120-3 - Hussey will want to make his lifeline count, and is sure to keep his strokeplay ground-bound for this over at least. The Aussie duo share a chat mid-pitch and perhaps they're toying with the idea of an early batting Powerplay.
115-3 - DROPPED! Nelson nearly strikes, but long-on doesn't paddle back enough and, instead of taking Hussey's loft down the throat, bobbles it over his head and to hte fence for four. That's a big letdown for the hosts, who really needed to break this blossoming stand.
108-3 - As much as the singles are serving Australia well, they'll want to break the monotony with an occasional boundary. The asking rate is almost seven now.
105-3 - Dilshan is going to get those five overs done that he asked of himself at the outset, and perhaps even one or two more. He is proving economical enough to afford himself an extended spell before recalling his strike bowlers to the attack.
102-3 - Dilshan and Mendis in tandem is doing wonders for the run-rate and at the same time pushing Australia's asking rate up. Even with five men up in the circle, though, the Aussies are managing to ping the gaps and in the process bring up their half-century partnership as well as the team 100.
96-3 - Dilshan will be happy to concede mere singles, but he will kick himself for dropping one a touch too short for Clarke to pull away for a couple. Midwicket is there for the catch, but the cool, calm and collected Oz captain won't dare look to go large yet.
90-3 - Jeevan is pulled out of the attack after just one over, but is at hand (or not) to fluff his duty at deep backward square-leg in letting Hussey's flick through the off-side go for four when it should have been a mere single.
82-3 - Another cheap stretch from the part-timer. He will want five overs from himself and five others from Jeevan to make up for the void brought on by Mathews' injury.
80-3 - The leg-spinner is into the attack. The turn into the left-hander doesn't really work, but to the right-handed Clarke he is a right handful. Not a hang of a lot of turn on offer, but the bounce is testing to the Aussie skipper. Of course, this is all out the window, when the bowler coughs up a full toss - and then another for 'Pup' and sidekick to work away with ease.
75-3 - No Jeevan nor Ajantha yet, with captain Dilshan taking matters - and the ball - into his own hands. Handy thinking, this. A string of quick, cheap overs could really put the pressure on Australia. Their asking rate is at 6.32 at the moment.
72-3 - This will be Kulasekara's eighth over on the trot in hot, humid conditions. Machine. Hussey's on the pull again, but this time not as convincingly and rides his luck for four off the top edge. The bowler thinks he has bitten back with an lbw appeal, but umpire Rauf is having none of it and neither is the referral. Pitched outside the line. So 'The Huss' stays. Drinks break.
68-3 - Erratic end to the bowling Powerplay, with Sri Lanka's latest find put away for a couple of boundaries to exemplify his fodder. Hussey pulls for four on top of the bounce, and Clarke takes care of the overcorrection in length by cranking a boundary through the off-side. 27 for one from the five-over tactic.
55-3 - Hussey, ever the nervy starter, looks to get to grips with conditions, while Clarke knows full well that he must bat through the bulk of the innings if his side are to wrap up a series win today.
52-3 - WICKET! The rookie has the last laugh in the face of the humbled veteran. Another clever slower ball does for Ponting, who tamely scoops it straight back to the bowler. Eranga hangs onto the shoudler height to his left. That's a huge wicket for Sri Lanka and the Aussies will have to put their middle order to use for the first time in the series. Hussey, Mike not David, in now.
50-2 - Clubbed for four boundaries in his last two overs, Kulasekara wants better from himself and looks to improve with a much tighter line and length. Ponting, eyes on the ball at all stages to the nth degree, is a picture of concentration out there. The bowler's newfound discipline can only last for so long, before something far too short and wide is punished over cover for four. 50 up for the Aussies.
44-2 - Right on cue, Sri Lanka call for their bowling Powerplay. Catapult-type action from the rookie, with his right elbow a touch bent, but not enough to be brought into question - and a lovely slower ball in his armoury too. Good addition to Sri Lanka cricket, this.
