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.
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Australia, who were chasing a record 289 for victory at R Premadasa Stadium, were bowled out for 206 in 47.2 overs with Matthew Wade top-scoring with 76 runs.
Sri Lanka, which swept the test series 3-0, has often relied on spin bowling against Australia and Perera’s inclusion gives captain Angelo Mathews another option.
Sri Lanka lost 5-27 as their innings ended abruptly, but the damage had always been done with Kusal Mendis top-scoring after posting a run-a-ball 69 for his second successive 50.
Despite a hat-trick by Australian allrounder James Faulkner, Sri Lanka have set a big victory target of 289 in Wednesday’s second one-day global in Colombo.
David Warner lost his first toss as Australian captain in the third one-day worldwide.
Australia skipper Steven Smith (30) breathed some life into the visitors’ innings by smashing five fours in his quick-fire 30, but wasn’t able to hold his ground for long as he was caught by Dilruwan Perera off Amila Aponso’s delivery in the 10th over. But once he fell, Aponso spelt more trouble for the visitors.
Mitchell Starc (3-53) cleaned up the tail, but Australia lost any momentum they may have taken back out into the middle when Warner and Finch went cheaply.
He has scored 1,000 or more ODI runs in a calendar year four times since then, while also becoming the fourth Sri Lankan batsman after Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to cross 10,000 ODI runs. His offspin has brought him 106 ODI wickets at an average of 44.84. Sri Lanka already have opening batsmen vying for his place.
Now with Dilshan’s retirement, the Sri Lankan batting order has an all new look to it. Dilshan was a big-match player, never afraid to perform on the biggest stage, never fazed by the poorest odds and Sri Lanka might struggle to cope with the loss.
The hosts were rescued by another crucial 103-run sixth-wicket partnership between Mathews and Kusal Perera who made 54.
Faulkner accounted for the latter pair to set-up his hat-trick, completing the milestone moment by cleaning up Thisara.
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“I have chose to retire from the ODIs after the third match in Dambulla (Sunday) and will play the two Twenty20s and then retire completely”, Dilshan told local media.
