Sri Lanka Celebrate Twenty20 Win On Australia Day
Sri Lanka Celebrate Twenty20 Win On Australia Day
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews scored an unbeaten 35 to guide them to victory in Sydney
Sri Lanka 139-5 (Mathews 35no) beat
Australia 137-3 (Warner 90no) by 5 wickets
Australia 137-3 (Warner 90no) by 5 wickets
Sri Lanka put a dampener on Australia Day celebrations in Sydney with
a five-wicket win over Australia in the first Twenty20 International at
the ANZ Stadiu.
They completed a fourth straight win over Australia when Thisara
Perera smashed Ben Laughlin for two sixes in the penultimate over.
David Warner had earlier made 90 not out in 62 balls as Australia
posted 137 for three after they were pegged back by Lasith Malinga and
Nuwan Kulasekara at the death.
By contrast, Sri Lanka were able to accelerate at the end of their
innings thanks to Perera (19) and Mathews (35) putting on an unbroken
stand for the sixth wicket worth 35 in 21 balls.
Laughlin missed a tricky caught and bowled chance off Mathews in the
17th over which might have taken the game down to the wire and he had
already taken a brilliant catch to have Tillakaratne Dilshan (16) caught
off Xavier Doherty, running from point and taking the ball as it fell
over his shoulder.
Dilshan had pulled out the 'Dilscoop' to hit an early six but was
otherwise becalmed and it was left to Kushal Perera, who made 33 in 22
balls with two fours and a six, to lead Sri Lanka's charge.
He fell with the score on 53 and then Australia worked their way back
into the contest with Dinesh Chandimal caught at long-off and Mahela
Jayawardene bowled by Doherty.
However, Lahiru Thirimanne came in and helped Mathews get things back
on track with a neat 20 in 15 balls as Australia struggled to make up
for the lack of a specialist fifth bowler - Glenn Maxwell (2-15 in three
overs) did a superb job but Aaron Finch's sole over went for nine,
including a couple of boundaries.
The return of Mitchell Starc immediately saw off Thirimanne, caught
at point by Adam Voges, but the dangerous Perera joined forces with
Mathews to show just why Sri Lanka are the top ranked side in Twenty20
International cricket.
Regardless of rankings, Warner remains one of the most dangerous
cricketers in this format. Prior to the match, Cricket Australia had
jokily advised people to turn up with helmets in case Warner got going,
and it proved to be sound advice, his three sixes and five fours almost
single-handedly giving Australia something to defend.
He muscled sixes over fine leg, long on and cover but this was no
pure power display. He had to work for his runs, moving about in his
crease and placing his shots - eventually scoring 65.6% of his team's
runs.
Finch (1), Shaun Marsh (6) and George Bailey (11) fell cheaply and
although Warner hitting the ball to all parts at the top had given
Australia flyer, they were unable to hit Lasith Malinga (0-19) and Nuwan
Kulasekara (1-21) in the final overs, with the result that the last
oevers yielded just 35 runs. It would later prove to be vital.
Malinga bowled the 19th over and it went for six. Perera was able to
hit Laughlin for 12 in two balls at the same stage and with Adam Voges
unbeaten on 25 in 29 balls, Australia couldn't even get their hitters
Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade and Ben Cutting to the crease.
Australia's chance to hit back is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on
Monday (28th January) where they will hope for a more lively pitch as
they bid to level the series.
Wade Accepts 'Constructive' Criticism, Aims Higher
Australia wicket-keeper Matthew Wade has responded positively to
criticism of him by Ian Healy, which was widely published in media
channels.
Ahead of the third One-Day International against Sri Lanka in
Brisbane on Friday (18th January), Wade says he has spoken with Healy
and spent time working on his game with the former Queensland player,
who represented Australia in 119 Tests and 168 ODIs.
Ben Cutting Added To Australia Squad As Cover
Fast bowler Ben Cutting has been added to Australia's One-Day
International squad as cover ahead of the third and fourth matches
against Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Sydney.