41-2 - Easy pickings for Clarke, who won't dare let get some more fodder to the leg-side go unpunished. Then something far too full and the right-hander quickly has four milked through square-leg and four more pinpointed down the ground to his name. It really is time for a bowling change at this end. So ends the mandatory opening Powerplay.
33-2 - On the up from Ponting, with short cover in the way, but not enough. So four it is. The former really in some fine form here. The rookie bowler looks to respond with some sort of empty verbal, but the stalwart Aussie gives it straight back with some straight-talk and a scary glare.
27-2 - Extended spell for the the right-armer, who perhaps should've been taken out of the attack and over earlier as Ponting cashes in on a tired line and length. Four banged over square-leg to open the over and four more glanced through fine-leg to close it. The bowler will be the first to admit those are two key areas that one just doesn't bowl to the veteran.
19-2 - Change of bowling, and the debutant seamer strikes with his second ball in international cricket. WICKET! It's full and not that threatening, really, but Haddin plays straight through it. It's the wrong line of approach from the right-hander on the drive, and an inside edge onto the stumps sends the crowd into hysterics and the rookie running around in celebration. Clarke in now and keen to build on his fine form in the series thus far.
16-1 - Opportunity knocks, then spills to the ground for Sri Lanka. DROPPED! The bowler got one to hold up off the deck a touch, forcing the premature drive from Ponting, who plugs a return catch. It sped to the right of the bowler, who snapped at it, but couldn't get enough around it to hang on. That's a big left-off for Oz.
15-1 - Ponting and Haddin well within their rights to knuckle in on the defence for the time being. Another wicket will have Malinga on a roll and it's hard to stop the speedster once he really gets going. He'll want to cut out the occasional wides, though.
13-1 - Wayward from the right-armer, who spoons one down the leg-side in affording Haddin four easy runs on the glance. Ponting, meanwhile, gets a feel for conditions he became very familiar with during his fine knock in the second ODI.
7-1 - WICKET! A major coup for the Sri Lankans here, as they get rid of Watson cheaply. The length, with a touch of movement off the seam is key, with the right-hander halfheartedly pushing at the ball. Hence an edge, with Jayawardene at hand in the slips. The hosts are elated - and rightly so. Ponting, fresh from his 90 not out a couple of days ago, in now.
6-0 - Kulasekara gets second use of the new ball, as usual. Fat appeal from the seamer, but not enough to raise Rauf's finger or have Sangakkara insist on a review. The seam trapped Haddin in the back of his crease, but height saved him.
6-0 - Full and fast from the pace ace, with Watson very intentional about his glance through the slip area and gully. Not convincing, but not shaky from the big opener. Malinga will consider himself the winner in that little battle within the war.
Openers Haddin and Watson, umpires Martinesz and Rauf and the Sri Lankan XI head out to the middle after a quick bite to eat. The first innings ran 20 minutes late, so their dinner break was cut clean in half.
So the Aussies require a a very good run chase if they are secure the series, but their target is less than it could have been had Sri Lanka capitalised on their solid start. Upul Tharanga (111) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (55) shared an opening stand worth 137 before Kumar Sangakkara stroked his way to 49 to leave the hosts on 220 for 1 when the batting powerplay was taken after 38 overs. From there the innings lost it's way, thanks in a large part to Dougie Bollinger who finished with figures of four for 42. Tharanga posted his first ODI hundred against Australia, and Mahela Jayawardene finished with a late cameo worth 36. It should be an entertaining chase, and we'll be back to take you through it in about 30 minutes.
286-9 - After the initial wide and single to get Eranga off the mark, Jayawardene shuffles inside and scoops a full toss from a metre outside off stump, over fine leg for six! The, looking to clear the leg side, Jayawardene flicks to Dave Hussey on the fence to be out for 39! A couple singles follow before Eranga has his stumps cleaned up on the final ball of the innings! 289 for nine is not a bad effort from the home side.
