Sri Lanka in stunning win over Australia
Ranjan ANADAPPA in Australia
In an amazing reversal of events Sri Lanka pulled off a consolation
win defeating Australia by 13 runs in their last match in the
Commonwealth Bank limited over series in a day night game at the
Melbourne Cricket grounds yesterday.
In a game which had been described as a dead rubber, the Lankans made
sure that they wouldn’t go empty handed and gave their best display in
the tournament.
Australia chasing a relatively easy victory of 222 judging by their
batting standards, were suddenly struggling after the dismissal of Adam
Gilchrist who thumped a thundering 83 off 50 deliveries with two sixes
and 13 fours to post 107 runs in 15 overs with new opener James Hopes.
With the demise of both openers, Sri Lanka struck back superbly with
their pacemen when Nuwan Kulasekera struck twice to capture the vital
wickets of Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting while Ishara Amarasinghe sent
back Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds without scoring and Australia had
lost 6 wickets for 16 runs. But a vital 35 run stand for the last wicket
between Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken delayed a Sri Lankan win.
The pair brought the score from 173 to 208 and the game gradually
slipping away from Sri Lanka, but Sanath Jayasuriya provided the
breakthrough when he bowled Brett Lee.
Sri Lanka’s fielding was not at its best. They missed a couple of run
outs, and there were many overthrows which added to the score while the
Aussies really trying to break the shackles.
Earlier Sri Lanka’s middle order batsmen injected life into a
otherwise quickly fading innings in a game that the Lankans desperately
looking for a win prior to their leaving home late in the evening.
Sri Lanka who won the toss and elected to bat first were in a spot of
bother after Sanath Jayasuriya gave glimpses of his old form striking
Brett Lee with a 6 over third man and then despatching a four off next
ball after losing the other opener Dilruwan Perera leg before wicket to
Lee.
\Lee made Perera’s life uncomfortable testing him with a bouncer at
extreme pace and foxed him with a slow delivery that hit his boot where
he was judged lbw.
Jayasuriya and Sangakkara were batting in their own inimitable
styles, but two excellent slip catches by Michael Hussy saw the end of
both, Jayasuriya for 23 off 33 balls and Sangakkara for 11 Nathan
Bracken and Mitchell Johnson being the bowlers.
Sri Lanka had a bit of a batting revival when skipper Mahela
Jayawardena (50) off 66 deliveries, Tillekeratne Dilshan (62) off 70
deliveries and a late 35 by Chamara Silva 35 took them to their final
score of 221. Nathan Bracken was the top wicket taker for the Aussies.
SRI LANKA
M. Perera lbw b Lee 5
S. Jayasuriya c Hussey b Bracken 23
K. Sangakkara c Hussey b Johnson 11
M. Jayawardene lbw b Hogg 51
C. Kapugedera c Gilchrist b Hopes 2
T. Dilshan run out (Hopes) 61
C. Silva c Johnson b Bracken 35
N. Kulasekara b Bracken 14
L. Malinga c Hopes b Lee 0
M. Muralitharan b Bracken 1
M. Amerasinghe not out 5
Extras (1lb, 8w, 4nb) 13
TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 221
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12 (Perera), 2-32 (Jayasuriya), 3-42 (Sangakkara),
4-61 (Kapugedera), 5-125 (Jayawardene), 6-185 (Dilshan),
7-206 (Silva), 8-208 (Malinga), 9-212 (Muralitharan), 10-221 (Kulasekara)
BOWLING: Lee 10-1-55-2 (2nb, 1w), Bracken 10-3-29-4,
Johnson 10-1-54-1 (2nb, 2w), Hopes 8-0-32-1, Hogg 10-1-33-1, Clarke 2-0-17-0 (2w)
AUSTRALIA
A. Gilchrist c Malinga b Kulasekara 83
J. Hopes b Muralitharan 28
R. Ponting lbw Kulasekara 1
M. Clarke b Amerasinghe 0
M. Hussey b Kapugedera 5
A. Symonds c Sangakkara b Amerasinghe 0
B. Haddin lbw Malinga 7
B. Hogg lbw Muralitharan 21
B. Lee b Jayasuriya 37
M. Johnson c Jayawardene b Amerasinghe 3
N. Bracken not out 14
Extras (3lb, 6w) 9
TOTAL (48.1 overs) 208
FALL OF WICKETS: 107 (Hopes), 113 (Gilchrist), 115 (Clarke),
115 (Ponting), 115 (Symonds), 123 (Haddin),
142 (Hussey), 158 (Hogg), 173 (Johnson), 208 (Lee).
BOWLING: Malinga 9-1-48-1 (2w), Kulasekera 10-3-36-2,
Amerasinghe 10-2-44-3 (1w), Muralitharan 10-0-42-2 (1w),
Kapugedera 6-0-24-1 (2w), Perera 3-0-11-0, Jayasuriya 0.1-0-0-1. |
