Dilshan and Jayawardena help Lankans waltz to victory
Win second of three finals by 8 wickets:
Elmo Rodrigopulle Reporting From Australia
A magnificent 179 first wicket stand by Mahela Jayawardena 80 and
Tillakaratne Dilshan 106 in 165 balls helped Sri Lanka waltz to an 8
wicket win over Australia to square the series 1- all with the final of
the Commonwealth Bank Tri series to be played at the same venue-Adelaide
Oval on Thursday.
Chasing Australia’s 271 for victory, the Sri Lankans made 274 for 2
in 44.2 overs.
After Jayawardena and Dilshan massacred the Aussie bowling, Kumar
Sangakkara 51 in 57 balls with 5 fours and Dinesh Chandimal 17 off 17
with 2 fours saw Sri Lanka home without further loss.
Dilshanwhio was the Player of the match notched his 12th one-day
hundred. He was arrogant as usual with his stroke play. Jayawardena on
the other hand played another captain’s innings and was unlucky to miss
a three figure score.
Jayawardena and Dilshan did not allow the Aussie bowlers to settle
down. From the first ball they took the attack to the bowlers and made
the bowling look ordinary.
They ran the singles well with good running between the wickets,
found the boundaries with ease and there was nothing that the bowlers
and fielders could do. Most times they were made to stand and admire the
audacious stroke play.
After being unlucky to lose the first of three finals in Brisbane by
165 runs, the Lankans put that defeat behind them and with a gallant
effort rallied to bounce back and lynch the homesters.
After their defeat in the first of three finals in Brisbane, The
Lankans were determined to win the second one and go for the decider in
the game on Thursday.
The Lankans for no justifiable reason benched Dhammika Prasad, who
did everything right in Brisbane and pushed in new arrival Chamara
Kapugedera.
Australia left out paceman Ben Hilfenhaus who went for runs in
Brisbane and swung in another seamer Clint McKay.
Michael Clarke won the toss like he did in Brisbane and said that he
would like to put a formidable score on the board and put the Lankan
batsmen under pressure.
Jayawardena when asked said that they had brought in batsman
Kapugedera in an effort to chase whatever score the hosts make and win.
Before going to comment on the Australian batting, I must take the
Lankans to task for their poor fielding, both on the ground in the air.
If the ground fielding was poor the catching was putrid. To say the
least in was an utter disgrace.
Believe it or not the Lankans grassed six catches. The malady set in
when Tillakaratne Dilshan dropped the first catch. Ranga Herath, (two),
Nuwan Kulesekera, Lasith Malinga and Lahiru Thirimanne followed.
It was also unbecoming to see Mahela Jayawardena the usually cool as
cucumber skipper losing his cool and exchanging words with the umpires.
Maybe Jayawardena did not agree with the decision by the umpire who
signalled no ball to a ball that looked going above the waist of batsman
Michael Clarke only after the batsman signalled to the umpire after the
four was signalled.
Those incidents apart back to back to back centuries from left hander
David Warner who made 163 in Brisbane and 100 in 138 balls with 4 fours
and a six and a captain’s knock of 117 in 91 balls with 5 fours and 4
sixes took the Aussies to 271 for 5 in 50 overs.
Warner and Clarke were associated in a big stand of 184 for the third
wicket after losing Matthew Wade 14 and Shane Watson 15 at 56.
It was apparent that both Warner with a groin injury and Clarke with
a back problem were batting in great pain. In the circumstances the
centuries they made were great.
Considering that six catches were dropped, the bowlers did well to
restrict the Aussies to 271 which looks a gettable score on a wicket
that was good or batting. When the final 10 overs began Australia were
189 for 2. They conceded 82 in the last 10 with Clarke cutting loose.
Adelaide Oval, Tuesday
S C O R E C A R D
Australia
M. Wadeb Dilshan 14
D. Warner c Dilshan b Malinga 100
S. Watson run out (Maharoof) 15
M. Clarke run out (Herath) 117
M. Hussey b Malinga 06
D. Hussey b Malinga 07
D. Christian not out 04
Extras (b2, lb3, w2, nb1) 08
Total (6 wickets for; 50 overs) 271
Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Wade), 2-56 (Watson), 3-240 (Warner), 4-256 (M. Hussey), 5-266 (Clarke), 6-271 (D. Hussey)
Bowling: Dilshan 10-0-40-1, Kulasekara 10-0-57-0 (1w), Malinga 10-1-40-3,Maharoof 10-0-71-0 (1nb), Herath 10-0-58-0 (1w)
Did not bat: B. Lee, J. Pattinson,X. Doherty, C. McKay
Sri Lanka
M. Jayawardene lbw b Pattinson 80
T. Dilshan c M. Hussey b Lee 106
K. Sangakkara not out 51
D. Chandimal not out 17
Extras (b4, lb4, w9, nb3) 20
Total (2 wickets for; 44.2 overs) 274
Fall of wickets: 1-179 (Jayawardene), 2-234 (Dilshan)
Bowling: Lee 8-1-41-1 (3w), McKay 9-0-51-0 (1nb), Pattinson 8-1-47-1 (2nb, 3w/5),
Doherty 9-0-55-0, Christian 4-0-29-0, D. Hussey 1-0-8-0 (1w), Watson 5.2-0-35-0
Did not bat: L. Thirimanne, U. Tharanga, C. Kapugedera, F. Maharoof, N. Kulasekara, L. Malinga, R. Herath |
