Australia posted the highest-ever T20I team score as blitzkrieg Glenn Maxwell smashed his second international ton to beat Sri Lanka by 85 runs in the first T20I played on Tuesday night in Pallekelle.
Maxwell pummeled the second highest T2OI score, an unbeaten 145 off 65 deliveries with 14 fours and 9 sixes as Australia clobbered 263/3 from their 20 overs, breaking the previous record of 260/6 by Sri Lanka against Kenya.
Sri Lanka suffered their biggest defeat in T20Is in terms of runs as they were restricted to 178 for 9 despite Dinesh Chandimal and Chamara Kapugedara making 58 and 43 respectively.
After being sent into bat for the very first time in the tour, Australia started the carnage in the 3rd over when skipper David Warner smashed 19 runs with 4 fours off Kasun Rajitha.
Photo Album – Sri Lanka vs Australia – 1st T20I
Maxwell, opening the batting for the first time brought up Australia’s 50 with a reverse-sweep six over the fence but a few balls later, Sachithra Senanayake clean bowled Warner for 28.
Maxwell punished Thisara Perera’s mediocre bowling when he collected 15 off the last over of the Powerplay as the visitors reached 73 for 1 in 6 overs. Rajitha continued to leak runs when he was whipped away for two sixes by Maxwell in the 9th over as Australia pressed the fourth gear.
Usman Khawaja who had a forgettable Test series found some form when he smashed 2 fours and 2 sixes in a useful cameo of 36. He was involved in a 51-ball stand worth 97 with Maxwell.
Travis Head and Maxwell completely demolished Sri Lanka as they plundered 109 runs in the last 40 balls. Maxwell used the reverse-sweep, slog sweep and leg-side heave quite magnificently in one of the most significant knocks ever by an Australian.
Sri Lanka’s five main bowlers conceded more than 12 runs per over as they bowled too many full tosses, length deliveries which the visitors pounced on rather thankfully.
Chasing an improbable 264 runs to win, TM Dilshan playing his penultimate match was castled by Mitchell Starc in the first over and Kusal Janith was caught at third-man off Scott Boland in the very next over to deny any hopes for a Sri Lankan comeback.
Birthday boy, Dhananjaya De Silva fell cheaply while Kusal Mendis played a few gleeful strokes, 2 sixes and 2 fours but was succumbed by the scoreboard pressure.
Chandimal collected 6 fours and a six during his 43-ball 58 while Kapugedara made 3 gigantic sixes to justify his selection scoring 43 off 25 deliveries. Boland and Starc captured 3 wickets apiece as Australia won their first T20 victory against Sri Lanka after 5 consecutive losses in the shortest format of the game.
The second and final match will be played on Friday at R. Premadasa International Stadium.
