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Rain halts Ponting's charge

Play on the second day of the third and final Test between Australia and Sri Lanka was called off due to heavy rains which interrupted the match midway between lunch and tea today.

Australia were 318 for seven in their first innings, with Ricky Ponting unbeaten on 90 and Damien Fleming not out 23, when play was halted.

Australia, resuming at their overnight score of 203 for four, progressed to 221 before captain Steve Waugh was dismissed for 14 after play began a hour late due to wet ground conditions following heavy overnight rain.

Waugh was given out caught behind by Romesh Kaluwitharana off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath by English umpire Peter Willey. The Australian captain seemed unhappy about the decision.

After the lunch break, Sri Lankan medium pacer Chaminda Vaas grabbed two quick wickets, when he had Ian Healy (7), caught by Mahela Jayawardene, and Shane Warne (0) leg-before-wicket.

Ponting then found a useful partner in Damien Fleming, who was not out on 23 when play was halted. Ponting is ten runs short of his fourth Test century.

Ponting, using his feet well to the spinners, hit eight boundaries in his 179 minute innings that held the Australian middle and late order batting together.

Players took an early tea break as the rains came down but hopes of resuming the game ended when a second downpour followed, forcing the umpires to abandon the match for the day.

Australia, trailing 1-0 in the three-Test series, need to win to square the series or suffer their first Test defeat against Sri Lanka.

Scoreboard

Australia (1st innings) (overnight 203-4)
G. Blewett c Atapattu c Herath 70
M. Slater st Kaluwitharana b Arnold 59
J. Langer c Ranatunga b Muralitharan 32
M. Waugh c Arnold b Muralitharan 13
S. Waugh c Kaluwitharana b Herath 14
R. Ponting not out 90
I. Healy c Jayawardene b Vaas 7
S. Warne lbw Vaas 0
D. Fleming not out 23
Extras (nb-10): 10
Total (for seven wickets): 318
Fall of wickets: 1-126, 2-147, 3-182, 4-183, 5-221, 6-253, 7-255 To bat: C. Miller, G. McGrath
Bowling: Vaas 19-3-51-2 (1nb), Zoysa 10-4-23-0, Herath 35-10-98-2, Muralitharan 47-5-130-2 (9nb), Jayasuriya 8.2-2-13-0, Arnold 7-4-3-1.

Sri Lanka: S.Jayasuriya (captain), M Atapattu, R Arnold, A.De Silva, M. Jayawardena, A.Ranatunga, R. Kaluwitharana, C.Vaas, R.Herath, N. Zoysa, M. Muralitharan.

UNI