Bears fire coach Lovie Smith after 9 seasons

 The Chicago Bears reached the Super Bowl under coach Lovie Smith and consistently boasted a formidable defense.
However, they missed the playoffs too many times, never solved their problems on offense and even after a 10-win season they are moving on without him.
The Bears fired Smith on Monday after the team missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons. General manager Phil Emery delivered the news to Smith on the day after the Bears beat Detroit to finish 10-6 but still didn't make the playoffs.
Hired in 2004, Smith led the 2006 team to the Super Bowl, but he also saw his team collapse in the second half of the past two seasons. He was let go with a year left on his contract, ending a nine-year run that produced an 81-63 record, three division titles and two appearances in the NFC championship game.
The Bears scheduled a news conference with Emery for Tuesday to discuss the move. Smith was not available for comment, but talked to the team after he was fired.
"He earned even more respect from me, if it was possible," quarterback Jay Cutler said. "He handled it the right way. A lot of character in that man, and it showed up."
Emery appears to be moving quickly in the search for a replacement.
A person familiar with the situation said Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy will interview for the Bears and Arizona Cardinals jobs this week. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to publicly speak about the interviews, said the talks would take place in Denver.
Even though Chicago closed with a win, the Bears needed a loss by Minnesota to get into the playoffs. The Vikings, though, beat Green Bay to clinch a postseason spot, leaving Chicago as the second team since the postseason expanded to 12 teams to miss out after a 7-1 start. The other was Washington in 1996.
Smith ranks third on the Bears' wins list behind George Halas and Mike Ditka.
The highlight of his tenure was the run to the title game that ended with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It was the first time two black coaches met for the championship, with Smith going against his mentor Tony Dungy.
The 2010 team lost to Green Bay in the NFC title game, but the Bears made the playoffs just three times and won three postseason games under Smith.
There was speculation he would be let go following the 2011 team's collapse, but he got one more year while general manager Jerry Angelo was fired. Now, he's out.
Return star Devin Hester was so upset he said he was considering retirement, adding, "I've got my workers' comp papers in my pocket."
Is he hurt?
"Not physically, but mentally," Hester said.
He wasn't ruling out playing next year, either.
While Smith was dismissed, there was no official word on the status of assistant coaches.
"I think we're going to get the best available coordinator, head coach, assistant coaches," Cutler said. "(I'm not going) to speculate where they're going to go. I have no idea. But I trust Phil and everyone involved in the search, and they're going to make the best decisions they can make."
Known for solid defenses, Smith oversaw a unit that was consistently effective and at times ranked among the league's best with stars such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and later Julius Peppers. Smith emphasized taking the ball away from the opposition, and no team did it more than the Bears with 310 during his tenure.
But on the other side, it was a different story.
Smith went through four offensive coordinators in Terry Shea, Ron Turner, Mike Martz and Mike Tice. He never could find the right formula, even as the Bears acquired stars such as quarterback Jay Cutler and receiver Brandon Marshall over the years.
Smith had no bigger supporter than team matriarch Virginia McCaskey, but the fans seemed split on him.
"The media, the false fans, you all got what you all wanted," Hester said. "The majority of you all wanted him out. As players we wanted him in. I guess the fans — the false fans — out-ruled us. I thought he was a great coach, probably one of the best coaches I've ever been around. He brought me in."
History suggests fans hoping for a high-profile replacement such as Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden might be disappointed. The last time the Bears went with an experienced NFL head coach was when Halas returned to the sideline in 1958.
They might, however, go with an offensive-minded coach for the first time since Mike Ditka was fired after the 1992 season, given the issues in that area.
That the Bears would be in this spot seemed unthinkable after they won seven of their first eight games, but the schedule took a tougher turn. Injuries mounted and so did the losses. It was similar to last season when they finished 8-8 after a 7-3 start, a collapse sparked by a season-ending injury to Cutler.
Dismissing Smith was the first move in what looks like a busy offseason. Urlacher has an expiring contract and was limited by knee and hamstring injuries this year.
The Bears might have a decision to make on Cutler, who has one more year left on his contract.
"I think, first and foremost, their concern is going to be with finding coaches, and we'll address it from there," he said.

