The Aussies chased down Sri Lanka’s total of 212 with six wickets in hand and within just 31 overs after paceman John Hastings earlier claimed six wickets with the ball.
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Opener Dhananjaya de Silva was the mainstay of the Sri Lankan innings with a controlled knock of 76 from 87 deliveries.
De Silva and captain Angelo Mathews put on 84 for the fourth wicket, before the latter retired hurt with a calf strain and Sri Lanka never recovered their momentum. He was the final man out, caught for 40 when he skied a catch off Hastings from the sixth ball of the 50th over: Sri Lanka had batted out their overs by the barest possible margin. Khawaja will know the competition for every single spot in the Australian limited-overs side is extremely stiff and the final two ODIs in this series will provide him an opportunity to make up for what he lost. Australia seemed to be in a hurry when they came out to bat because Aaron Finch blasted a 19-ball 55 to ensure that they had the flawless start.
Left-handed all-rounder Sachith Pathirana scored a crucial 24-run cameo to help Sri Lanka pass the 200-run mark from a precarious 165 for seven. This led to the opening for Australia as they took advantage and scalped few more wickets to leave the home side tottering at 134 for six.
George Bailey and Travis Head then completely batted Sri Lanka out of the game with a 100-run stand for the fourth wicket.
As for Wednesday’s match, he said: “Before the game started we were trying to make 260, 270 plus”.
Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal was really disappointed with the way the batsmen played and failed to click as a batting unit throughout the series. “We couldn’t get that and the bowlers can’t do anything”.
The 18-year-old Avishka Fernando, making his worldwide debut, was out for a second-ball duck with the total on one; and the hosts then slipped to 31-3.
An over alter, Mathews sustained a calf injury and was forced to walk off the field a few minutes later. The duo were separated in 29th over when Dilruwan Perera removed Head on an individual score of 40.
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De Silva, whose maiden ODI half-century included nine boundaries, looked a little edgy after Mathews’s departure and soon fell after spooning a catch to midwicket off Hastings. “The way he has played in the subcontinent in the last couple of years, his form has been outstanding, and the way he finished it off today was superb”.
