Sports
Mahela’s half-century takes Sri Lanka to 253/8
Jun 17, 201309:29 PM
Sent to bat, Sri Lanka posted 253 for eight against Australia in the crucial Group A match of the Champions Trophy on Monday.
Sri Lankans were rocked early as Mitchell Johnson and Clint McKay accounted for the wickets of Kushal Perera (4) and Kumar Sangakkara (3), respectively, within the first four overs of their final Group A match.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and the promoted Thirimanne then took up the task of steadying the wobble. The duo calmly went about the rebuilding, scoring just above four runs an over. It took a great diving catch at first slip by Shane Watson to break the 72-run stand in the 23rd over as Xavier Doherty picked up his first wicket.
This brought the elder statesman, Jayawardene, to the crease. The 36-year-old lost Thirimanne (57) and his skipper Angelo Mathews (12) within the space of five overs as Australia threatened to claw back into the match with about 20 overs to go.
However, Jayawardene found a responsible partner in Dinesh Chandimal who put his hand up and aided his senior teammate. The pair slowly upped the run-rate to five, even as Jayawardene crossed the 11,000-run mark in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), becoming only the eighth batsman in the world to do so.
Chandimal, in a bid to slog in the death overs, holed out to mid-on after a mishit off Johnson’s off-cutter, breaking a handsome 65-run stand and giving the left-handed pacer his third wicket.
The Lankans lost two more wickets in the last three overs, even as Jayawardene remained unbeaten on 84 off 81 balls — a responsible knock that included 11 boundaries.
Australia skipper George Bailey won the toss and opted to bowl against Sri Lanka. Both Australia and Sri Lanka have named unchanged squads for the match.
A win will seal Sri Lanka’s place in the last four while a defeat will see them go home. If Sri Lanka restrict Aus to 164, they will top the table.
If Australia win this in 29.1 overs, they are through to the next round. If Australia win this after 29.1 overs, New Zealand are through.
