Sydney: Sri Lankan veteran Sanath Jayasuriya shrugged off jet-lag and a shoulder injury to flay Australia's attack and set up a comfortable 51-run victory in a One-Day triangular series match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Jayasuriya's inspirational 114 off 96 balls helped carry Sri Lanka to a formidable 309-7 before dismissing a relatively inexperienced Australian line-up for just 258.
It was Sri Lanka's second win from three matches in the series, while the Australians were left with two wins from four matches.
South Africa have just one win from three matches and are due to play Sri Lanka in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody had predicted Jayasuriya would influence the match and his words couldn't have been more prophetic.
The 36-year-old, who only arrived in Australia on Friday after recuperating from a shoulder injury which he suffered on tour in New Zealand, smacked four sixes and 10 boundaries during his 19th century in ODIs.
He and Kumar Sangakkara piled on 163 for the second wicket, with the first 100 coming off 80 balls.
The run fest finally ended when a tired Jayasuriya was stumped by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin while trying to belt wrist-spinner Brad Hogg.
"If he scores more than 40 runs Sri Lanka wins 75 per cent of the games," Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu said.
"It is nice to win against the number one team in the world and it gives you so much confidence going forward."
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting was also complimentary.
"I thought they certainly batted extremely well, I mean Jayasuriya's knock was something pretty special and he had Sangakkara out there with him to play very well around him," Ponting said.
"They had all the momentum going their way early on, and it just seemed that every ball they hit went through or over the field," he added.
"We have seen Sanath do that to us before, he just gets on a bit of a roll and he just keeps on going and he has no fear, and today it came off very, very well."
Sangakkara also played a key role, making 78 off 95 balls. The pair had Ponting grasping for solutions.
Ponting substituted newcomer Brett Dorey who had been battered for 35 runs off four overs and brought on Hogg.
Hogg managed to stem the flood of boundaries but the Sri Lankans continued to pound the bowling of all-rounder James Hopes, who ended with 0-65 off six overs.
Sangakkara was eventually caught and bowled by Andrew Symonds and Mahela Jayawardene then joined the fray, making a rapid-fire 56 off 46 balls.
The Australians had gone into the match without veteran pace bowler Glenn McGrath who was being rested. They also dropped Phil Jaques, who made a brilliant 94 in his international One-Day debut against South Africa on Friday.
Nathan Bracken, who was the best of the Australian bowlers with 2-40 from nine overs, was brought in for McGrath while Simon Katich returned from injury for Jaques.
Australia's batsmen fared little better than their bowlers, apart from Michael Clarke who top-scored with 67.
Hopes and Brad Haddin also offered useful contributions of 43 and 41 respectively.
For a brief period it looked as though Clarke and the big-hitting Andrew Symonds might stage a rescue operation after they put on 73 for the sixth wicket.
But Clarke set off on a suicidal run in the 36th over and Symonds was run out, effectively ending any chance of overhauling the Sri Lankans.
For Sri Lanka, super sub Malinga Bandara made the most of the spin-friendly wicket to take 4-58 off 10 overs.
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