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January groundbreaking for Atlanta's College Football Hall of Fame

Groundbreaking for a new College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta is set for January 28, and the first visitors are expected to walk through the doors in August 2014, the National Football Foundation said on Monday.
The Foundation decided three years ago that it was moving the Hall of Fame to Atlanta from South Bend, Indiana, near the campus of the University of Notre Dame, a college football powerhouse. The South Bend facility closed on Sunday.
The new hall, in a highly trafficked section of Atlanta, is expected to attract many more visitors than it did in South Bend, John Christie, executive vice president of Atlanta Hall Management Inc, told Reuters. Atlanta Hall Management is the nonprofit formed to oversee the new facility.
It will be located near Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola museum, and will be within walking distance of the Georgia Dome, where the Atlanta Falcons professional football team plays.
"We have a critical mass of millions visiting the Centennial Park area," Christie said.
The $66.5 million project will be funded with corporate sponsorships while the city of Atlanta and state of Georgia will fund road improvements needed for the new building, said Christie.

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Bills fire Gailey after 3 straight losing seasons

 Chan Gailey didn't work out after three losing seasons, leaving the Buffalo Bills looking for their fifth head coach since 2001.
The Bills fired Gailey on Monday after he failed to deliver on his vow to transform a losing franchise into a playoff contender. Gailey's entire staff was fired, too, but the status of general manager Buddy Nix remained uncertain, and could be decided as early as Tuesday.
Bills CEO Russ Brandon returned to Buffalo on Monday night after spending the day meeting with team owner Ralph Wilson at his home outside Detroit. Nix did not make the trip, and instead stayed at the team's facility.
The Bills have made tentative plans to have a team official address the media Tuesday.
The decision to fire Gailey was announced shortly after Brandon arrived in Detroit.
Gailey's teams lost twice as many games as they won, going 16-32 over three seasons. The Bills have now posted eight straight losing seasons, and closed with a second straight 6-10 mark after beating the New York Jets 28-9 on Sunday.
"I understand this is a business," said Gailey, who had at least one year left on his contract. "We didn't get the job done."
Gailey spoke for a little over a minute. He declined to take questions, while growing emotional at one point. Among the assistants fired were assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt.
"I've been called two other times to get things turned around, was able to do it," Gailey said, referring to previous stops with Dallas (1998-99) and Georgia Tech (2002-07). "We weren't able to get this one done soon enough, and I understand that completely."
It was a disappointing finish for a team that had much higher aspirations. The Bills spent much of the past 14 months securing their top players, re-signing receiver Stevie Johnson and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to lucrative multiyear contracts.
The spending spree reached its peak in March, when they signed defensive end Mario Williams to a six-year, $100 million contract.
"It's always disappointing," said defensive tackle Kyle Williams, one of the only players left in the locker room when the team announced Gailey's firing.
What frustrates Williams more is how the Bills keep making changes without getting any results.
"I get tired of losing," Williams said. "More than anything, I get tired of putting in tons and tons of work. And it's hard sitting here talking to you guys at the end of December feeling like another one kind of slipped through your fingers."
What's next remains unclear.
Nix was not available Monday, and canceled his weekly radio show on Friday.
Gailey's dismissal is a significant setback for Nix. The general manager announced in November that Gailey wasn't going anywhere, because another coaching change would stunt the team's development.
The Bills, however, closed by losing seven of their final 10 games.
Wilson had initially backed Nix's build-through-the-draft approach. Three years ago, the 94-year-old owner said he expected the rebuilding process could take as long as five years.
Brandon has been unhappy with the criticism leveled at the Bills, and how it's translated into poor ticket sales. Buffalo failed to sell out its three of its final four home games. And the fourth, against St. Louis on Dec. 9, wasn't a sellout until a local restaurateur purchased the remaining 10,000 tickets.
One option is for the Bills to make a splash in hiring their next head coach, as they attempted in their previous search.
After firing Dick Jauron in November 2009, Wilson expressed a desire to open his checkbook to lure a high-profile coach to Buffalo only to be rebuffed by Mike Shanahan, who instead landed in Washington.
The most high-profile candidates available include coach-turned-broadcaster Jon Gruden and Andy Reid, who was fired by Philadelphia on Monday. Then there's two candidates in the college ranks, Oregon's Chip Kelly and Penn State's Bill O'Brien, who had numerous friends and former colleagues on Gailey's staff.
An offensive specialist, Gailey was unable to spark the Bills popgun attack under Fitzpatrick. The Bills finished 19th in the NFL in yards gained and 21st in points this season. Gailey was faulted for under-utilizing the offense's most dynamic threat, running back C.J. Spiller.
"It's sickening," running back Fred Jackson said, referring to how the Bills failed to play up to expectations. "As players, we had the highest hopes out of everybody. And for us to fall short of that, we don't like it at all. It's depressing."
Ultimately, it was the Bills' porous defense that doomed Gailey.
The Bills allowed 400-plus points in each of the past three seasons, including 435 this year — the second-most in team history. Though Williams' presence improved the pass rush, Buffalo became the NFL's eighth team, and first since the 1986 Jets, to allow 45 points four times in one season.
Fitzpatrick's status is uncertain in part because he's due a $3 million bonus in March. He went 16-29 since taking the starting job three games into the 2010 season.
Fitzpatrick declined to speculate on his future. After speaking to reporters, Fitzpatrick hugged Johnson, and the two left with the receiver's arm over the quarterback's shoulder.
Reading from notes he jotted on a Bills pad, Gailey's eyes welled with tears when he credited Bills fans for their loyalty, and Buffalo for being a passionate football city.
"I think that the next staff will have a great opportunity for success, and make this another great football franchise," Gailey said. "This will probably be, and I say probably, but I think it will be the first place that's ever fired me that I'll pull for.

