Published: Sep 06, 2016, 10:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 07, 2016, 01:00 PM (IST)
Australian bowlers put in a professional effort to restrict Sri Lanka to 178 for 9 to win the match by 85 runs in the first T20 International (T20I) at Pallekele. Glenn Maxwell’s brilliant 145 not out set the match beautifully for Australia, who posted a record-breaking score of 263 for 3 in their 20 overs. With this win, Australia go 1-0 up in the two-match T20I series. This is Sri Lanka’s heaviest defeat in terms of runs in the shortest format. Skipper Dinesh Chandimal scored a good fifty to lead Sri Lanka’s fightback, but he was left with too much to do in the end. Things did not start well for Sri Lanka as they lost the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the very first over of the match for just four. Dilshan, after scoring a boundary off the previous over, went across the line to a straight delivery, missed tit and the ball crashed into the middle stump, to give Mitchell Starc his first wicket. Full Cricket Scorecard: Sri Lanka vs Australia 1st T20I at Pallekele
The other opener Kusal Perera was dismissed in the second over of the innings, this time of Scott Boland. Perera charged down the track and sliced the ball to the third man fielder. After picking up the wicket of Dilshan, Starc took a simple catch. Thisis when Dinesh Chandimal Dhananjaya de Silva got together. The boundaries were coming at ease, but de Silva was sent back to the pavilion after James Faulkner bowled him off his first over and gave away just one run in that over. David Warner was rotating his bowlers well and called upon Moises Henriques to bowl the sixth over of the innings. SL vs AUS 1st T20I, Full Updates
Kusal Mendis took full toll of Henriques’ first over scoring a couple of boundaries off his first over. Sri Lanka has ended the powerplay overs at 56 for 2. Mendis had a lucky escape in the next over, when Faulkner missed the stumps after Mendis was half way down the track. It looked as though Mendis would make Australia pay for that, hitting a couple of maximums in the next couple of overs. But Henriques had the last laugh as Mendis holed out at deep mid-wicket. Sri Lanka were in deep trouble at this stage at 76 for 4 in 7.5 overs.
Thisara Perera then walked in at No. 6 for Sri Lanka. They needed a huge innings from him today. Skipper Chandimal was going well at the other end. Maxwell gave away just seven off the 10th over and Sri Lanka just managed to reach 93 for 4 at the halfway stage. They needed 171 off the final 10 overs to win this match at this stage, with Chandimal and Perera at the crease.
Things went from bad to worse for Sri Lanka after Perera fell for run-a-ball seven. He was deceived by a wrong one from Adam Zampa. Perera looking to slog sweep, found the top edge and Boland took an easy catch at short third man. Chamara Kapugedara walked in at No. 7 and immediately had to hit the boundaries. He did just that as he smashed Maxwell over the fence. Chandimal then followed it up with a sweetly timed shot for a boundary.
Chandimal got to his fifty off 36 balls in the 14th over of the innings, which gave Sri Lanka a ray of hope. Sri Lanka still needed 136 off the final six overs. Chandimal fought on, but the pressure was too much. Zampa was the first to bowl out, finishing with 1 for 27 in his four overs. He varied his deliveries extremely well and made life difficult for the Sri Lankan batsmen. Chandimal was dismissed holing out to deep mid-wicket off Boland’s slow bouncer for 58 off 43. With him the hopes of any minute chance of a Sri Lankan victory vanished. Henriques completed an excellent catch running in from the fence.
Boland struck again in the 16th over, this time removing Sachith Pathirana for just two. Sri Lanka at this stage needed 122 from 24 deliveries, with an asking arte of over 30. Kapugedara was still out there, but it was too much to expect off him. Starc, who removed Dilshan in the first over of the innings was called on to wrap things up in the 17th over.
Sri Lanka needed an improbable 111 from the final three overs and it was just a matter of playing out the remaining overs for Sri Lanka, trying to get as close as possible to the Australian total. Kapugedara provided the crowd with some late entertainment. He did manage to score 21 of the 18th over off James Faulkner, but that was too little too late. Kapugedara was however dismissed seven short of his fifty off the first delivery of the 19th over, lobbing one straight to George Bailey at backward point.
The ninth wicket pair of Sachithra Senanayaka and Suranga Lakmal looked to play out the rest of the deliveries to ensure that Sri Lanka do not get bowled out. But Starc was at it once again as he got rid of Lakmal for one to end his spell with three wickets. Sri Lanka will look to bounce back in the second and final T20I in three day’s time at Colombo (RPS).
Sri Lanka conceded the One-Day International (ODI) series and will want to return to winning ways, beginning with this game. This will be Tillakaratne Dilshan’s penultimate international game. The second T20I at Colombo (RPS), will be his final international match for Sri Lanka
Earlier, it was Sri Lanka, who had won the toss and elected to bowl first. Sri Lanka made six changes from the final ODI. George Bailey, who had stayed back in Sri Lanka, following injury to Aaron Finch, finds a place in the playing XI. Maxwell too returned to the Australian side for this game. Sri Lanka have handed a T20I debut to Sachith Pathirana, who was impressive in the ODI series ahead of the T20I series.
Brief scores:
Australia 263 for 3 in 20 overs (Glenn Maxwell 145*, Travis Head 45; Sachithra Senanayaka 1 for 49, Sachith Pathirana 1 for 45) beat Sri Lanka 178 for 9 in 20 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 58, Chamara Kapugedara 43; Mitchell Starc 3 for 26, Scott Boland 3 for 26) by 85 runs.
Man of the Match: Glenn Maxwell
