Sri Lanka levels ODI series one-all with terrific win

 Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne does his signature salute after capturing a wicket

Kusal Mendis was the top scorer again for Sri Lanka with 36

Sri Lanka players congratulate Dunith Wellalage for taking the wicket of 

Travis Head

• Karunaratne excels as Aussies lose five for 19

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The first ODI Sri Lanka failed to defend a target of 282, but yesterday at the same venue Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in the second ODI, they got their act together and, in another rain truncated match came up with a brilliant all-round performance to beat Australia by 26 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method and level the five-match series one-all.

It was not just one man who excelled for Sri Lanka in their hour of victory, but it was a wonderful team effort although Chamika Karunaratne took all the kudos towards the end to run away with the Player of the Match award for his excellent contribution with the ball and on the field.

Known for his fighting and overzealous qualities Karunaratne simply had a ball at the expense of the Australians as they tried to chase down a revised target of 216 off 43 overs but was stopped in their tracks when they were dismissed for 189 in 37.1 overs, losing their last five wickets for 19 runs.

On a difficult and demanding pitch where no batsmen made more than 37, Karunaratne first scalped Steven Smith for 28 trapping him on the pull shot that went straight into the hands of Maheesh Theekshana at short fine leg, and then picked up the prize scalp of Glenn Maxwell (whose knock of 86* won the first ODI for Australia) for 30 before proceeding to clean up the tail in the company of the other seamer Dushmantha Chameera with the wicket of Mike Swepson (2) to finish with figures of 3 for 47.

Notwithstanding his fine spell of bowling Karunaratne also had a hand in the run out of Alex Carey as he and Pat Cummins tried to steal a second run. Chameera bowling at raw pace rattled the Australian tail to send back Cummins and ended the match by bowling debutant Matthew Kuhnemann, who was plucked out of the Australian ‘A’ side playing in the first unofficial test against Sri Lanka ‘A’ at Hambantota to balance the injury hit tourists.

Part time spinner Dhananjaya de Silva and young Dunith Wellalage playing in only his second ODI also had their moments. De Silva accounted for both openers Aaron Finch (14) and the dangerous looking David Warner (37). Wellalage showed great maturity for a 19-year-old by capturing the crucial wickets of Travis Head (23) and Marcus Labuschagne (18) and then displaying wonderful agility on the field to pull off a brilliant diving catch at deep square leg to hold onto a top edge from Cummins.

For Sri Lanka to pull off this win without their key spinner Wanindu Hasaranga side-lined by a groin strain was a tremendous achievement. Australia winning the toss for the fifth time in a row invited Sri Lanka to bat first under gloomy conditions. While all the batsmen got starts no one really went onto make a fifty with Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva and Dasun Shanaka all getting into the thirties on a testing pitch where both spinners and seamers excelled. Cummins was Australia’s most successful bowler taking four wickets, while spinners Maxwell and Kuhnemann had two apiece. Sri Lanka’s innings was cut short in the middle of the 48th over at 220-9 when rain caused an interruption.

Both teams will travel to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the remaining three ODIs.