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Pacers surge past visiting Grizzlies

A furious fourth quarter from the Indiana Pacers sparked an 88-83 comeback win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
The Grizzlies, the NBA's top defensive team, led by 11 late in the third quarter before the Pacers charged back.
Ben Hansbrough spurred the charge with two consecutive three-pointers to open the fourth, propelling the Pacers to a 14-4 run that gave them the lead for good.
"That's a really good team win for our guys," Pacers coach Frank Vogel told reporters. "I'm proud of the effort and grit to beat a really good basketball team."
Paul George scored 21 points to lead Indiana (18-13), who outscored Memphis 28-16 in the final quarter.
Grizzlies big man Zach Randolph had 21 points and 15 rebounds with Rudy Gay adding 11 points but missing a potential tying three-pointer with five seconds remaining.
Indiana made six straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win, their fifth in six contests.
D.J. Augustin helped wrap up the win and finished with 17 points after being pushed into the starting lineup because of a thigh injury to George Hill.
Augustin's three-pointer with 2:07 left gave the home team an 82-76 edge.
While Indiana came to life with 50 second-half points, Memphis fell apart in the fourth behind poor shooting and decision making. Gay made just 3 of 17 shots on the day.
"We got a little selfish in the fourth quarter," said Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. "We made a lot of bad turnovers and didn't continue to play our transition game."
Memphis (19-9) have lost three of their last four to fall further behind first-place San Antonio in the Southwest Division.

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Eagles fire Andy Reid after 14 seasons

 Andy Reid stuck around after he was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles, meeting with players, encouraging staff and shaking hands with the man who let him go.
After 14 years, Reid found it hard to walk away.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie understood. "He had the love and respect of every individual in this organization," he said at his news conference Monday. "This man is amazing to work with, smart and dedicated, and the record will speak for itself."
Not this season's 4-12 record nor the humiliating score of the season-ending loss to the New York Giants, 42-7, on Sunday.
It was the worst finish by the team since Lurie fired Ray Rhodes following a 3-13 finish in 1998.
"When you have a season like that, it's embarrassing. It's personally crushing to me and it's terrible," Lurie said. "Our fans deserve the very best. This year, they got a team that was not very good at all. I feel terrible about that."
Lurie informed Reid of his decision shortly before 9 a.m. Reid addressed the team an hour later and received a standing ovation.
"It was emotional," running back LeSean McCoy said. "We felt his pain. It hurts a lot."
Many players blamed themselves for his ouster and a few held back tears while talking about their former coach.
"It's unfortunate. I feel we personally let him down," wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said. "It's a sad day."
Reid took over a 3-13 team in 1999, drafted Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick and quickly turned the franchise into a title contender.
He is the winningest coach in club history and led them to a run of four straight NFC championship games, a streak that ended with a Super Bowl trip after the 2004 season — and a loss, 24-21, to the New England Patriots. The Eagles are still seeking their first NFL title since 1960.
Reid cemented Philadelphia as a destination football town and led the team to an unmatched level of success. But the team hasn't won a playoff game since 2008 and after last season's 8-8 finish, Lurie said he was looking for improvement this year.
Instead, it was worse.
"I look forward to the day when everyone welcomes him back into the Eagles Hall of Fame because that's inevitable," Lurie said.
Reid grew up in Southern California and may welcome a return home. He already has said he wants to coach next season.
"I think Andy is an outstanding football coach," Lurie said. "That's what Andy wants to do. He doesn't want to transition to other aspects of football operations. He's a football coach. He wants to coach right now. He was very excited about the future of this team and this franchise. He wanted to stay."
Reid is due to make $6 million in 2013 in the final year of his contract. He is the franchise leader in wins (140), losses (102) and winning percentage (.578) and led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six division titles and five NFC championship games.
Aside from team troubles, the year was a painful one for Reid. He endured a devastating loss weeks before the season opener when his oldest son, Garrett, died at training camp after a long battle with drug addiction.
In October, Reid fired close friend and longtime assistant Juan Castillo, who was in his second season as defensive coordinator after coaching the offensive line for 13 years. He later fired defensive-line coach Jim Washburn.
Still to be determined is whether Michael Vick stays with the team. He's under contract for $16 million next season, but the Eagles can release him within a few days after the Super Bowl and avoid a salary-cap hit.
In 2009, Reid and Lurie gave Vick a second chance in the NFL after the former star quarterback spent 18 months in federal prison related to a dogfighting operation. Vick took over as the starter in 2010, had a remarkable season and led the Eagles to the NFC East title. But like rest of the team, Vick regressed the last two seasons.
"There is nobody who wants to win more than I do," Lurie said. "Once you've experienced the success we've had, it makes you just realize that there's nothing more that you want than a Super Bowl, and to deliver that to our fans."
After beating the defending Super Bowl champion Giants on Sept. 30, the Eagles lost eight straight games — their worst losing streak in 42 years.
Lurie said he has a "defined" list of candidates to replace Reid, but hasn't spoken to any coaches or set up interviews yet. General manager Howie Roseman and president Don Smolenski will assist him in the process.
"It's better to find the right leader than to make a fast decision," Lurie said. "There's no guarantee I'll make a great decision, but I'm confident I will."
A person familiar with the team's plan said the Eagles will interview Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan this week. Atlanta's offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter and special teams coach Keith Armstrong also will be interviewed. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team has not announced its interview plans.
Earlier, PhiladelphiaEagles.com posted video of Lurie and Reid addressing employees, who gave Reid a big ovation. Lurie handed him a game ball.
"I have a hard time standing before people without a few boos involved. But I'm taking it, I'm taking it all in," Reid said. "These have been the greatest 14 years of my life."
He added: "Sometimes change is good. ... I know the next guy that comes in will be phenomenal. The ultimate goal is a Super Bowl. Everybody in this room, I wish you a big ring on the finger in the near future.

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Mission to Drill Into Buried Antarctic Lake Called Off

After fighting with the Antarctic ice for 20 hours through Christmas Eve, a British Antarctic Survey team has reluctantly called off its mission to retrieve water samples from an ancient subglacial lake.
The decision to halt drilling through the ice down toward Lake Ellsworth came after the team failed to connect the project's main and secondary boreholes, Martin Siegert, the lead investigator for the project, said on the project's blog.
Lake Ellsworth lies under 2 miles (3 kilometers) of ice and has been sealed off from the outside world for up to 1 million years. Scientists with the survey have been engaged in a 16-year attempt to drill down and take water samples from the lake. They say that if microbes and other forms of life are living in the frigid water, away from sunlight, those life forms may help researchers better understand the origins of life on Earth and the possible forms life could take on other planets.
The scientists were trying to connect the boreholes via a cavity located 300 meters (984 feet) below the ice surface. The cavity recirculates water from the main borehole and would have equalized pressure had the drill penetrated Lake Ellsworth.
Running low on supplies
The camp has been on the ice since Nov. 22, and drilling started on Dec. 13, using a specially designed hot water drill. The effort to establish the connection took so much hot water and fuel that the scientists must now return to the United Kingdom and regroup for next year. [Extreme Living: Scientists at the End of the Earth]
"For reasons that are yet to be determined, the team could not establish a link between the two boreholes at 300 meters depth despite trying for over 20 hours," wrote Siegert, a glaciologist at the University of Bristol. "During this process, hot water seeped into the porous surface layers of ice and was lost. The team attempted to replenish this water loss by digging and melting more snow, but their efforts could not compensate. The additional time taken to attempt to establish the cavity link significantly depleted the fuel stocks to such a level as to render the remaining operation unviable. Reluctantly the team had no option but to discontinue the program for this season.
"This is, of course, hugely frustrating for us, but we have learned a lot this year," Siegert said. "By the end the equipment was working well, and much of it has now been fully field tested. A full report on the field season will be compiled when the engineers and program manager return to United Kingdom."
Drilling in extreme conditions
The harshness of the Antarctic environment and the complete darkness of winter there mean that the team can be at the site only during the comparatively mild months of austral spring and summer, from November through January.
This was not the first snag in the project. A circuit used in the main boiler that supplies hot water to the drill burned out twice earlier this month, forcing the team to await resupply.
At the time, Siegert noted that such difficulties are not unusual when working in Antarctica. "It's a very hostile environment; it's very difficult to do things smoothly," he said on the project's blog.
The drill would have crunched through the ice to the fresh lake water, then sent 24 titanium canisters through the borehole to take water samples. When the drill first started up, the team had to shovel snow in shifts for three days and three nights to melt enough for the needed 15,850 gallons (60,000 liters) of water, according to the project's blog.
Race to find life
The British group is one of several teams racing to recover water samples from lakes trapped beneath the Antarctic ice.
A group of Russian scientists is drilling down into the waters of Lake Vostok, the largest of Antarctica's buried lakes. The team reached the lake's waters during the last drilling season, on Feb. 5, but the few microbes it found in the retrieved samples were all contaminants from the drilling apparatus.
However, another group of scientists has found a thriving community of microbes in Lake Vida, another buried Antarctic lake that is thought to have been isolated from the rest of the world for about 2,800 years.

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YEARENDER-Rugby-Sting in the tail for All Blacks after stellar year

