Captain Michael Clarke put his Australia's 78-run defeat in the third ODI against Sri Lanka down to a failure of the top order.
Sri Lanka were put in to bat in Hambantota after Clarke had won the toss, and the hosts racked up 287 for nine in their 50 overs - Tillakaratne Dilshan sharing a 137-run opening stand with centurion Upul Tharanga.
The tourists were then bowled out for 208, but still lead the series 2-1 with two one-dayers left to play.
"We didn't perform well enough at the top of the order," admitted Clarke.
"We have no excuses. We didn't perform as well as we would like and we know that.
"We have some work to do over the next few days because, as I said from the start, playing Sri Lanka, especially in their home conditions, you have to be at your best to beat them."
While the Aussie skipper hit 46, Michael Hussey top-scored for the visitors with 63 but there was little else in the way of resistance from Australia as Lasith Malinga tore his way to a five wicket haul. Debutant Shaminda Eranda also made a telling impact as he removed both Brad Haddin and Ricky Ponting early on.
Dilshan paid tribute to Malinga and Eranga, and also emphasised how important it was for himself and Tharanga to survive a tricky opening period in the Sri Lankan innings.
"The first 10 overs were crucial, and we did well to see them off," said the Sri Lankan captain.
"All the batsmen that followed did well. We believed 260 was good to defend, and we proved it.
"Eranga bowled really well, and Malinga was good as usual."
The series now shifts to Colombo for the final two games, with the fourth ODI taking place on Saturday.
Sri Lanka were put in to bat in Hambantota after Clarke had won the toss, and the hosts racked up 287 for nine in their 50 overs - Tillakaratne Dilshan sharing a 137-run opening stand with centurion Upul Tharanga.
The tourists were then bowled out for 208, but still lead the series 2-1 with two one-dayers left to play.
"We didn't perform well enough at the top of the order," admitted Clarke.
"We have no excuses. We didn't perform as well as we would like and we know that."We have some work to do over the next few days because, as I said from the start, playing Sri Lanka, especially in their home conditions, you have to be at your best to beat them."
While the Aussie skipper hit 46, Michael Hussey top-scored for the visitors with 63 but there was little else in the way of resistance from Australia as Lasith Malinga tore his way to a five wicket haul. Debutant Shaminda Eranda also made a telling impact as he removed both Brad Haddin and Ricky Ponting early on.
Dilshan paid tribute to Malinga and Eranga, and also emphasised how important it was for himself and Tharanga to survive a tricky opening period in the Sri Lankan innings.
"The first 10 overs were crucial, and we did well to see them off," said the Sri Lankan captain.
"All the batsmen that followed did well. We believed 260 was good to defend, and we proved it.
"Eranga bowled really well, and Malinga was good as usual."
The series now shifts to Colombo for the final two games, with the fourth ODI taking place on Saturday.
England celebrated reaching No. 1 in the world with a good night in Birmingham on Sunday but it was soon back to the day job and, four days later, they already face the first test of their new status. The 'dead rubber syndrome' is always a risk when a team has scaled such heights to secure a major goal and Andrew Strauss will be desperate that nothing takes the gloss off the achievements of the last month. In truth it will take a lot to remove the after-glow of three commanding performances, but this England team are never satisfied. They'll see this final Test at The Oval as a chance to lay down another marker with a show of hunger and desire. Even the great Australian sides under Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh had issues with keeping intensity high when a series was decided. England benefited with a number of one-off Test victories and won't want to offer India a similar opportunity.
It's difficult to see India bouncing back to save face over the next five days. They have been so far off the pace that this is a series they'll want to consign to history as quickly as possible. That, though, will be easier said than done with the fall-out well under way back at home and serious questions being asked of the team. Some of those questions are more sensible than others, but a number of players will be heading back with damaged reputations.
The much-vaunted batting line-up have one more chance to live up to their billing having not reached 300 in the series. The wait goes on for Sachin Tendulkar's 100th hundred, while Gautam Gambhir has disappointed and VVS Laxman hasn't made the most of some decent form. Then there's the challenge of taking 20 wickets. The pace bowlers have all had their moments but, collectively, have not been able to sustain pressure on England.
Praveen Kumar has been a tireless workhorse and Ishant Sharma has kept running in, but they have suffered from not having an economical spinner to tie up an end. If Oval history is anything to go by they could be in for more hard toil.
Sri Lanka have dropped promising batsman Dinesh Chandimal, allrounder Thisara Perera and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath from the squad for the final two one-dayers against Australia, who lead the series 2-1. Seekkuge Prasanna, the 26-year-old legspinner, has been called up and has to fly back from England, where he was representing Sri Lanka A.
The other major news was that vice-captain Angelo Mathews, who missed the third ODI due to an injury is fit for the remaining matches. "He should be alright for the rest of the series," Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said. "He could have even played on Tuesday, but we didn't want to take a risk. If something had happened he would have been ruled out for two months. He has got three more days to recover from the injury. Angelo is a key member of our side and when he goes out it's a big loss."
Chandimal, 21, had made an unbeaten century at Lord's and 54 in the deciding game of the ODI series against England last month, but suffered a string of failures since, managing only 41 in four innings.
Perera played only one ODI since his hard-hitting cameo in the World Cup final, with the role of the third fast bowler to be filled by either Mathews, Suranga Lakmal or Shaminda Eranga, who made an impact on debut in the third ODI on Tuesday. Herath has also had only one ODI since the World Cup, with the emergence of legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis and the spin pair of Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv limiting his opportunities.
Herath's place in the squad was taken by Prasanna, who hit the headlines on Sunday with a six-wicket haul against England A. Prasanna plays for the Sri Lanka Army, impressing in their youth ranks before making his domestic one-day debut in 2006. He built up an outstanding List A record over the past five years, taking 73 wickets at 18.38 in 45 matches.
Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Chamara Silva, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Suraj Randiv
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