters
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka (1st Innings) 294 Australia (1st Innings) 432-9 declared Sri Lanka (2nd Innings) D. Karunaratne c Wade b Bird 85 T. Dilshan c Hughes b Johnson 05 M. Jayawardene c Clarke b Siddle 60 L. Thirimanne c Bird b Johnson 07 T. Samaraweera c Hussey b Lyon 00 A. Mathews run out (Warner) 16 D. Chandimal not out 62 D. Prasad c Wade b Starc 15 R. Herath b Bird 10 S. Lakmal b Johnson 00 N. Pradeep c Wade b Bird 09 Extras (b1 lb4 w1 nb3) 09 Total (all out; 81.2 overs) 278 Falls: 1-24 (Dilshan), 2-132 (Karunaratne), 3-155 (Thirimanne), 4-158 (Samaraweera), 5-178 (Mathews), 6-178 (Jayawardene), 7-202 (Prasad), 8-235 (Herath), 9-237 (Lakmal), 10-278 (Pradeep). Bowling: Starc 12-1-49-1, Bird 21.2-5-76-3 (3nb), Johnson 15-3-34-3 (1w), Siddle 17-4-42-1, Lyon 15-1-66-1, Hussey 1-0-6-0. Australia (2nd Innings) E. Cowan lbw b Herath 36 D. Warner c Jayawardene b Lakmal 00 P. Hughes lbw b Herath 34 M. Clarke c Thirimanne b Dilshan 29 M. Hussey not out 27 M. Wade b Herath 09 M. Johnson not out 01 Extras (b4, lb1) 05 Total (5 wkts; 42.5 overs) 141 Falls: 1-0 (Warner), 2-45 (Hughes), 3-104 (Clarke), 4-108 (Cowan), 5-132 (Wade). Bowling: Dilshan 18-2-57-1, Lakmal 6-1-18-1, Herath 16.5-0-47-3, Pradeep 2-0-14-0. Man-of-the-Match: Jackson Bird. Man-of-the-Series: Michael Clarke.
