Aussies take winning lead after a few blushes

Mathew Wade got Australia over the line with an important innings of 26*

• Wins second T20I by 3 wickets at RPS

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Reigning T20 World Cup champions Australia was given a few anxious moments before pulling off a three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20 International played at the R Premadasa Stadium yesterday, which gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Once again Sri Lanka floundered a good chance of putting up a challenging total and collapsed to 124-9 after being asked to bat first for the second successive occasion. 

Australia went helter-skelter towards the target with Aaron Finch and David Warner posting 33 off 2.4 overs for the first wicket. They maintained this momentum right throughout their innings despite the fall of wickets so that when the seventh wicket fell in the 12th over, they were 99-7. 

At that point Sri Lanka had a chance of pulling through, but having scored at a terrific pace, Australia’s eighth wicket pair of Matthew Wade and Jhye Richardson were not under any scoreboard pressure to go for the big hits. They had only to run the singles and twos with the odd boundary to see Australia over the line in an unbroken stand of 27 off 36 balls. In fact, when victory was achieved Australia had 13 balls still remaining. 

Wade who scored a run a ball 26* was named Player of the Match, but one thought the award should have gone to fast bowler Kane Richardson who finished with career best figures of four for 30. He was responsible for causing the Sri Lankan collapse that saw them lose four wickets without adding a single run. From 121-5, they collapsed to 121-9 with Richardson taking three of them in the final over. 

The other Richardson, Jhye who came in place of Mitchell Starc (ruled out of the match with a freak finger injury) also played a part picking up three wickets for 26 which was also the best in his career.

Wanindu Hasaranga came back strongly from conceding 27 runs in two overs in the first T20I to give Sri Lanka a hint of victory by claiming four wickets for 33, that put the skids under the Australian batting. Hasaranga accounted for the wicket of Finch and then set about removing Mitchell Marsh (11), Glenn Maxwell (19) and Ashton Agar (0), but Sri Lanka’s small total left him and the rest of the bowlers with very little options to bowl Australia out. 

Charith Asalanka was once again Sri Lanka’s top scorer with a compact 39 off 43 balls. Asalanka and Kusal Mendis who made 36 at a run a ball consolidated with a partnership of 66 after Sri Lanka had lost both openers cheaply to be 7-2 in the third over. But once again the all too familiar batting collapse happened that left Sri Lanka with a dismal record of nine losses and one win from 10 T20Is for the calendar year. 

Kane Richardson took a career best 4 wickets for 30

Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates the wicket of Ashton Agar whom he bowled for a duck

Charith Asalanka was once again Sri Lanka’s top scorer with 39