After ending their World Cup pain in 2011 New Zealand stamped their authority all over 2012, only for their triumphant run to be cut short spectacularly in the final game of the year.
When the All Blacks ran out at Twickenham on Dec. 1 within three games of matching their record 23-match unbeaten sequence and, with only an 18-18 draw with Australia blotting their copybook, they were being touted as the best team of all time.
But in an afternoon that encapsulated the tantalising unpredictability and eternal appeal of international sport, they fell to their second-worst defeat, 38-21, against England.
A sweep of the International Rugby Board's (IRB) awards - Steve Hansen was named best coach, Dan Carter best player and the All Blacks best team - will have been scant consolation for a team who bucked the trend of recent World Cup winners by kicking on and improving in the year after their success.
Hansen made sure his squad kept developing with the introduction of players who brought an extra dimension to an already superb side. He blooded nine new players as he started the reconstruction of a side that would otherwise be dominated by players in their mid-30s by the time they defended their title in England in 2015. Changes is the first-choice side saw Aaron Smith inject verve at scrumhalf while fearsome winger Julian Savea's tally of 12 tries in nine tests in his debut season tells its own story.
Their brand of rugby was a step up even from that which they displayed in last year's triumph on home soil, mixing all the physicality expected of the All Blacks with a ruthless exploitation of turnover ball and an explosiveness out wide that few teams were able to stop. "This year they have shown they are one of the great sides," said their former captain Sean Fitzpatrick. "They are trying to play the perfect game. They want to take it to a new level."
Hansen was not drawn into the debate about where his side might stand in the all-time rankings.
"It's for other people to judge whether we are the greatest team or not - or if we are a great team," Hansen said after his team's 25th successive win over Wales.
Australia were unable to match their neighbours on a regular basis but they bow to nobody when it comes to resilience.
Ravaged by injuries and humiliated 33-6 by France, the Wallabies climbed off the canvas to end their season with a hat-trick of wins over England, Italy and Wales.
Stopping the New Zealand juggernaut via their June draw was also an impressive display a month after they had been whacked 31-8 by South Africa.
CLEAN SWEEP
Heyneke Meyer's first year in charge of the Springboks produced a home series win over England and a November three-game European clean sweep in which they won every one of their lineout throws.
But they managed only two wins in the Championship and were held to a draw by Argentina amid criticism, hardly original, that their physical approach was one-dimensional.
After crying out for years for more meaningful competition, Argentina got their wish and performed creditably in their first year in the Championship, and they played twice as many matches in 2012 as they had in any previous non-World Cup year.
They grew into the competition, developing expansive rugby and losing only narrowly away to Australia.
Coach Santiago Phelan and his squad, always increasing in depth and quality, will have learned a lot to take into their second year, though they looked exhausted in their final November match in Dublin when they were thrashed 46-24.
New Zealand and Argentina's anti-climatic finales were as nothing, though, compared with Wales's precipitous fall.
Having followed up their run to the World Cup semi-finals with their third Six Nations grand slam in eight years, they lost their next seven games, including yet another to their Cardiff nemeses Samoa.
That defeat and the heartbreaking last-minute loss to Australia, their fourth of the year, had calamitous consequences because Wales dropped into the third tier of seeds for the 2015 World Cup in England, and subsequently into a group with Australia and the hosts.
Even getting out of the pool stage looks a big ask and should Wales get through in second place they would be likely to find South Africa and then potentially New Zealand in their way.
That seeding looked an unlikely scenario when the Welsh became top dogs in Europe in March. Opening the Six Nations with a narrow win in Ireland, they sandwiched home wins over Scotland and Italy around only their second Twickenham success in 22 years.
They finished off with a 16-9 Cardiff victory over France, gaining a modicum of revenge for their one-point World Cup semi-final loss.
England's solid Six Nations, in which they beat France and hammered Ireland to finish second, earned stand-in coach Stuart Lancaster the job on a permanent basis.
Assistant Graham Rowntree said Lancaster had "dragged English rugby out of the gutter" following the off-field antics and dull play that marked their 2011 World Cup campaign.
It was a strange year for Scotland, who finished bottom of the Six Nations after losing every game, beat Australia, Fiji and Samoa on their June tour then lost at home to the All Blacks, Springboks and Tonga.
That last defeat was the final straw for coach Andy Robinson, who resigned.
Coach Declan Kidney was predicted to be close to departing Ireland after five successive defeats, including a 60-0 June mauling by New Zealand. However, the demolition job on Argentina in their final November test secured their World Cup seeding and, in debutant winger Craig Gilroy, they may have uncovered a gem.
Next year's main attraction is the British and Irish Lions' tour of Australia where fans will hope for something similar to 2001 when the series was effectively decided in the Wallabies' favour by Justin Harrison's lineout steal in the last minute of the final test.

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OFFICIAL CORRECTION-Cricket-Australia beat S.Lanka by innings and 201 runs

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 201 runs in the second test on the third day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday to seal their three-match series 2-0.
Scores: Sri Lanka 103-9 & 156 (K. Sangakkara 58; M. Johnson 4-63) v Australia 460 (D. Warner 62, S. Watson 83, M. Clarke 106, M. Johnson 92 not out; D. Prasad 3-106, S. Eranga 3-109)

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Cricket-Australia v Sri Lanka - second test scoreboard

