Sri Lanka registered their biggest-ever win over Australia, securing a dominant 174-run victory in the second and final ODI to clinch the series 2-0 today (February 14), at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
Kusal Mendis’ well-crafted century and Charith Asalanka’s late onslaught powered Sri Lanka to a competitive 281/4 after opting to bat first.
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Australia suffered early setbacks in the chase as Asitha Fernando ripped through their top order, reducing them to 33/3 inside seven overs. Steve Smith and Josh Inglis built the highest partnership of the innings, adding 46 runs, before Inglis was clean bowled by Dunith Wellalage.
From there onwards, wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals against the Sri Lankan spinners, as the visitors were eventually bundled out for just 107. Skipper Smith top-scored with 29, while seven Australian batters failed to reach double figures.
Wellalage produced a brilliant bowling display, claiming 4 wickets, while Wanindu Hasaranga was equally impressive, finishing with figures of 7-2-23-3. Fernando, who set the tone early, also ended with 3 for 23.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings got off to a shaky start after Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka opened the batting. Their partnership lasted only 5.3 overs, as Nissanka continued his struggles in the series. He was eventually bowled by Aaron Hardie, who jagged one back onto his stumps, leaving Sri Lanka at 15/1.
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Madushka then led the rebuilding process alongside Kusal Mendis. The duo kept the scoreboard ticking, gradually increasing the run rate past four an over after a cautious start. They shared a crucial 98-run stand, stabilizing the innings as both batters reached their fifties. However, Ben Dwarshuis broke the partnership when Madushka fell, with Adam Zampa taking a well-judged catch near the fine-leg boundary.
Kamindu Mendis had a brief stay at the crease before departing, leaving Sri Lanka at 121/3. Kusal Mendis was then joined by Captain Charith Asalanka, who was coming off a fine century in the first ODI. Mendis continued accumulating runs, while Asalanka looked fluent from the outset.
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Mendis went on to register his 5th ODI hundred off 113 balls and, in the process, reached 11,000 runs in international cricket, becoming the 10th Sri Lankan to achieve the milestone. However, he was dismissed in the very next over after bringing up his century and also crossing 1,000 ODI runs at this venue.
After reaching his fifty, Asalanka accelerated the scoring, well supported by Janith Liyanage, who provided the finishing touches. The duo added an unbeaten 66-run stand off just 35 balls, helping Sri Lanka amass 97 runs in the final 10 overs.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Captain Charith Asalanka won the toss once again and opted to bat first. They made one change, bringing in Nishan Madushka in place of Avishka Fernando, who had averaged 28.52 since 2024.
Australia, on the other hand, made five changes and strengthened the batting order with the inclusion of Travis Head, Josh Inglis, and Glenn Maxwell, replacing Cooper Connolly, Marnus Labuschagne, and Alex Carey. Additionally, Ben Dwarshuis and Tanveer Sangha were brought in for Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson.
Playing XI:
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando
Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steven Smith (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | b Aaron Hardie | 6 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 30.00 |
| Nishan Madushka | c Adam Zampa b Ben Dwarshuis | 51 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 72.86 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Matthew Short b Adam Zampa | 101 | 115 | 11 | 0 | 87.83 |
| Kamindu Mendis | b Sean Abbott | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Charith Asalanka | not out | 78 | 66 | 6 | 3 | 118.18 |
| Janith Liyanage | not out | 32 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 152.38 |
| Extras | 9 (b 0 , lb 4 , nb 0, w 5, pen 0) |
| Total | 281/4 (50 Overs, RR: 5.62) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Dwarshuis | 10 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 4.70 | |
| Aaron Hardie | 9 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 6.67 | |
| Sean Abbott | 10 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 4.10 | |
| Matthew Short | 4 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 6.25 | |
| Tanveer Sangha | 5 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 6.80 | |
| Adam Zampa | 8 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 5.88 | |
| Glenn Maxwell | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 5.75 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Short | lbw b Asitha Fernando | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Travis Head | c Vishwa Fernando b Asitha Fernando | 18 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Jake Fraser McGurk | c Charith Asalanka b Asitha Fernando | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Steve Smith | lbw b Wanindu Hasaranga | 29 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 85.29 |
| Josh Inglis | b Dunith Wellalage | 22 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 81.48 |
| Aaron Hardie | c Kamindu Mendis b Wanindu Hasaranga | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Glenn Maxwell | b Dunith Wellalage | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Sean Abbott | lbw b Wanindu Hasaranga | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Ben Dwarshuis | c Eshan Malinga b Dunith Wellalage | 9 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 81.82 |
| Adam Zampa | b Dunith Wellalage | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 88.89 |
| Tanveer Sangha | not out | 5 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 31.25 |
| Extras | 2 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 1, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 107/10 (24.2 Overs, RR: 4.4) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 4 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 5.75 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3.67 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 7.2 | 0 | 35 | 4 | 4.86 | |
| Eshan Malinga | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 5.00 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 7 | 2 | 23 | 3 | 3.29 | |
, at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. ){kind=link}