A power-packed batting performance and a disciplined bowling enactment by Sri Lanka guided them to a comfortable 82-run win over Australia in the second ODI at R. Premadasa International Stadium on Wednesday.
Three half-centuries by Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera and Angelo Mathews lifted the home team to 288 despite James Faulkner’s hat-trick in the death and Adam Zampa’s three-wickets in the middle overs.
Matthew Wade kept Australia on course with a fine 76 but Thisara Perera and Amila Aponso starred with the ball for the hosts’ as they bowled out the world no.1 ranked team for 206 and leveled the five-match series, 1-1.
Earlier, after opting to bat first on a sporty surface, opening batsman Danushka Gunathilake, playing in place of Milinda Siriwardana was castled by Mitch Starc when the final ball of the 3rd over went through the gate. Nathan Lyon struck in the very next ball when TM Dilshan was bowled around his legs as the ball deviated off the thigh pad to dislodge the bails.
After being 12 for 2, in-form batting duo, Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal rescued the Sri Lankan innings with a fine counter-attacking 3rd wicket stand worth 125 off 126 balls. The momentum shifted towards Sri Lanka when Mendis pummeled part-time spinner, Travis Head for 20 runs in the final over of the first Powerplay.
Photo Album – Sri Lanka vs Australia – 2nd ODI
Chandimal showed positive intent throughout his 67-ball 48 before he fell short of becoming the first Sri Lankan to score 6 consecutive half-centuries. He tried to flick Zampa but missed it completely as the ball hit the pads and the Australians opted for a review which overturned the on-field decision and ruled him out.
Mendis reached his 5th ODI half-century with a nudge to the leg-side off Head and continued to take the aerial route and sweep the spinners at will. Zampa struck once again in his 5th over when Mendis was caught plumb in front to end his stylish run-a-ball 69. Dhananjaya de Silva became Zampa’s 3rd victim when he holed out to short extra-cover as Sri Lanka lost 3 key wickets for just 21 runs.
Kusal Perera, playing his first ODI as a no.7 batsman clobbered 5 fours and a massive six off Starc during his excellent innings of 54 from 53 deliveries to give real impetus to the Sri Lankan innings as he combined with Mathews in constructing a valuable 94-ball stand of 103 runs for the 6th wicket. Mathews started off slowly but shifted gears when he smashed two sixes off the 40th over, bowled by Lyon and went onto score 57 off 60 balls.
Kusal Janith (LBW trying to reverse-sweep – 45.6 overs), Mathews (caught at deep long-off – 47.1 overs) and Thisara Perera (clean bowled – 47.2 overs) fell in three successive deliveries off James Faulkner as he became the 6th Australian bowler to take a hat-trick in ODI cricket.
Starc clean bowled Dilruwan Perera and Aponso with two fuller length balls in the penultimate over as Sri Lanka lost their last 5 wickets for 27 runs.
In pursuit of the highest successful run-chase at R. Premadasa, Australia lost both their openers for just 16 runs as David Warner and Aaron Finch fell in successive overs off Thisara Perera. Warner was the first to go when he nicked behind while Finch inside-edged one onto the stumps.
Steve Smith made five expansive boundaries during his 33-ball 30 before he danced down the track and handed a catch to mid-on off his nemesis, the left-arm spin in the form of Aponso.
Wade and George Bailey built a subdue stand 61 off 81 deliveries for the 4th wicket before Aponso came on for his second spell and sneaked one through the defenses of Bailey to get his second scalps.
Moises Henriques survived a close LBW call but was stumped by Chandimal off Seekkuge Prasanna to further derail the Australians.
Wade and Head gave some hope for the visitors with a fine 64-run for the 6th wicket but the former was caught at deep mid-wicket off T.Perera after registering his career-best score of 76 off 88 balls as Australia needed over 10 runs per over in the final 10 overs.
Sri Lanka started the final Powerplay fabulously when Mathews dismissed Head and Starc in the 41st over. Aponso returned to get the final two wickets, Zampa caught at deep mid-wicket and Faulkner LBW to end with 4 for 18 from 9.2 overs in only his 2nd ODI.
Both teams will now travel to Dambulla for the 3rd and 4th matches on Sunday and Wednesday.