Cutting made his debut in the second match in Adelaide following injuries to Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson but he is on hand to step in again should either fail to prove their fitness for Friday's match
Cutting made his debut in the second match in Adelaide following injuries to Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson but he is on hand to step in again should either fail to prove their fitness for Friday's match
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Super Thirimanne Century Levels Series For Sri Lanka
13 January 2013
Super Thirimanne Century Levels Series For Sri Lanka
Lahiru Thrimanne hits out during his maiden ODI century, against Australia in Adelaide
Sri Lanka172-2 (Thirimanne 102no) beat
Australia 170 (Haddin 50) by eight wickets
Lahiru Thirimanne stroked a superb maiden One-Day International
century to guide Sri Lanka to a convincing eight-wicket win over
Australia in the second One-Day International in Adelaide.
After rain delayed the start of the match, Sri Lanka won the toss,
elected to bowl and dismissed Australia for just 170. Thirimanne was
then unbeaten on 102 as they chased down the target with exactly 10
overs to spare to level the five-match series at 1-1.
With wicket-keeper Dinesh Chandimal absent through injury and Kumar
Sangakkara also unavailable, Sri Lanka handed a debut to Kushal Perera
behind the stumps and he was there at the end, unbeaten on 14 as he
allowed Thirimanne to reach his landmark and hit the winning runs.
Meanwhile, Australia handed debuts to fast bowlers Ben Cutting and Kane Richardson due to Mitchell Starc's injury problems
and were also forced into a change behind the stumps during the game.
Brad Haddin was forced to exit and Phillip Hughes, who followed up his brilliant century in game one with just three, donned the gloves.
Hughes opened alongside Aaron Finch (4) but both were quickly
despatched by Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara as Sri Lanka wasted no
time in taking a firm grip on proceedings.
George Bailey made 26 and David Hussey 29 to revive Australia's
chances but wickets continued to tumble in bowler-friendly conditions
and the hosts found themselves reeling at 83 for six when Steve Smith
and Glenn Maxwell both fell for eight.
No bowler was particularly dominant for Sri Lanka as all six of them
troubled Australia and the wickets were shared around - three for Lasith
Malinga, two apiece for Mathews and Thisara Perera and one each for
Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis.
Australia only managed to post some sort of total thanks to Haddin
hitting 50 in 67 balls and Cutting making a handy 27in a partnership of
57 for the seventh wicket.
Cutting then bowled a miserly opening spell as he and Clint McKay put
Sri Lanka under pressure, Upul Tharanga falling to the latter before
scoring a run.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thirimanne then joined forces and proceeded
to put Sri Lanka on course for victory. Dilshan made 51 in 88 balls with
four fours - playing the conditions and the match situation, rather
than his natural, more aggressive game.
He and Thirimanne put on 137 for the second wicket, which came when
Cutting earned a deserved breakthrough to have Dilshan caught by
Maxwell.
There was to be no stopping Thirimanne, however, who cruised past his
previous best of 77 but with Perera coming and quickly blasting a four
and a six, he was in danger of missing out on his maiden century.
Unlike when Chandimal registered a century in similar circumstances
at Lord's, almost jeopardising a run chase in the process, this time
Sri Lanka had time on their side and Perera was able to give Thirimanne
the strike. He obliged by hitting Maxwell for four to hand Sri Lanka a
long awaited first win since arriving in Australia in December.
In all, Thirimanne faced 134 balls and hit 12 fours. The third game in the series is in Brisbane on Friday (18th January).
Comprehensive Win For India Levels ODI Series
By scoring 108 runs in the final 10 overs of their innings,
India followed England's blueprint of how to set up a One-Day
International total but then performed just as well with the ball to
take a 127-run win in the second game in Kochi.
Half-centuries from Mahendra Singh Dhoni (72), Ravindra Jadeja (61
not out) and Suresh Raina (55) took India to 285 for five and England
were subsequently bowled out for 158 in 36 overs.