276-7 - Again it's the early single that puts Jayawardene on strike and he takes advantage of the width brought by Johnson's angle - slashing away another cut to the fence. Jayawardene shows his class further with a loft over extra cover for a second consecutive boundary! OUT! Kulesakara then tries to get in on the act but he skies out to the man on the cover fence. Shaminda Eranga, the debutant, is the new man and he watches on as Jayawardene fails to get any bat on the final ball of the over.
266-6 - Kulasekara finds the single to put Jayawadene on strike, and the right hander guides to a fine third man in search of a boundary. Mitchell Johnson though does some sterling work on the fence and it's just a couple of runs. A premeditated paddle ends in a single, before Jayawardene crashes away a cut short for four of the final ball of the over.
257-6 - OUT! Jeevan Mendis plays right across the line and he's trapped convincingly in front. Sri Lanka continue to unravel and Johnson has his first wicket. Nuwan Kulasekara, the form man, comes in and he watches a wide go by before getting off the mark with a single.
252-5 - The Sri Lankan pair just chip about for singles from the first three deliveries, Jayawardene steering to third man when he might have been a little more adventurous with five overs to go. WICKET! A yorker finds Silva's toe, with the ball deflecting on the bat before looping out to Steve Smith at midwicket! A freak wicket that Lee has his first - deservedly so.
249-4 - Boom! Four runs for Silva who crashes a cut away for the first boundary in six overs. Bollinger then slips in a wide - despite the appeals for caught behind from bowler and wicketkeeper. A couple more singles means that Bollinger complete a fantastic spell of four for 42 from his ten.
241-4 - Another great over from Lee, just three runs from it. That means his last three overs have conceded just eight runs and it's all down to his sterling length and control. After facing a trio of dot balls Jayawardene finds a single to keep the strike.
238-4 - That's the powerplay done then, three wickets and only 18 runs coming from the five overs. Bollingers continues his tidy spell with a couple of single and leg byes scrapped together.
233-4 - Lee's previous over went for just three runs, and this time around he's again miserly - but does get away with a wide that flicks the batsman's pocket, well spotted Asad Rauf. Lee is mixing up his lengths and his pace, with a cutter conceding just another single. Superb stuff from the Aussie veteran, just two runs from it.
231-4 - OUT! Dougie Bollinger you beauty! That's from an Aussie perspective anyway, he's nicked in and got a fourth - Tharanga trying to make room for the cut before edging to Brad Haddin behind the stumps. The left-hander is on his way for 111 and this batting powerplay has gone horribly pear-shaped for Sri Lanka. Chamara Silva is the new man and he starts with two dot balls and a single to get off the mark.
227-3 - Good over from Lee, arrowing in full and then throwing in a bouncer to mix things up. Tharanga has settled into the anchor role and Jayawardene is yet to get going, so one of them needs to take up the mantle of chief aggressor with ten overs to go.
224-3 - Batting powerplay taken, and OUT! As it so often does, then powerplay has brought immediate success for the bowling side. Sangakkara - looking to flick across the line - is trapped lbw by Bollinger who has bowled superbly today. The umpire's call is out, and after a Sri Lankan referral the third umpire confirms that it's going on to hit leg stump.CAUGHT! Dinesh Chandimal drives a boundary down the ground, but then edges to Michael Clarke at first slip! Great catch and the powerplay is doing wonders for Australia! More great fielding keeps Mahela Jayawardene pinned to three dot balls.
220-1 - Tharanga has the ball pitched up to him, and the left-hander frees his arm with pitch just short of the wide long on fence! He then smashes to the cover sweeper for one, and batting would appear rather straight forward at the moment. Eight runs from the over, and Lee has four more in the bag.
212-1 - One-hundred up for Tharanga! He gets a ball on the hip and steers to fine leg for one to bring up his fourth ODI hundred of the year - more than anyone else in 2011. It's his first against Australia, and the 11th ton of his career! Sterling stuff. It's then a case of consolidating with singles for both batsmen before Sangakkara claims two from the last ball of the over thanks to some quality running between wickets.
