Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Prageeth Rambukwella (Sri Lanka), Adrian Holdstock (South Africa, TV)
Referee
Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)
Toss
Sri Lanka elected to bat
Pitch Report
: "The pitch looks very bare. Hardly any green grass to see. Even the brown grass is rolled into the wicket. Expect this to turn. The spinners should look to bowl slow. Even the fast bowlers should look to bowl their cutters."
: "The pitch looks very bare. Hardly any green grass to see. Even the brown grass is rolled into the wicket. Expect this to turn. The spinners should look to bowl slow. Even the fast bowlers should look to bowl their cutters."
The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
5:20 PM local time: That is it from this brilliant team performance by the Lankans in the second innings. They did not allow the Aussie batters to relax in their chase with wickets at regular intervals. Sri Lanka go 1-0 up in the two match ODI series with this win and would look to clinch the series. For now, I, Keshav, on behalf of my colleague Bidipto bid you goodbye. See you soon again.
Charith Asalanka (Sri Lankan captain) is the Player of the Match: I think so far this is the number one innings for me. I just wanted to take the innings deeper and deeper and I just wanted to see how things go on in this pitch once the ball gets older. Wellalage came and smacked some boundaries and that set platform for me. I got a bit relieved with that innings. Definitely we should have got (beyond 214). Honestly it was tricky pitch. We could have done a little better. It was a seaming track and we could have done better batting on that track. I batted more than 35-40 overs and I saw that it was a bit hard when the new ball comes. I just said to guys, "Come and get take wickets with the new ball" and they did that.
Steven Smith (Australian captain): I don't think the toss was not too important. The wicket stayed the same right through. Charith Asalanka's innings was the difference of course! Our bowlers did a really good job, but our batters did not. That happens. It was a tricky wicket to bat on, but we could have chased it down. We've got a big ICC event coming up, but we want to win these games too. So out focus now is on the next game.
Charith Asalanka has been adjudged the Player of the Match for his magnificent 127 runs off 126 runs and also bowling figures of 1/5 in 2 overs!
5:13 pm local time (5:13 pm IST): It's time now for the post-match presentation!
Dunith Wellalage: I am very happy! Australia is a great side. So, to be able to contribute with both bat and ball is special. When I went out to bat, coach Sanath Jayasuriya sir said to support out captain, Charith Asalanka as much as possible. The pace variations and of course, bowling wicket-to-wicket, were the key today. I do think that this is the best win of my career as a Sri Lankan cricketer.
4:59 PM local time: Sri Lanka win by 49 runs
Sri Lanka: 214 (46) | Australia: 165 (33.5)
Charith Asalanka: 127 (126) | Sean Abbott: 3/61 (9) Alex Carey: 41 (38) | Maheesh Theekshana: 4/40 (9.5)
Sri Lanka has won the first of the two ODI games against Australia, following a whitewash in the two-match Test series. Following a fight in the first innings with a century, Charith Asalanka dismissed the dangerous-looking Alex Carey. It was then that they knew that more than half the job was done.
The hosts got an ideal start with the dismissals of both the openers—Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk—within the first three overs, courtesy of Asitha Fernando's tight bowling to not allow the two batters to open their arms. Skipper Charith Asalanka introduced Maheesh Theekshana in the sixth over, and the young left-handed batter Cooper Connolly had to trudge back into the hut after being caught plumb in front of the stumps.
Seasoned batters Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne had the task of steadying their side following this collapse early on. The two batters took some time to get settled in the middle, but in the last over of the powerplay, Smith got castled in an attempt to counterattack the new bowler Dunith Wellalage on the first delivery of the over.
Alex Carey and Labuschagne then fought back and added over 50 runs for the fifth wicket. Carey took on the bowlers and played a relatively aggressive knock. Hasaranga came on to bowl in the 15th over and got pelted for two boundaries and a maximum. This forced Asalanka to take the matter into his hands as he replaced Hasaranga.
Theekshana then broke the partnership with the dismissal of Labuschagne, and half the side was back into the hut. In the next over, Asalanka baited Carey with a tossed-up delivery around the off-stump, and there was the wicket of the aggressor.
Aaron Hardie and Sean Abbott formed a 40-odd run partnership, but it was a scratchy one against the tweakers. Some overs later, Abbott fell, and Nathan Ellis got dismissed in quick succession. Aaron Hardie added some runs but got pinned against Hasaranga to be the ninth wicket. That was the coffin in the nail for the Aussies.
Barring the first two wickets by Fernando to dismiss the openers, it was the spin web of Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, and Charith Asalanka that broke the spine of the Aussie batting and won the first game to go 1-0 up in the two-game ODI series.
There was a big shout for a LBW. However, the umpire wasn't convinced. Asalanka signalled for a review and its three reds on ball tracker. Sri Lanka win the game by 49 runs and go 1-0 in the two game ODI series.
33.5 Maheesh Theekshana to Spencer Johnson, HMMM! REVIEWED FOR LBW. Full on off-stump. Johnson pushed forward to defend and seemingly inside-edged it on to the pads. And the appeal did not get upheld either. Fair delivery, but, no bat involved! Ball Tracking comes into play, shows that it's pitching in line, the impact too is in line on the back pad and the wickets are hitting! So, the on-field decision gets overturned and Johnson is OUT! With that, Sri Lanka win the match!
Spencer Johnson lbw b Maheesh Theekshana 0 (2b, 0x4, 0x6)
33.4 Maheesh Theekshana to Adam Zampa, Oh! Length ball on off-stump. Zampa hoicks across the line and inside-edges it to fine-leg for a single.
33.3 Maheesh Theekshana to Adam Zampa, good length ball on off-stump. Zampa watches it closely and blocks to silly point off the back foot.
33.2 Maheesh Theekshana to Adam Zampa, good length ball on off-stump. Blocked back to the bowler from the back foot.
33.1 Maheesh Theekshana to Adam Zampa, good length flatter ball on middle-stump. Pushed to short mid-wicket from the back foot, no run.
A slip in place for Theekshana, who is bowling his last over.
33.1 Maheesh Theekshana to Adam Zampa, full and WIDE down the leg-side here too! Another extra run added!
33.1 Maheesh Theekshana to Adam Zampa, WIDE down the leg-side with a flatter delivery on the good length. Time to reload!
Adam Zampa smacked another boundary over, albeit this time lofting the good length ball over the fielder at mid-off. He then took a single only on the last second delivery of the over to leave just a delivery for Spencer, the last man.
33
overs
162/9score
2
0
4
0
1
0
runs
Spencer Johnson*
0(1)
Adam Zampa
19(25)
Wanindu Hasaranga
1/47
32.6 Wanindu Hasaranga to Spencer Johnson, round the wicket, OH! Back of a length on leg-stump. A bottom edge off the attempted heave to square-leg, down to leg-gully! No run.
32.5 Wanindu Hasaranga to Adam Zampa, full and slow on off-stump. Clipped off the front foot using the bottom hand, over mid-on, for a single here.
Video
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Spencer Johnson
*
Wanindu Hasaranga
R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo