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Scoreboard on the third day of
the second test after Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings and
201 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Australia sealed the three-match series 2-0.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat
Sri Lanka first innings 156
Australia first innings (overnight 440-8)
D. Warner c Prasad b Mathews 62
E. Cowan c M. Jayawardene b Prasad 36
P. Hughes run out 10
S. Watson c Samaraweera b Prasad 83
M. Clarke c M. Jayawardene b Eranga 106
M. Hussey c Herath b Dilshan 34
M. Wade c Eranga b Prasad 1
M. Johnson not out 92
P. Siddle c M. Jayawardene b Eranga 13
N. Lyon c sub b Mathews 1
J. Bird b Eranga 0
Extras (b-9, lb-5 w-6 nb-2) 22
Total (all out, 134.4 overs) 460
Fall of wickets: 1-95 2-117 3-117 4-311 5-313 6-315 7-376
8-434 9-451 10-460
Bowling: C. Welegedara 14.4-6-38-0, S. Eranga 27-2-109-3
(nb-2, w-5), D. Prasad 26-2-106-3 (w-1), A. Mathews 16-3-60-2,
R. Herath 39-7-95-0, T. Dilshan 12-1-38-1
Sri Lanka second innings
T. Dilshan c Cowan b Johnson 0
D. Karunaratne run out 1
K. Sangakkara retired hurt 27
M. Jayawardene b Bird 0
T. Samaraweera lbw b Bird 1
A. Mathews b Johnson 35
D. Prasad c Hughes b Lyon 17
R. Herath not out 11
S. Eranga c Cowan b Siddle 0
P. Jayawardene absent hurt 0
C. Welegedara absent hurt 0
Extras (lb-10, nb-1) 11
Total (for nine wickets; 24.2 overs) 103
Fall of wickets 1-1 2-1 3-3 4-13 5-74 6-102 7-103
Bowling: M. Johnson 8-0-16-2, J. Bird 9-1-29-2 (nb-1),
P. Siddle 5.2-0-32-1, Lyon 2-0-16-1

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UPDATE 3-Cricket-Australia thrash Sri Lanka to seal series

(Updates with result)
* Australia seal series 2-0
* Sangakkara retires hurt
MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Australia humiliated Sri Lanka by an innings and 201 runs to win the second test before tea on day three at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, and seal their three-match series 2-0.
Needing 305 runs to make Australia bat again, Sri Lanka surrendered after adding only 103 in their second innings, with a top order collapse and a raft of injuries cutting the match short.
After bowling Australia out for 460 in the first hour, Sri Lanka staggered to lunch at 43-4 and lasted less than 12 overs after the interval.
Sri Lanka lost Kumar Sangakkara to injury after lunch when he retired hurt on 27 after being struck on the glove by a searing delivery from man-of-the-match Mitchell Johnson.
With seamer Chanaka Welegedara and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene absent injured, pacemen Johnson and Peter Siddle, and spinner Nathan Lyon shared the remaining three wickets to wrap up the match early and render next week's third and final test in Sydney a dead rubber.
Angelo Mathews held firm to top-score for Sri Lanka with 35, but lived dangerously and was out bowled by Johnson when attempting a hook that rebounded onto the stumps.
Dhammika Prasad struck two successive sixes off Lyon but was caught at cover by Phillip Hughes for 17 on the next ball.
Siddle clinched the winning wicket by having Shaminda Eranga caught by Ed Cowan for a duck.
After dismissing Australia before lunch, Sri Lanka lost three wickets in the first 12 balls of their innings, and a fourth less than four overs later to leave Sangakkara and all-rounder Mathews fighting a virtually hopeless cause.
Australia lost their last two wickets for the addition of 20 runs in the first hour, leaving Mitchell Johnson stranded on 92, but the mercurial paceman was consoled with a direct hand in the first two Sri Lanka wickets.
A horrible misunderstanding between openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Tillakaratne Dilshan led to the former run out for one on the third ball of the innings.
Karunaratne pushed the ball to the off side for a single but the pair changed their minds about a second run, allowing David Warner to flick the ball to Johnson who dived to throw the stumps down from point-blank range.
Dilshan was gone for a first-ball duck with the next delivery off Johnson when he tried to fend off a short delivery, only to flick an edge onto his thigh pad that rebounded for a simple catch to Cowan at short leg.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was heading back to the dressing room for a duck in the next over, shaping to leave the ball but playing onto his stumps to give debutant Jackson Bird his first wicket of the morning.
The 26-year-old seamer struck again in the sixth over of the day, trapping Thilan Samaraweera lbw.
The batsmen called for a review of the decision but the video system showed the ball clattering into leg stump.
Mathews earlier removed Nathan Lyon for one, while Shaminda Eranga wound up the Australian innings by bowling Bird for a duck, frustrating Johnson's bid for a second test century.

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