Blue is the colour but not the mood

For the first time in Australia this summer, two international teams played and understood each other. Sri Lanka started the Test duties here in November when the tiring complaints over Muttiah Muralitharan were re-aired before the Australia-India controversies erupted at - and after - the SCG.

In the lingering fallout, both outfits and many supporters struggled to comprehend the views of the other side, something that will take a desire to change and many more series to achieve. There was no chance of mixed messages at the Gabba when Sri Lanka and India met for only the second time in Australia. Close neighbours and friends, they are regular competitors who share many more similarities than they do with the men in green and gold.

Over the past month the India-Australia contests have carried an undercurrent of edginess even though the relationship improved after Sydney. Every exchange was watched closely, most ending in smiles, but there was always a concern something would burst despite calm public announcements. The only problem today occurred when Rohit Sharma could not believe Rudi Koertzen had ruled an edge behind and the batsman's feet turned to cement. His problem was with the umpire, not the opposition.

In the stands the supporters co-existed in a way that, if replicated throughout the rest of the CB Series, would present few problems. The crowd of 6481 was barely a sixth the size of the heaving stadium for the tournament opener on Sunday but it cheered above its soggy weight.

As Gautam Gambhir charged towards his century, the seats in the top tier of the southern stand wobbled from the moves of only a handful of Indian fans. Cardboard signs were scribbled in smelly marker pens and banter was yelled to the Sri Lankans below, but a call to look at the scoreboard was the most vitriolic cry. "Cricket's right, no more fight," read one hastily-written banner. Flags were brushed across faces without the raising of fists and singles were celebrated like boundaries.

A lack of local interest in games not involving Australia is one of the reasons why the tri-series is ending after 29 years, but these are the most fun matches - even when abbreviated by the weather. The people who turned up desperately wanted to watch cricket, not whack beachballs or build beer-cup snakes or bump into as many people as possible on the way to toilet. Parents could bring their children without worrying about them being drenched in dregs or bombarded with bad language.

Each bunch of supporters knew they were roaring for their team and not to cause insults over issues of national pride. An elderly Indian woman in a pink salwar kameez danced whenever Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni found the boundary and her son had to be reminded there was a 30-metre drop if he lost his footing on the concrete railing. Underneath them, teenaged Sri Lankans huddled together to increase the volume of their collective voice.

Muttiah Muralitharan came on and the crowd cheered instead of jeered. After taking two wickets in his first over he waved to the stands and the supporters responded with love instead of out-stretched arms. There were no eggs or insults and he must have wondered whether he really was in Australia.

The rain fell and the supporters moved into the lower-reaches of the stadium to continue their decibel duels. Unfortunately the plea from another sign - "God, we need rain but please don't wash out the match" - was rejected and two Brisbane fixtures suffered no results in three days.

India and Sri Lanka's previous match in Australia, which was held in Mackay during the 1992 World Cup, was abandoned after two balls. This one finished in the same way following 50 overs, but there were plenty of acts to prevent it from ending up in the gutter.