205-1 - Tharanga gets a single to move to 99, and Sangakkara does the rest! After stroking through the covers for two he then sweeps hard for a boundary. The former skipper then caps off the over with a powerful beat back down the ground for SIX! Sri Lanka are putting the foot down now!
191-1 - Sanga looked to go over the top, but he's mistimed that and spooned fortunately for him, just short of long on. Tharanga then collects a couple and brings up the fifty partnership with a steer backward of point to the fence! He's on to 98 now!
182-1 - Left-armer Xavier Doherty comes back into the attack after the break and Sangakkara goes on the offensive immediately, lifting him over midwicket or four! A typical stroke from the left-hander. Another couple drives into the deep bring more singles and seven runs from the over.
175-1 - Tharanga into the 90s and Sangakkara chancing his arm for a quick single to the right of the bowler, who has a shy at the non-striker's stumps but only forces mid-on and midwicket to some awkward backing up. Johnson's ploy is to take the pace off the ball by rolling his fingers over the seam time and time again - and it's working well. Drinks.
173-1 - Sangakkara breaks the shackles endured across the last four or five overs by dancing down the wicket to loft four over mid-on. That's followed by 'soft hands' to some awkward bounce outside his off-stump. Almost not soft enough, though, with point nearly getting in a catch.
167-1 - A quieter passage of play, this, with Tharanga and Sangakkara just biding their time through the better bowlers. Wouldn't be a bad idea to call for their batting Powerplay before the standard 46- through 50-over bracket.
166-1 - Watson looks to beat the left-hander from around the wicket. The angle doesn't bother Sangakkara, who drives well for a three that could've been four were it not for some superb fielding on the deep-cover fence. His fellow left-hander, Tharanga, is puzzled by the change of angle, missing one outside the off-stump and then bobbing and weaving his way through a couple of short balls. Just a matter of time before one of those is deemed a wide.
163-1 - Tharanga moves to his highest ODI score against the Aussies, surpassing the 86 not out he landed in Sydney last year. He looks set for his first three-figure vigil against them too, but will first have to rattle his way through the potentially nervous 90s.
158-1 - Bollinger is taken out of the attack despite having clinched a key scalp in his previous over. Watson resumes and performs his role as a holding bowler to decent effect. Tharanga bags a couple of twos off some momentarily lagging line.
152-1 - Sangakkara plugged a Hussey full toss straight to the boundary rider in the second ODI, but he doesn't make the same mistake this time, clearing long-on in the face of another awful full bunger. 150 up for the hosts and a change of ball for the Aussies.
143-1 - WICKET! Tame, short ball from Bollinger, but it does the trick for the Aussies. Dilshan takes it on on the pull, but doesn't middle it. The bat handle twists in his hands too, rendering the shot all the more empty as it plugs to the midwicket fielder. Simple catch down the throat and so ends a fine partnership. Captain Sangakkara in now.
139-0 - Tharanga looks to go big over extra cover, but the ball holds up off the track a bit and forces a fat inside edge over the bowler's head. Hussey jumped high for the catch, but didn't get anywhere close. Then an appeal for lbw to Tharanga, but umpire Ranmore rightly keeps his finger down as that struck outside the line and was headed down the leg-side.
135-0 - This stand is far too high for Clarke's liking. He wants a breakthrough - now - and calls on his chief wicket-taker in the second ODI for it. Not the best of starts from the left-armer, though, who screams a couple of wides down the leg-side to have wicketkeeper Haddin pulling off all sorts of acrobatics in order to avoid more extras. Around the wicket to the right-hander and over the wicket to the left-hander, the constant change of angles are not really working for Bollinger here.
128-0 - The Aussies concede their first extra of the day, with Hussey scooting a wide down the leg-side - and then another, though this one is pretty close from sniping past the sweeping Tharanga to almost brush his leg-stump. Strict call from the umpire, that.
