The fact that we even played today was a minor miracle considering the rain that has fallen over the past four days. It is incredible how well the SSC ground has drained and although it is obviously soft under foot, this third Test started only an hour after the scheduled 10:30am umpires call of "play gentlemen".

For the second innings in succession our new opening combination of Greg Blewett and Michael Slater added over 100 for the first wicket. They are gelling together very well in the middle, not surprising as they are good mates off the field. Despite the horrendous heat and humidity that eventually took its toll on both guys, they ran between the wickets aggressively and played the spinners and seamers with positive intent. The conditions in Colombo are extreme to say the least so 'Slats' and 'Blew' showed a lot of courage and skill in their second century partnership that gave us an early advantage after Steve Waugh won the toss.

On arriving at the ground this morning there was an abundance of conversation bouncing around the team after we had seen the pitch. With humidity in the air and moisture in the pitch the decision to bat first if we won the toss wasn't as obvious as it usually is in the subcontinent. To his credit 'Tugga' ended all the discussions by saying before he went out to toss the coin "we will be batting if I win this toss, be ready, we have to back ourselves in this Test match". Fortunately it worked to plan for most of the day although in a perfect world we would have gone to stumps at only two wickets down.

A tough umpiring decision against Mark Waugh and a moment's lapse in concentration by yours truly and we gave up some of our earlier advantage. In any game of cricket you can't afford to lose your concentration as a batsman and this multiplies when facing the best bowlers like 'Murali'. He is a difficult proposition due mainly to his unerring accuracy and unusual action. As he delivers the ball it looks from the batting crease like he is bowling leg-spinners as a result of his wrist action. This causes problems because your mind is half expecting the ball to spin back into you like a leg-spinner. He is a freakish bowler who has caused batsmen problems all around the globe. Combating him will be a major factor in how we finish of this series in this Test match.

At stumps we are in a steady position that we have to build on in the morning. The Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting partnership will be crucial, as will be the contribution from the tail. To say the team is pumped up is an understatement, this is like our grand final and considering the grand final spirit is still in the Australian air we want to leave Colombo smiling like North Melbourne or Melbourne Storm.

From Colombo, JL