/world sport
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Adam Gilchrist treated the crowd to a typical quickfire 83 in his final appearance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) but Australia crumbled to a 13-run defeat to Sri Lanka in their one-day international.
The long goodbye. Gilchrist acknowledges the MCG crowd at the end of his fine innings.
It looked plain sailing for the Aussies as Gilchrist blasted his runs off only 50 balls as they chased 222 for victory, but a middle-order collapse saw them all out for 208.
Australia and India have already qualified for the three-match finals of the one-day triangular tournament which starts on Sunday. Gilchrist will quit international cricket after the series and has signed for the lucrative Indian Premier League.
His value in that Twenty20 tournament was underlined by his batting at the MCG.
The wicketkeeper was utterly dominant and reached 50 off just 35 balls. He hammered 11 fours and two sixes as he dominated an opening partnership of 107 with James Hopes.
Indeed, when Hopes was bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan, he had contributed just 28. And that was the beginning of the end for Australia, who lost five wickets for just eight runs.
But Brad Hogg and Brett Lee scrambled a stand of 21 before the former became Muralitharan's final international wicket in Australia.
A last-wicket stand of 35 between Lee and Nathan Bracken (14 not out) took Australia close to victory but Sanath Jayasuriya wrapped it up with his first and last ball of the match.
Earlier, half centuries from Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan shored up the Sri Lanka innings of 221 on a slow wicket, both reaching half centuries.
In other cricket news, former Test paceman Jason Gillespie has announced his retirement from first class cricket in Australia, to join the rebel Indian Cricket League.
Gillespie, 32, is contracted to play for Glamorgan in the County Championship in England this summer, but the development casts doubt over his three-year deal with them.
In New Zealand, Steve Harmison took five wickets in England's final warmup game before the first Test next week, but his fellow-paceman Chris Tremlett is leaving the tour with a side strain. E-mail to a friend 
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