123-0 - There is a slip in place now, so Tharanga just makes sure to get a lot more bat on his cut shot for four through deep point. Tough lessons endured by the erratic leg-spinner here. Regardless, captain Clarke must not shelter him from the realities of tough, subcontinental conditions.
117-0 - Tharanga really hitting his straps now, bunting four over cover with perfect timing and placement. He hardly needs to meet the ball at its pitch, as there isn't much turn out there. Dilshan, still, is more than content on the sweep and so arrives his half-century. 51 balls to get there, four fours included. One of the less aggressive 50s from the right-hander. It's the 23rd half-century of his ODI career and he'll be looking to convert it to an 11th ton.
108-0 - So the leg-spinner does get a bowl after all, but is quickly fetching runs as Tharanga edges through the vacant slip position for three and Dilshan late-cuts for one run better. 100 up for Sri Lanka and, naturally, the century stand.
99-0 - More of a full-time option these days as leg-spinner Smith is continually robbed of time with the ball, former part-timer Hussey enters the attack. Poor fielding from Watson, who lopes around the deep-cover boundary and, utlimately, can't prevent Tharanga from fetching four on the drive regardless of a late dive. Really, the big man could have done better than that. Tharanga, in the process, has moved to 4,000 ODI runs and he is the ninth Sri Lankan to reach the milestone.
91-0 - Dilshan insists on the sweep regardless of the length of the ball to ride his luck off the top edge for two. Tharanga, meanwhile, pushes the single down the ground that brings him the 20th 50 of his ODI career. 63 balls, seven fours to get to this one. The left-hander has an outstanding conversion rate - 20 half-centuries to 11 tons.
85-0 - Big, ballooning - and effective - bounce from the seamer, with Dilshan quickly on top of the pull for four through square-leg. Later he is onto the frontfoot, but not quite quick enough to beat deep cover on the drive, so just the two. Sri Lanka sitting a hang of a lot pretty here than they were in the first two one-dayers. Drinks break.
77-0 - Tharanga teaches Doherty that you can't bowl to many Sri Lankans with mid-off up in the circle and get away with it, as the left-hander skips down the pitch to drive over long-off for four. He mishits his next attempt at the shot and gets a lucky inside edge towards cow corner for a couple, but then plays an even better shot as he comes down the pitch to drive over extra cover for four more.
67-0 - A tight over from Watson, not allowing either batsman to free his arms. Sri Lanka's run rate after the first two powerplays isn't amazing, but they've got wickets in hand and a long line-up today so there's scope for going big later on.
64-0 - A bit of spin now as Xavier Doherty comes on. He played a crucial role in frustrating the batsmen in the last game, and there wouldn't have been more than two singles in this over if it weren't for a couple of misfields - one by Ponting at extra cover and the other by the bowler himself.
60-0 - Shane Watson into the attack now, but his first ball goes for four over mid-on. Tharanga didn't time it perfectly and the fielder actually got back, but his flick was ineffective and allowed the ball to roll onto the rope. A couple of singles later Watson beats the left-hander as he bowls from around the wicket, then induces a mishit from an attempted hoik.
54-0 - More luck for Dilshan as he takes on a bouncer, but he's through the shot too quickly and ends up playing it with the back of his bat. Somehow the ball lands safely wide of slip. He gets a single for his efforts, and after missing an attempted guide to third man Tharanga eventually gets one to the sweeper on the cover boundary.
52-0 - Australia take the bowling powerplay, which means Australia only have one extra man outside the circle, but it leaves another gap and the batsmen revert to taking ones and twos. This is a good start for Sri Lanka, but it's shown that this is a good batting pitch which will only get better.
47-0 - Lee back on from the opposite end to his earlier spell, and Australia just can't get a break. Tharanga gets a thick edge, but there's no second slip in place so he gets four. And the very next ball he's cramped for room, but somehow his inside edge bounces down onto the ground and then loops over his stumps. Remarkable. Nevertheless Sri Lanka deserve some credit for taking the positive approach, which has paid off in the opening powerplay.
