Sri Lanka spinner Dunith Wellalage took 4 wickets to provide a hapless Australia their lowest ever whole in Asia with a 174-run loss in Friday’s second and remaining ODI. Chasing a goal of 282 in Colombo, a much-changed Australia testing their lineup for subsequent week’s Champions Trophy have been bundled out for a meager 107. The spectacular collapse noticed them lose their final seven wickets for simply 28 runs. “Not the most effective end result we wished. We used lot of gamers and everybody obtained a recreation,” Australia skipper Steve Smith stated.
“Credit score to Sri Lanka. They deserved the sequence win. We struggled a bit in Colombo… Their bowlers have been very good.”
Asitha Fernando set the tone with a fiery opening spell of 3-23 in 4 overs earlier than the spinners tightened the screws.
Wellalage triggered the collapse, bamboozling Josh Inglis with a skiddy arm ball that crashed into the stumps. In his subsequent over, he delivered one other peach, rattling the harmful Glenn Maxwell’s timber to complete 4-35.
Wanindu Hasaranga joined the get together from the opposite finish to take three extra together with Smith, who was trapped plumb in entrance.
This emphatic victory sealed a 2-0 sequence win for Sri Lanka in opposition to the defending world champions and propelled them to fifth within the ODI rankings.
It additionally instructed the cricketing world that Sri Lanka’s absence from the upcoming Champions Trophy, after ending ninth within the 2023 World Cup, might be felt.
“Not usually you beat Australia,” Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka stated.
“In the present day was our day and the spinners did an outstanding job,” he added. “We’re dissatisfied that we aren’t within the Champions Trophy… the necessary factor is that we do not get into an identical scenario once more.”
Sri Lanka’s batting had been below the microscope in current weeks, however the prime order silenced critics with a commanding show.
Kusal Mendis was the star of the present, crafting an outstanding 101 — his fifth ton in ODIs and first in opposition to Australia.
He discovered ample help from half-centuries by Nishan Madushka (51) and Asalanka.
Contemporary from a match-winning hundred within the opener, Asalanka bludgeoned an unbeaten 78 off simply 66 balls, peppering the boundary with six fours and three towering sixes.
The muse was laid by a 98-run partnership between Kusal and Madushka for the second wicket, stabilising the innings after an early loss.
Kusal then constructed on the momentum, stitching a 94-run stand with Asalanka for the fourth wicket.
Australia made 5 adjustments as they fine-tune their lineup forward of subsequent week’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai.
Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Travis Head, Josh Inglis and Ben Dwarshuis all got here in.
Out went Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis.
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