COLOMBO, 26 March 2004 — Marvan Atapattu slammed a solid century as Sri Lanka made a strong reply in the third and final cricket Test against Australia here yesterday.

The opening batsman scored an unbeaten 109 to help Sri Lanka reach 239-2 at stumps on the second day in reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 401. He struck 17 fours in his 12th Test century, the first against Australia.

Mahela Jayawardene was batting on 29.

Sri Lanka made a blazing start as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya (71) put on 134 for the opening wicket, smashing the Australian bowlers to various parts of the boundary.

Part-time left-arm spinner Darren Lehmann stopped the run-spree when he had Jayasuriya caught by Jason Gillespie at mid-on. He then dismissed Kumar Sangakkara (22) to complete a superb all-round performance.

Australia, resuming at 314-6, were all out in the last over before lunch. Their total owed much to Lehmann, who made an impressive 153.

Even leg-spinner Shane Warne was unable to stem the flow of runs as he gave away 58 in 18 wicketless overs, still nine victims short of retired West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh’s world record of 519.

His closest competitor, Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (510), now needs all 10 wickets in the second innings to break the world mark at home, a feat achieved only by Englishman Jim Laker and Indian Anil Kumble in Test history.

Jayasuriya and Atapattu flayed the Australian attack, exploding with a flurry of boundaries against new-ball bowlers Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. They plundered 50 in less than 10 overs.

“It’s always special to get a hundred against the best side in the world,” said Atapattu.

Atapattu set the tone by driving Gillespie for two fours in the opening over. He went on to gather runs comfortably and completed 4,000 runs in his 71st Test.

Jayasuriya also played his shots with freedom on a batting pitch, racing to his 27th Test half-century off just 59 balls with seven fours. He eventually fell attacking.

He had already hit a four off Lehmann before getting out trying another big shot, with Gillespie taking a well-judged running catch. He smashed one six off Warne and nine fours in his rapid-fire 78-ball knock.

There was no stopping Atapattu, who continued to play strokes against both pace and spin to complete his century with a drive through the covers off paceman Brad Williams in the last session.

Earlier, Muralitharan grabbed three of the remaining four Australian wickets to finish with 5-123, his 43rd haul of five or more scalps in an innings. He has now taken 25 wickets in the series.

Warne gave a good account of himself as a batsman in the morning, making 32 in a 77-run stand for the seventh wicket with Lehmann.

Lehmann, overnight 104, was involved in an engrossing duel with Muralitharan as he used his feet remarkably well against the spinner. He plundered 11 in one over of the spinner to cross the 150-mark for the third time in 18 Tests. He hit two sixes and 14 fours in his 268-ball knock.

Muralitharan got his first wicket after more than an hour when he trapped Warne leg-before.

Warne had earlier survived a chance on 13 when Jayawardene grassed an easy catch at the slip off spinner Thilana Samaraweera. The fielder had also let off Lehmann on Wednesday when the batsman was on 20.