COLOMBO: Sri Lankan left-handed batsman Charith Asalanka shone with his first ODI century before the bowlers controlled their nerves to power the home team past Australia in a thriller and seal the five-match series 3-1 with a game to play.
In the fourth ODI of the five-match series, Sri Lanka sealed a thrilling victory over Australia by four runs to take an unassailable 3-1 lead on the back of Asalanka’s brilliant century in the early innings.
Set to chase 259, Australia was eliminated four races from victory when Dasun Shanaka kept his nerves calm to avoid Matthew Kuhnemann’s late attack and successfully defended 19 in the final.
The tour side got off to a poor start to their career as they lost their first wicket in the third for a combined score of three. The side continued to lose wickets at a steady rate, while left-handed starter David Warner held his ground and single-handedly kept the score.
Warner, who was eyeing his 19th century ODI, came up short in the 38th when Dhananjaya de Silva claimed his wicket after some brilliant work behind Niroshan Dickwella’s stumps. The left-handed batsman scored 99 on 112 balls, laced with 12 bounds.
Following Warner’s firing, the touring side’s hopes also seemed to have dwindled, but Pat Cummins’ gritty cameo shined a ray of hope for them. Chamira Karunaratne, however, caught Cummins in her legs for 35 and took the game away from Australia.
Kahnemann, then, brought the touring team back into the game with his handy cameo, but was unable to carry his side to the end as he lost his wicket on the final ball, while Australia needed five to win.
For Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Karunaratne and de Silva each bagged two wickets, while Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana and Shanaka each struck out one batter.
Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a commendable 258 before being eliminated in 49 overs, thanks to Asalanka’s century and a magnificent fifty from de Silva.
The side got off to a similar dismal start as they lost three wickets for just 34 runs in the 10th. Asalanka and de Silva then anchored the innings with a gutsy 101-run partnership for fourth wicket and bolstered Sri Lanka to a respectable total.
Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh then struck a second time to break the all-important partnership when he took out De Silva with a short delivery. The right-handed batsman went 60-for-61 with the help of seven bounds.
Asalanka, on the other hand, stood firm and continued to score as Sri Lanka’s batting queue crumbled with little contributions from batsmen. The left-handed hitter was the leading scorer for his team with 110 runs on 106 deliveries, including 10 bounds and a six.
For Australia, Kuhnemann, Marsh and Cummins each chose two wickets, while Glenn Maxwell made a scalp.
Following this victory, Sri Lanka have sealed the five-match ODI series 3-1 with one game remaining.
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