World champions Australia conceded their highest-ever total in a one-day international as they slumped to defeat by 79 runs against Sri Lanka on Thursday.Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu smashed centuries in a record opening stand of 237 to help the Sri Lankans pile up 343 for five before dismissing the hosts for 264. Warne to return to the crease Melbourne: Shane Warne’s World Cup campaign begins on Friday when he captains Victoria in a one-day match against Western Australia, 26 days after dislocating his shoulder. “It is a little bit surprising I suppose how quickly it’s come up,” the Australian leg-spinner told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday. “Obviously with the World Cup coming up, there’s no point playing this early if we weren’t ready because you wouldn’t jeopardise the World Cup. “I’m jumping out of my skin to play. All the movement, my range of movement, all those things are excellent and there’s no pain really at all after I’ve bowled.” Warne dislocated his right bowling shoulder fielding a ball during a limited-overs international against England in Melbourne on December 15, casting doubt on whether he would recover in time for the World Cup. (Reuters) SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka: M Atapattu run out 101, S Jayasuriya b Watson 122, A de Silva b Watson 13, M Jayawardene not out 37, R Arnold st Gilchrist b Symonds 0, K Sangakkara c Maher b Bichel 25, C Vaas not out 5; Extras (lb-12, w-20, nb-8): 40 Total (For 5 wkts, in 50 overs): 343 Fall of wickets: 1-237, 2-267, 3-283, 4-284, 5-329. Bowling: Lee 7-0-41-0, Bichel 10-0-70-1, Watson 10-0-72-2, Symonds 9-0-50-1, Hogg 9-0-75-0, Martyn 5-0-23-0. Australia: A Gilchrist b Vaas 6, M Hayden c Jayawardene b Fernando 35, R Ponting c Tillakaratne b Gunaratne 15, D Martyn b Jayasuriya 40, M Bevan c Tillakaratne b Jayasuriya 41, A Symonds c Tillakaratne b Muralitharan 4, B Lee b Jayasuriya 20, J Maher c Jayawardene b Jayasuriya 15, S Watson not out 35, B Hogg st Sangakkara b Muralitharan 4, A Bichel c Sangakkara b De Silva 28; Extras (lb-12, w-4, nb-5): 21 Total (All out, in 49.3 overs): 264 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-35, 3-78, 4-143, 5-150, 6-152, 7-188, 8-188, 9-201 Bowling: Vaas 6-0-29-1, Gunaratne 8.3-0-54-2, Fernando 9-0-46-1, De Silva 6-0-40-0, Muralitharan 10-1-44-2, Jayasuriya 10-1-39-4. Jayasuriya’s slow left-arm spinners did the damage with the ball, the 33-year-old taking four for 39 to earn the man of the match award and keep alive his side’s chances of reaching the series finals.The win was Sri Lanka’s first from four matches in the tournament, which also involves England, and it was Australia’s first defeat after three victories last month.Australia lead the standings with 17 points from England on 12 and Sri Lanka on seven. The next match is Australia against England in Hobart on Saturday.Sri Lanka were buoyed by the return from injury of off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who took his 299th one-day international wicket on the way to figures of two for 44. The tourists showed some fighting spirit after crumbling to 65 all out against Australia A two days earlier.Vice-captain Atapattu made 101 and his captain clubbed four sixes in his 122 as the pair plundered an Australian attack missing injured trio Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie.The partnership was the highest by a Sri Lanka pair for any wicket in one-day internationals, beating the 226 for the third wicket by Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene against India in Sharjah in 2001-02.Sri Lanka’s total, after Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss, was the highest by any team in a one-day international at Sydney Cricket Ground.It beat Australia’s 337 for seven against Pakistan in 1999-2000. The previous highest total against Australia in a one-day international was 326 for three by South Africa in Port Elizabeth last March.
