An unbeaten Phil Hughes century has anchored Australia’s 5-247 as they desperately try to avoid an embarrassing one-day series loss to Sri Lanka.
Without injured captain Michael Clarke, Hughes cracked 138 from 154 balls with 13 fours and a six as the home side attempt to escape with a 2-2 result in the five-match series.
The tourists lead 2-1 after game four in Sydney was washed out on Sunday.
Hughes reached his ton off 132 balls with a cut shot for four off Thisara Perera in the 44th over, his second hundred of the series and highest score in one-day internationals.
But the South Australian batsman had a huge slice of luck when on 20 with his side struggling at 2-65.
Attempting a pull shot, the ball rolled onto Hughes’ stumps without dislodging the bails.
After Australia were sent in, Hughes proved the tonic to a batting line-up with a spate of recent poor totals and without their best player Clarke.
The skipper failed to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in a training drill on Tuesday.
He told the Nine Network x-rays had cleared him of any break but he could need a MRI scan.
Clarke at least has time to recover with Australia’s first of five one-day matches against the West Indies in Perth still nine days away.
The skipper’s place in the side was taken by spinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell (9 from 9), with George Bailey captaining Australia on his home ground for the first time.
Australia again blew their only review early when promoted opener Matthew Wade (23 from 28) sent his lbw decision against Nuwan Kulasekara (1-57) in the 10th over upstairs but was unsuccessful.
That left the home side 2-37 after Dave Warner (10 from 18) had been bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan (1-22) at 1-31.
Hughes and Bailey (17 from 43) settled the innings on what appeared a slow wicket, putting on 60 for the third wicket before the stand-in skipper was caught and bowled by Thisara (1-39).
David Hussey (34 from 39) put on 98 with Hughes for the fourth wicket.
The match was being played in front of a disappointing Bellerive crowd on a day it was announced a $30 million redevelopment of the ground would boost the capacity from 15,000 to 19,500.