41-0 - Dilshan drives out to deep cover, who's been posted near the boundary, and Tharanga flicks off his pads for a couple. Johnson's line improves thereafter, forcing the left-hander to block the straight ones and then run the final delivery to third man for a single.
37-0 - The pattern continues. Rather than coming out in defensive mode to wait for the pitch to even out, Sri Lanka are having a right go and are somehow getting away with it. More playing and missing, and then Dilshan finally gets bat on ball to drive to mid-off for a single. Tharanga is beaten by the last delivery.
36-0 - Sri Lanka riding their luck in a big way here! Dilshan is beaten all ends up by one that angles in from around the wicket, but it must have hit the seam at a strange angle because it somehow leaps over middle stump when it really should have rearranged the woodwork. That's one of three more plays and misses, but in between Dilshan slashes one through the covers for four.
31-0 - Tharanga slashes hard, and the result is a thick edge wide of second slip which flies away for four. If that seemed lucky, Tharanga is leading a charmed life once again when Bollinger angles one in, hits the seam to square the left-hander up but sees the ball bounce just over off stump. That's the second of three consecutive occasions on which the edge is beaten.
27-0 - Mitchell Johnson replaces Lee, which seems a bit premature to be honest. Dilshan smashes his first ball to mid-off and Tharanga somehow comes back for a second, before the Sri Lankan skipper latches onto a wide ball later in the over to pierce the infield and get four through cover.
19-0 - Much better over from Bollinger, who beats Dilshan's hopeful booming drive and then drops back a touch to hit an awkward length. Then he tosses one up again to beat another attempted drive as he angles the ball across the right-hander from over the wicket. Eventually Dilshan gets off strike with a leading edge to third man as he's rushed for pace. Tharanga's beaten by the final delivery, so that's a top over from the left-armer.
18-0 - Dilshan up and running with a couple of clips through midwicket which prompt the Aussies to move a catcher into short midwicket. Lee then produces a superb bouncer which gets Dilshan in a tangle, but he lucks out as a top edge loops into space at short square leg. Much more positive start by Sri Lanka though.
11-0 - Dilshan off the mark as he looks to dab down to third man, but Clarke flings himself to his right at second slip and parries the ball well. Tharanga gets his second boundary when Doug Bollinger drops short, and the left-hander just pops him over the infield for four on the off side. On this damp pitch anything short is just going to hold up and ask to be hit.
5-0 - Swing for Brett Lee straight away, but it's overpitched and Upul Tharanga prods it over backward point for four. Risky shot, but that's Tharanga's strong area so he knows what he's doing there. He's luckier later in the over when an inside edge flies over the stumps for a single to fine leg, before Lee has a huge shout for lbw against Dilshan first up, only for Asoka de Silva to show no interest due to an inside edge.
It doesn't sound particularly good for Sri Lanka. The pitch was watered early yesterday but then had the covers over it because of the rain, so there should be plenty of moisture. Despite that Russel Arnold says it's a hard track where 250-260 is still gettable.
Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga
Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty, Doug Bollinger
Sri Lanka make a couple of changes, with Angelo Mathews forced out by injury. That throws the balance out as Chamara Silva comes in, forcing another change as Rangana Herath - who's been out-in-out for the three matches so far - sits this one out and seaming all-rounder Shaminda Eranga makes his debut. Dilshan says they're playing seven batsmen, so hopefully two or three of them will come off! Australia meanwhile are unchanged for the third straight match.
Australia have won the toss, and once again they will bowl first. There was some overnight rain, so Michael Clarke is hoping his seamers can take advantage of that. Tillakaratne Dilshan says he would have bowled first as well.
We're in Hambantota again for the third one-dayer, which is a do or die for Sri Lanka. They've been thoroughly outclassed in the first two matches, with Australia looking ominously in form. Prior to the series all the talk was about whether the Aussies could read Sri Lanka's spinners, but so far what we've seen is Sri Lanka's batsmen failing to deal with Australia's fast bowlers.