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Sri Lanka beats Australia
Pursuing a demanding 281 – no visiting side has scored more on the chase at the Bellerive Oval – Mahela Jayawardene's men achieved a thrilling three-wicket win over Australia in the Commonwealth Bank ODI triangular series here on Friday.
Captain Jayawardene innovated and created during his influential innings of 85, the young Dinesh Chandimal (80) showed the heart and the skills in a stressful situation and Thisara Perera delivered the big blows towards the end with a 11-ball unbeaten 21.
For the host, the talented Peter Forrest made an impression with a pleasing 104. But then, the Aussie bowlers were unable to maintain sustained pressure on Sri Lanka. The bowling lacked intensity and precision and runs leaked.
Sri Lanka has now moved to the top of the league table with 15 points from six matches. Australia and India, who has also figured in six games, have 14 and 10 respectively.
The game's end was gripping. Sri Lanka required 17 off the last two overs with four wickets in hand. The visitor collected three runs off the first two deliveries before the big-hitting Angelo Mathews was held at long-off off Christian.
Even as the tension mounted, Thisara Perera swung the next delivery past the ropes, clobbered the fifth ball over mid-wicket for a six and took a single off the final delivery.
Then, after the batsmen crossed over off the final over's first delivery from Brett Lee, Nuwan Kulasekara smashed the paceman to the cover fence to seal a stirring victory.
Sri Lanka was rocked at the start though. Tillakaratne Dilshan was prised out early by a short-pitched delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus and Kumar Sangakkara, after promising much, was picked off the leading edge as he attempted an on-side stroke off Christian.
But then, the gifted Jayawardene succeding in disrupting the length of the bowlers. He lived dangerously at the start but settled down to play some exquisite strokes that split the field.
Jayawardene, his feet in position, flashed Ryan Harris to the cover fence. And his off-drive off Lee had all the attributes – timing, balance and placement. An audacious whip off Lee soared over the mid-wicket fence.
Jayawardene found a determined partner in Chandimal. The right-handed Chandimal batted with maturity and flair.
The youngster used his dexterous wrists to flick and steer for boundaries or work the ball into the open spaces. He delicately cut left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty and lofted and pulled Christian.
Doherty, holding his length back a tad and achieving turn, had Jayawardene stumped to give the Aussies some hope. And then, Chandimal, playing across to seamer Ryan Harris, was trapped leg-before.
Sri Lanka lost wickets as Australia came back in the final stages but the strongly built Perera had other ideas.
In the afternoon, Sri Lanka struck two early blows after Michael Clarke elected to bat. Unable to pick a slower delivery from paceman Kulasekara, Matthew Wade departed.
David Warner could never quite find his timing and range. The left-hander's struggle ended when he nicked a back-of-a-length that seamed away from Farveez Maharoof; the pacemen sent down a probing first spell.
Forrest and Clarke orchestrated a recovery with a stroke-filled 154-run association for the third wicket. The two do present a wonderful sight together - both use their feet so well.
Forest walzted down the track and drove with poise and placement.
Kulasekara was creamed through covers. Light on his feet, Forrest skipped down for a rousing straight six off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. He also has the ability to put away the good deliveries and a threatning Lasith Malinga yorker was disdainfully whipped to the fence.
When he was finally dismissed – held at deep cover off Mathews – Forrest walked back to a standing ovation.
Skipper Clarke essayed some weighty shots. This was an afternoon when he was ferocious with his pulls – Maharoof and Perera were dismissed ruthlessly – apart from essaying some typically fluent drives in front of the wicket.
In a productive batting Power Play – taken in the 32nd over – Clarke and Forrest hammered 43 runs. The goodly crowd had its fill.
The Aussie captain was, eventually, brilliantly held by Perera at the mid-wicket fence off Mathews.
The left-handed Michael Hussey pulled Perera for a six but succumbed to a swinging yorker from Malinga. And Daniel Christian was sold the dummy by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
The in-form David Hussey's (40 not out) inside-out strokes over covers once again caught the eye. And Lee (20 not out) delivered some handy blows towards the end but Australia – it was posed to cross 300 - would have expected more than the 38 runs it managed in its last six overs.
This hurt Australia right at the end of the match. The Sri Lankan bowlers came back well in the last stretch.
