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Muralitharan has Australia in a spin

After being at the receiving end for most part of the day, Sri Lanka were back in command by close of play on the second day of the second cricket Test against Australia thanks to some excellent spin bowling by Muttaiah Muralitharan.

The 27-year-old off-spinner grabbed five wickets for 50 runs between tea and close as Australia slumpled from a healthy position of 123 for no wicket to 188 for five. When stumps were drawn for the day, captain Steve Waugh was batting on 2, with Ricky Ponting yet to open his account.

Opener Michael Slater fell four short of what would have been a well-deserved century when he was stumped by wicketkeeper Kaluwitharana off the bowling of Muralitharan for 96.

He and Greg Blewett hit unbeaten half centuries to take Australia to 123 for no wicket at tea. But then Muralitharan suddenly got his act together and struck, sending back Blewett, Justin Langer, Slater, Mark Waugh and Ian Healy in that order.

Earlier, Australian pacemen Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming made short work of Sri Lanka's lower order to dismiss the home side for 296 inside an hour on the second day.

Sri Lanka, resuming on 254 for six, lost their last four wickets for the addition of 42 runs in 52 minutes.

McGrath picked up three wickets for 81 and Shane Warne, who did not bowl today, ended with three for 29 off 25 overs. Fleming took two for 74.

Slater was the more enterprising of the two Australian openers, hitting two sixes off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and five boundaries in his undefeated innings of 64.

Blewett was unbeaten on 52 with five boundaries.

McGrath broke through in the fourth over of the day by bowling Romesh Kaluwaitharan for 25, after eight runs had been added to the overnight total.

Chaminda Vaas added a quick 27 to his overnight score of 14. He hit Glenn McGrath for a huge six before he was caught by Ricky Ponting as he went for another big hit, this time off Fleming.

Debutant Rangana Herath was run out for three by a direct hit from Blewett and McGrath wrapped up the Sri Lankan innings by having Nuwan Zoysa caught by Mark Waugh at second slip.

Meanwhile, Australian batsman Simon Katich is thought to have contracted chicken-pox and has been isolated from the team.

''Katich felt uncomfortable during morning practice and soon developed a rash on his body. We suspect he got chicken-pox and sent him back to the hotel in Colombo,'' Errol Alcott, Australian team physiotherapist, said.

He said Katich will be kept under observation for seven to ten days. Katich would probably have made his Test debut if captain Steve Waugh, who fractured his nose in a freak accident with pace bowler Jason Gillespie during the first Test, had decided to heed medical advice and not play in Galle.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka (1st innings):
S. Jayasuriya c M. Waugh b McGrath 0
M. Atapattu c Healy b Warne 29
R. Arnold c Warne b Miller 50
A. De Silva c S. Waugh b Fleming 64
M. Jayawardene c Blewett b Warne 46
A. Ranatunga c Miller b Warne 10
R. Kaluwitharana b McGrath 25
C. Vaas c Ponting b Fleming 41
R. Herath run out 3
N. Zoysa c M. Waugh b McGrath 1
M. Muralitharan not out 7
Extras (b-4 lb-8 nb-8): 20
Total: 296
Fall of wickets: 1/0, 2/80, 3/100, 4/193, 5/206, 6/226, 7/262, 8/288, 9/288.
Bowling: McGrath 26.5-7-81-3 (7nb), Fleming 23-6-74-2, (1nb), Miller 23-1-72-1, Warne 25-11-29-3, Ponting 4-1-7-0, M. Waugh 2-1-9-0, Blewett 3-0-12-0.

Australia (1st innings):
M J Slater st Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 96
G S Blewett b Muralitharan 62
J L Langer c Ranatunga b Muralitharan 7
M E Waugh c Ranatunga b Muralitharan 10
S R Waugh not out 2
I A Healy c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 4
R T Ponting not out 0 .
Extras (b 1, lb 4, nb 2): 7
Total (5 wickets, 83 overs): 188
To bat: S K Warne, D W Fleming, C R Miller, G D McGrath.
Fall of wickets: 1-138 (Blewett, 55.4 ov), 2-160 (Langer, 67.6 ov), 3-179 (Slater, 77.3 ov), 4-182 (M E Waugh, 79.1 ov), 5-188 (Healy, 81.4 ov).
Bowling: Vaas 9-3-31-0; Zoysa 6-1-9-0; Herath 28-5-78-0 (1nb); Muralitharan 31-10-50-5 (1nb); Jayasuriya 9-1-15-0.