Spin bowler Amila Aponso and seamer Thisara Perera shared seven wickets to help Sri Lanka to a crushing 82-run win over Australia in their second one-day worldwide on Wednesday.
Advertisement
Chasing a challenging 289-run victory target, Australia were bundled out for 206 in 47.2 overs at R Premadasa Stadium, Sport24 reported.
Sri Lanka are now tied 1-1 in the ODIs against Australia with three matches still to play.
Smith captained Australia to an 82-run loss in the second ODI on Wednesday which tied the series 1-1.
Both Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka have opened the batting in this series, and Dhananjaya de Silva, who has so far batted down the order in ODIs, has opened the batting for his club, through the most recent domestic season.
Australia head coach Darren Lehmann defended the decision to rest Steve Smith from the remainder of the Sri Lanka tour. Amila Aponso out-bowled more experienced spinners in his debut match, and several of his deliveries turned so much they wound up at slip.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Aaron Finch, George Bailey, Moises Henriques, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon.
Their 103-run sixth-wicket stand entertained a raucous home crowd as they smashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground.
To watch a live stream of the Sri Lanka vs. Australia Second ODI, click on the video below – or see the streaming links at the bottom of this article.
The service, which normally costs a subscription fee of $50 (Australian) per month now offers a two-week free trial, allowing fans to watch the entire five-match Sri Lanka vs. Australia ODI series at no charge. He came back to dismiss Mathews and Thisara Perera to complete his hat-trick.
The hosts rode on half-centuries from Mathews, Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera to put up a respectable score against a persistent Australian bowling attack led by Faulkner (3-45). “The damage was probably already done at that point of time”, said Smith. In 2015, he was the third highest run-scorer in the format in the world, with 1207 runs in 25 matches at 52.47.
Advertisement
According to media reports, the former captain was persuaded to retire as Sri Lanka build a new team under Angelo Mathews with an eye on the 2019 World Cup.
