Published: Sep 06, 2016, 09:11 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 06, 2016, 09:11 PM (IST)
As Australia face hosts Sri Lanka for the first of the two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) of the tour, they put up the highest T20I total of all time. Ironically, the record was held by Sri Lanka till date as they scored 260 against Kenya in the inaugural season of ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and now Australia, powered by a superb innings by Glenn Maxwell, have surpassed the total with a 263. This T20I series is special for Sri Lanka for many reasons, for veteran Tillakaratne Dilshan will retire from all international formats of cricket following the series. Full Cricket Scorecard, Sri Lanka Vs Australia, 1st T20I at Pallekele
With Angelo Mathews being injured and absent, his deputy Dinesh Chandimal was handed the responsibilities to lead the hosts team against Australia, who came from a 4-1 victory in the recently concluded One-Day International (ODI) series. Australia, winning the toss at Pallekele, opted to bat first and made a notable change as skipper David Warner partnered with Maxwell to open the batting for the side. Warner could not contribute more than 28 but Maxwell looked in a different mood altogether. The power hitter hammered the Lankan bowlers out of the park with his signature inside-outs and reverse sweeps and every shot reflected the power the batsman has. LIVE BLOG: Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st T20I at Pallekele
Maxwell built up two partnerships, with Usman Khawaja and later with Travis Head. Dilshan dropped him at 98 on a no ball and the cricketer went on to score his maiden T20I century. He kept on playing aggressive cricket and as Australia’s innings came to an end with 263 runs on board, Maxwell remained unbeaten at 145 becoming the second highest individual run-getter in T20Is. However, Tillakaratne Dilshan is the only cricketer to be present during both the top scores in T20Is.
