×

Sri Lanka police fires teargas on cricket fans trying to enter stadium for 4th ODI vs Australia

Sri Lankans are cricket-crazy, but interest in the game has soared to new heights since Angelo Mathews and his team recorded a historic whitewash in their recent three-match Test series against Australia.

 © Getty Images
There were also chaotic scenes during the third ODI at the same venue on Sunday when fans without tickets broke through barricades and entered the stadium © Getty Images

Sri Lankan police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of fans trying to force their way into a stadium where the home team playing their fourth One-Day International  (ODI) against Australia Wednesday. About 300 fans tried to force their way into the 18,000-capacity Dambulla stadium after the authorities announced that all tickets had been sold and asked anyone without tickets to leave the area, a police official said. “We asked them to go, but they tried to break in while some blocked the main road by sitting down,” said a police official in Dambulla, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Colombo. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI at Dambulla

“The situation was quickly brought under control,” added the official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. There were no immediate reports of casualties. There were also chaotic scenes during the third ODI at the same venue on Sunday when fans without tickets broke through barricades and entered the stadium, dislodging thousands of ticket-holders from their seats. ALSO READ: ALSO READ: Australia vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI: Australia eye series win

Sri Lankans are cricket-crazy, but interest in the game has soared to new heights since Angelo Mathews and his team recorded a historic whitewash in their recent three-match Test series against Australia.

Sri Lanka did the unexpected by beating former World No. 1 in Tests, Australia, by thrashing them 3-0 in the longer format which was Australia’s fifth Test whitewash, in a series of three or more matches, and their first complete drubbing against the Lankans. The ODI series is currently in favour of visitors as they are leading by 2-1.

ALSO READ: Australia vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI: Australia eye series win

Surprisingly, not a single score close to 300 has been registered so far in this series. Australia have restricted Sri Lanka under 230 twice, and the only time the tourists were challenged to chase a target close to 290, their batting fumbled. Australia, in case they field first, will have to ensure that they do not let the Sri Lankan batsmen settle in and make big scores. ALSO READ: Sri Lanka vs Australia, 4th ODI: Angelo Mathews vs David Warner and other key battles

One of the factors which will work in Australia’s advantage will be the exit of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who played his final ODI match on Sunday at the same venue. Dilshan’s exit marks the Sri Lankan opening order getting weaker, with Danushka Gunathilaka managing only 7 runs so far in the two ODIs he has played. In Dilshan’s place, it is expected that Kusal Perera, the specialist opener, will move to the No. 1 spot alongside Gunathilaka.

Talking about the hosts, Dinesh Chandimal has been their best batsman with 230 runs in the three ODIs played so far. Chandimal is averaging 115 after the first three ODIs, wherein he has struck one century and a half-century to keep Sri Lanka afloat. On the other hand, Kusal Mendis has continued making merry against Australia, as he follows the right-handed Chandimal in the list of most run-getters for Sri Lanka in the ongoing series.

Mendis has scored 140 runs in the three ODIs that he has played so far, and it can be said that he was unlucky as he could not convert his two half-centuries into tons. Mendis has been emerging as Sri Lanka’s best batsman in these conditions, and the right-handed batsman has made most of the opportunity that he has got.

At the same time, as far as Australian batting is concerned, there are a few problems for the touring team which is on the cusp of winning this ODI series. David Warner has  scored mere 19 runs in the three ODIs, and the man who is replacing Marsh is Khawaja who too has been horrible with his run-making.

Among the bowlers, it can be said that unlike the Test series where the hosts made most of the waves, it is the Australians who have been successful. Australia’s star all-rounder James Faulkner, who missed a major chunk of limited-overs cricket for his country in the last one year or so, is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series with 9 wickets so far in the three matches.

Australia will know that a win here will help them win some kind of trophy on a tour which has been extremely cruel on them. When Australia arrived in Sri Lanka, they were favourites to win everything that was there on the offer but a thrashing in the three-match Test series has turned the tide against them. Australia’s next trip to the Indian subcontinent will be early next year against India, wherein they are playing four Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2016-17. The preparation for the same has already begun as they do not want a third clean sweep on the trot.

Steven Smith has thus been rested from this series and it will be interesting to see what the Australian captain across formats comes up with following a good break. But for now, David Warner will be handling the matters in Sri Lanka, where they will have three more games after this.

Warner will be under tremendous pressure as he has played in all three ODIs so far and has got only 19 runs in the series so far. His partner Aaron Finch has managed runs, but then, with Marsh exiting and Khawaja coming in, some amount of pressure will be on the Australians as two out of their top three batsmen are in poor form.

But their middle-order is pretty strong, as George Bailey, Travis Head and especially Matthew Wade have done a decent job so far with the bat. Wade has been a revelation of sorts for Australia with the bat, as none expected the wicketkeeper-batsman to get as many runs as he has so far on this tour. Bailey has been taking giant strides by showing batting prowess in the subcontinental conditions, and at the same time, Head too has made steady progress. But the bowling skills of the 22-year-old are still unpolished, and Australia will have to do some more hard work in order to get their bowling power right.

Squads:

Australia: David Warner (c), Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, George Bailey, Matthew Wade (wk), Moises Henriques, Travis Head, James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja.

Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Angelo Mathews (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dilruwan Perera, Amila Aponso, Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Perera, Avishka Fernando, Lakshan Sandakan, Milinda Siriwardana.

FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI at Dambulla

Ads by Revcontent

From the Web

Are You Prepared to Make Your Child’s Dreams Come True?
BigDecisions
मैंने इस गंजेपन से छुटकारा पाने का इलाज ढूँढ लिया है!
Qeratin
Why Cougar Women in Mumbai Are Hunting For Younger Men
Daily News Site
1 Weird Trick Blocks Excess Melanin – Doctors Are Speechless
Fit Mom Daily
Insane Steroid Alternative In India Will Let You Become Muscular Real Fast
Wow Testo Boost
1 Trick To Get 5 Shades Fairer In 14 Days – Do This Daily
Fit Mom Daily
Thousands of People In Mumbai Take Part Every Week!
The Lotter
Learn How To Get Fairer Skin – Do This Once Daily
Fit Mom Daily
5 Celebrities Who’ll Inspire You to Stay Healthy
BigDecisions

trending this week