Sri Lanka comprehensively defeated the Australian Prime Minister’s XI by 5 wickets in their tour T20 match played under lights at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday.
The visitors produced a clinical performance with both bat and ball to warm-up ahead of the three-match T20I series against Australia which starts on Friday.
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After electing to bowl first, seamer Vikum Sanjaya who is yet to make his international debut excelled with the ball for the visitors taking 3 wickets for 26 but all eyes were on Lasith Malinga who successfully returned to competitive cricket delivering four excellent overs including the wicket of D’Arcy Short with a stunning Yorker with the fourth ball of the match.
Sam Heazlett, who made his international debut for Australia in New Zealand last month made a cracking half-ton for the home team, scoring 58 off 37 deliveries with 4 fours and 3 sixes. Left-handed Heazlett shared 49 runs for the 3rd wicket with Alex Carey but skipper Adam Voges, who retired from International Cricket yesterday made a final statement scoring 54 off 31 balls to take the score to a reasonable 169.
Chasing a daunting 170 runs to win, Niroshan Dickwella and Captain Upul Tharanga toyed with the home team’s lackluster bowling attack smashing 69 off the first six overs. Dickwella used the ‘Dickscoop’ shot and upper cut effectively to race to 47 off 26 balls with 8 glorious boundaries to his name.
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He was caught by wicket-keeper Carey while attempting a silly paddle sweep. Dilshan Munaweera who returned to the national setup after a long hiatus kept the scoreboard ticking smashing 19-ball 32 with 2 sixes and 2 fours but was clean bowled by Daniel Worrall.
Tharanga anchored the chase and saw his team to victory making an unbeaten 47 from 33 deliveries with one boundary and two sixes. Milinda Siriwardena made a vital 25 but became one of the two wickets picked up by chinaman D’Arcy Short at the latter part of the chase.
Prime Minister’s XI – 169/6 (20 overs): Sean Heazlett 58, Alex Carey 21, Adam Voges 54*, Vikum Sanjaya 3/26.
Sri Lanka – 170/5 (17.1 overs): Niroshan Dickwella 47, Upul Tharanga 47*, Dilshan Munaweera 32, Milinda Siriwardana 25, D’Arcy Short 2/19.
