David Warner’s fiery knock and lethal bowling from the hosts outclassed Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Adelaide Oval. The men in black won by a massive margin of 134 runs.

Return to the T20I side and that too on his 33rd birthday, Aussie opener David Warner wanted to make the day memorable and he did it in style.  Warner scored his maiden T20I hundred in just 50 balls and powered Australia to a mammoth score of 233 in 20 overs.

With 10 fours and 4 massive sixes, Warner remained at the crease till the end and made sure the hosts end on a high. Skipper Aaron Finch also played a blinder of an innings as he scored 64 off just 36 balls. The stage was all set for Glenn Maxwell to come and attack right from the word go and he did exactly that. Maxwell hammered 62 off just 28 balls and helped Warner to reach to his hundred.

Kasun Rajitha had a nightmare of a day to forget as he conceded 75 runs in just 4 overs and also departed for a second-ball duck. Only Sandakan and Shanaka managed to pick up one wicket each, although they both were expensive as well.

In reply, Sri Lanka batters had a mountain to climb and they called for further trouble after a really poor start. Kusal Mendis was the first man to depart for a duck followed by Gunathilaka and Rajapaksa.

With 13/3, Sri Lanka already looked like out of the game and Australia’s clinical bowling made sure that they close all doors to make a comeback into the game. 

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa led the bowling attack with three wickets while Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins picked up two wickets each to restrict visitors to only 99 with the loss of 9 wickets.

Brief score: AUS 233/2 (20 ov)| Warner 100*, Maxwell 62 | Shanaka 1/10 
SL 99/9 (20 ov) | Perera 16 | Starc 2/18, Zampa 3/14

-Agencies