Sri Lanka vs Australia: Marks out of 10 for hosts’

SL vs AUS 2016: Marks out of 10 for hosts'

Sri Lanka after recording an historic Test whitewash against Australia, bowed out to the tourists in the One Day International (ODI) leg of series. Australia notched up an impressive 4-1 win to outclass the hosts in all departments. Sri Lanka did miss out on their Test regular Rangana Herath, who has been one of their major reasons of success. Under performance by few players meant that Sri Lanka, could not put up much fight against an ably led Australian side under David Warner. Sri Lanka instilled some hopes after drawing level in the series after the second ODI but were unable to keep up with the momentum. Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Dilruwan Perera and Amila Aponso were few of the bright stars, that shone for the hosts. Vishal Mehra, gives his report-card for Sri Lankan players based on their show in the recently concluded ODI series.  Full Cricket Scorecard, Sri Lanka Vs Australia, 1st T20I match

Dinesh Chandimal: Sri Lanka’s knight in shining armor Dinesh Chandimal, continued to prove his worth in runs for his team yet again. Chandimal has been on a rise since an year, performing unrelentingly against every team he faces, home or away doesn’t matter.With almost every batsmen failing in the series, Chandimal accumulated 236 runs in 5 matches at an impressive average of 59.00. Chandimal was the only Sri Lankan batsmen to record a century in the series for them.  Rating: 9/10

Dilruwan Perera: Nobody gave an inch about Dilruwan Perera, but post the ODI series he has found his name and place in the cricketing circles. Dilruwan managed to scalp nine wickets in five matches for Sri Lanka, and remain the highest wicket-taker for his side. Dilruwan managed to bring back his team into the game with his off-break bowling. Dilruwan can also come in handy with the bat if need arise. Rating: 8/10

Kusal Mendis: Kusal Mendis continued his good run of form with the bat, after an superlative show in the Test series. Kusal is very much being groomed as a middle-order batsmen for the team. Kusal showed sparks of brilliance in the five-ODI series he played but could not make any sizable contribution. Kusal ended up being the second highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in the series with 174 runs at an average of 34.80. Rating: 7.5/10

Amila Aponso: Aponso whose name was not heard by anyone until now, showcased his guile with the ball in the ODI series. Aponso with his left-arm spin bamboozled the Australian batting order. Aponso nabbed  seven wickets in the series. What is strange is that Sri Lanka have kept him out of the Twenty20 (T20) series. Hopefully the Sri Lankan selectors pay heed to the youngsters talent and continue to support him in further matches. Rating: 7/10

Dhananjaya de Silva: Dhananjaya shined with both the bat and ball for Sri Lanka. Dhananjaya notched up 131 runs in the series, while managing to pick up three wickets as well. Dhananjaya may have not scored belligerent runs but struck 15 boundaries in the series at an strike-rate of 72.77. Dhananjaya who batted well against the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland will be aiming to carry on his batting form in the T20. Rating: 6/10

Sachith Pathirana: Sachith Pathirana who came as a last moment replacement in the team, played just two matches and showed why he could be an upcoming all-rounder in the side. Pathirana scored 56 runs in the two games he batted, with a highest of 32 runs bettering many of the more established batsmen in the side. Pathirana was also good with his left-arm spin managing to pick up three wickets at an economy of 4.05. Rating: 6/10

Angelo Mathews: Sri Lanka’s captain who was injured just before the final ODI , was good in parts. Mathews could manage just 99 runs in the four matches he played, while picking up four wickets in as many games.Mathews was good with his captaincy but was handicapped by his players show. Inconsistency of the team and Mathews own form played a big part in the series loss against Australia. Rating: 5/10

Kusal Perera: Kusal Perera was expected to bat with much fluidity and grit in the Sri Lankan batting line-up but was nothing more than a show piece in the side. Kusal managed just a single fifty in the series, to end-up with 86 runs in the ODI series. Kusal career average of 27.39, has taken a big hit after his poor show with the bat. As a wicket-keeper’ Kusal looked sorted and well balanced against the many spinners in the Sri Lankan side. Rating: 5/10

Tillakratne Dilshan: Playing his final ODI series for Sri Lanka, Dilshan cut short his career even more by playing just three games of the five-ODI series. Dilshan who was expected to fire all guns blazing, managed just 74 runs in the series. Dilshan struck an quick-fire 42 in his final ODI match at Dambulla. Dilshan could not do wonders with the ball as well remaining wicket less in his last three ODIs. Dilshan’s contribution to Sri Lankan cricket is unmissable but his final ODI swansong series shall only reflect a poor show by the Lankan legend. Rating: 4/10

Danushka Gunathilaka: Another Sri Lankan opener who was touted to come good with the bat, was a disappointment in the series. Gunathilaka featured in three ODIs and managed just 46 runs with a high score of 39 runs. With Dilshan now retired it becomes highly improbable to show his full potential with the bat. Rating: 3/10

Milinda Siriwardana: Milinda Siriwardana who is known for his hard hitting batsmen-ship, played just one match of the five-ODI series. Siriwardana made just 19 runs in the match playing 26 balls. Siriwardana is a T20 specialist and is expected to perform much better in the two-match T20 series. His handy bowling might also come in play against Australia’s spin worried batting line-up. Rating: 3/10

Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Perera, Avishka Fernando and Lakshan Sandakan played just one match in the series and hence it is unfair to rate these players based on their show in the game.

(Vishal Mehra is reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime, and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @capturethecatch )