The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Spirited Sri Lanka downs Australia
Pursuing a demanding 281 – no visiting side has scored more on the chase at the Bellerive Oval – Mahela Jayawardene's men achieved a thrilling three-wicket win over Australia in the Commonwealth Bank ODI triangular series here on Friday.
Captain Jayawardene innovated and created during his influential innings of 85, the young Dinesh Chandimal (80) showed the heart and the skills in a stressful situation and Thisara Perera delivered the big blows towards the end with a 11-ball unbeaten 21.
For the host, the talented Peter Forrest made an impression with a pleasing 104. But then, the Aussie bowlers were unable to maintain sustained pressure on Sri Lanka. The bowling lacked intensity and precision and runs leaked.
Sri Lanka has now moved to the top of the league table with 15 points from six matches. Australia and India, who has also figured in six games, have 14 and 10 respectively.
The game's end was gripping. Sri Lanka required 17 off the last two overs with four wickets in hand. The visitor collected three runs off the first two deliveries before the big-hitting Angelo Mathews was held at long-off off Christian.
Even as the tension mounted, Thisara Perera swung the next delivery past the ropes, clobbered the fifth ball over mid-wicket for a six and took a single off the final delivery.
Then, after the batsmen crossed over off the final over's first delivery from Brett Lee, Nuwan Kulasekara smashed the paceman to the cover fence to seal a stirring victory.
Sri Lanka was rocked at the start though. Tillakaratne Dilshan was prised out early by a short-pitched delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus and Kumar Sangakkara, after promising much, was picked off the leading edge as he attempted an on-side stroke off Christian.
But then, the gifted Jayawardene succeding in disrupting the length of the bowlers. He lived dangerously at the start but settled down to play some exquisite strokes that split the field.
Jayawardene, his feet in position, flashed Ryan Harris to the cover fence. And his off-drive off Lee had all the attributes – timing, balance and placement. An audacious whip off Lee soared over the mid-wicket fence.
Jayawardene found a determined partner in Chandimal. The right-handed Chandimal batted with maturity and flair.
The youngster used his dexterous wrists to flick and steer for boundaries or work the ball into the open spaces. He delicately cut left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty and lofted and pulled Christian.
Doherty, holding his length back a tad and achieving turn, had Jayawardene stumped to give the Aussies some hope. And then, Chandimal, playing across to seamer Ryan Harris, was trapped leg-before.
Sri Lanka lost wickets as Australia came back in the final stages but the strongly built Perera had other ideas.
In the afternoon, Sri Lanka struck two early blows after Michael Clarke elected to bat. Unable to pick a slower delivery from paceman Kulasekara, Matthew Wade departed.
David Warner could never quite find his timing and range. The left-hander's struggle ended when he nicked a back-of-a-length that seamed away from Farveez Maharoof; the pacemen sent down a probing first spell.
Forrest and Clarke orchestrated a recovery with a stroke-filled 154-run association for the third wicket. The two do present a wonderful sight together - both use their feet so well.
Forest walzted down the track and drove with poise and placement.
Kulasekara was creamed through covers. Light on his feet, Forrest skipped down for a rousing straight six off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. He also has the ability to put away the good deliveries and a threatning Lasith Malinga yorker was disdainfully whipped to the fence.
When he was finally dismissed – held at deep cover off Mathews – Forrest walked back to a standing ovation.
Skipper Clarke essayed some weighty shots. This was an afternoon when he was ferocious with his pulls – Maharoof and Perera were dismissed ruthlessly – apart from essaying some typically fluent drives in front of the wicket.
In a productive batting Power Play – taken in the 32nd over – Clarke and Forrest hammered 43 runs. The goodly crowd had its fill.
The Aussie captain was, eventually, brilliantly held by Perera at the mid-wicket fence off Mathews.
The left-handed Michael Hussey pulled Perera for a six but succumbed to a swinging yorker from Malinga. And Daniel Christian was sold the dummy by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
The in-form David Hussey's (40 not out) inside-out strokes over covers once again caught the eye. And Lee (20 not out) delivered some handy blows towards the end but Australia – it was posed to cross 300 - would have expected more than the 38 runs it managed in its last six overs.
This hurt Australia right at the end of the match. The Sri Lankan bowlers came back well in the last stretch.
The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Spirited Sri Lanka downs Australia
