Sri Lanka square series with hard fought 26 run win

Rex Clementine at Pallekele

Seamer Chamika Karunaratne claimed career best figures of three for 47 as Sri Lanka squared the five match ODI series against Australia with a 26 run win on Thursday in Kandy.

Chasing a revised target of 216 in 44 overs, Australia were bowled out for 189 with more than five overs remaining in the innings.

Karunaratne was the hero for Sri Lanka as he tested the Australian batsmen with clever change of pace. He was well backed up by Dushmantha Chameera, who finished with two for 19.

It was a tremendous effort by the Sri Lankan side without their key bowler leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who was ruled out from the game with a groin injury. Youngster Dunith Wellalage and part-time spinner Dhananjaya de Silva were handy with their spin claiming two wickets apiece.

The turning point of the game was when Karunaratne dismissed Glenn Maxwell. The middle order batsman was playing spin so well and had raced to 30 off 25 balls in five fours. Then, Chamika Karunaratne tested Maxwell with a short ball which the batsman tried to pull but didn’t get the execution right and was caught at point.

Karunaratne’s brilliance saw wicketkeeper Alex Carey run out in the same over and Australia were down to the tail and there was not much of resistance as Chameera cleaned up the lower order.

Australia have been forced to scrape the barrel given the number of injuries to their bowlers. The tourists were forced to airlift Travis Head and Matthew Kuhnemann from Hambantota (225 kilometers from Kandy) where Australia ‘A’ were playing an unofficial Test match against Sri Lanka ‘A’. Marcus Stonis (side), Kane Richardson (hamstring) and Sean Abbott (finger) have returned home from the tour due to injuries while Mitchell Starc (finger), Mitchell Marsh (calf) and Ashton Agar (side) are remaining on tour while nursing injuries hoping to be fit for the tail end of the series.

Virtually playing with a second string attack, Test captain Pat Cummins rose to the occasion with a four wicket haul to restrict Sri Lanka to 220 for nine in 47.4 overs.

Cummins had dismissed Danushka Gunathilaka for 18 and then when Kusal Mendis (36) and Dhananjaya de Silva (34) had added 61 runs for the third wicket, he came back to break the partnership by dismissing de Silva. In his third spell, he dismissed Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage in successive overs. Cummins’ extra pace and bounce tested the Sri Lankans who never had any momentum in their innings with none of the batsmen able to post a half-century.

Sri Lanka’s innings was halted on 220 for nine with 14 deliveries remaining as rain came down. Australia were set a revised target of 216 in 43 overs.