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Ponting to Australia's rescue

A fighting knock by Ricky Ponting enabled Australia save face on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Australia at Kandy today.

Ponting scored a defiant 96 as Australia were all out for 188. In reply the hosts were 69 for 2 at close, losing the wickets of captain Sanath Jayasuriya (18 ) and Russel Arnold (19 ). Marvan Attapatu was batting on 25. Stumps were drawn at the fall of Arnold's wicket.

Sri Lanka's medium pacers ripped through the Australian batting in the morning and had the visitors tottering at 61-7 at lunch.

Australia won the toss and batted but soon ran into trouble as Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa bowled with venom to claim six wickets between them. Vaas had figures of 16-2-43-3 (3nb), while Zoysa 13-2-38-3 by the end of the Aussie innings.

Both Australian openers fell without scoring. Michael Slater was trapped leg before to vaas in the first over. In the next over Greg Blewett went back to a delivery from Zoysa and was out leg before.

But worse was to follow as Justin Langer (7) edged a catch to Aravinda De Silva off the bowling of Vaas. Mark Waugh (6) was Vaas's next victim when he gave a return catch to the bowler.

Australia were reduced to 16 for four before captain Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting pitched in to try to repair the innings. But Zoysa, returning for his second spell of the morning, quickly had Steve Waugh (19) edging a catch to De Silva in the slips.

Ian Healy was the next to go, stumped by wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana for 11. Shane Warne followed soon afterwards for a duck just before the interval when he hooked Zoysa to deep square leg where Marvan Atapattu took the catch.

Ponting then batted steadily but fell four short of his century, being caught and bowled by Muralitharan, for whom it was his fourth wicket.