Australia will need a record chase to claim victory at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo after fifties to Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Perera pushed Sri Lanka to 288 in the second ODI. James Faulkner became the sixth Australian to take an ODI hat-trick, Adam Zampa bowled well for three wickets and Mitchell Starc also collected three, but Australia’s collective “fifth bowler” leaked runs at an alarming rate.
The highest successful chase at the ground came in 2012, when India were set 287 to win and scraped home with two balls to spare. On that occasion, as on this occasion, Sri Lanka had set the big target after a wobbly start was followed by a pair of century partnerships. This time, it was a 125-run stand between Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, and then a 103-run combination between Mathews and Perera that drove Sri Lanka.
At least Australia prevented the hosts from reaching 300, which looked very much on the cards with just a few overs remaining. However, Faulkner’s hat-trick, and a couple of late wickets to Starc his pace and accuracy were too much for Dilruwan Perera and Amila Aponso, both bowled in the 49th over – ensured Sri Lanka were dismissed with seven balls to spare.
Faulkner’s hat-trick was spread across two overs. First, Kusal Perera was lbw on 54, trying a reverse sweep to a slower cutter from the final ball of the 46th over. The first delivery of the 48th over brought the wicket of Mathews for 57, when he drilled one down the ground that was caught just inside the boundary by Moises Henriques. Thisara Perera was bowled the ball after that, making Faulkner the first Australian to take an ODI hat-trick since Clint McKay in 2013.
Sri Lanka’s wickets fell in clusters: 2 for 12 at the top of the order, 3 for 21 in the middle, and then the last five for 27 runs. Australia did not help themselves with some sloppy fielding – a run-out chance was missed early, and Zampa dropped the sittingest of sitters in the 42nd over when Kusal Perera’s top edge lobbed up to short third man off Moises Henriques. But Sri Lanka’s two key pairs deserve much credit.
Mathews and Perera came together with the score at 158 for 5 and combined some attacking strokeplay with the ability to rotate the strike. Mathews launched a pair of sixes off Nathan Lyon in the 40th over and his fifty came off 55 balls; Perera struck five fours and one six, and brought up his half-century from 47 deliveries.
The Mendis-Chandimal partnership had been worth 125, a fine rescue job after Sri Lanka lost both openers within the first four overs of the match. Chandimal signalled his intention to not allow Sri Lanka’s poor start to affect him when he danced down the pitch in the eighth over to loft Lyon – who had opened the bowling with Mitchell Starc – over long-on for six. But the big runs came as soon as Lyon was taken out of the attack.
Steven Smith’s decision to use the part-time offspin of Travis Head inside the first 10 overs backfired spectacularly when Mendis plundered Head for 20 runs off his first over. Head spoke on the eve of the match of his desire to improve his bowling to the point where he could be considered a genuine spin option, but judging by the evidence of this match, he is still some way off: his four overs cost 41 runs.
Chandimal fell two runs short of becoming the first Sri Lankan to score six consecutive ODI fifties. On 48, he was the victim of a remarkable review off the bowling of Zampa. Chandimal advanced and tried to work Zampa to leg, but the ball cannoned into wicketkeeper Matthew Wade’s midriff. When Wade recovered, he appealed for lbw and convinced Smith to ask for a review. Replays confirmed the ball had struck Chandimal’s pad on the way through, and would have hit the stumps.
Zampa added the key wicket of Mendis to his tally in his next over. Mendis, who had scored all around the ground and brought up his second fifty of the series from his 48th delivery, was done in by Zampa’s googly, trapped lbw, so plumb that he did not seriously consider asking for a review. Zampa’s third came when Dhananjaya de Silva drove a catch to short cover, and Zampa finished with 3 for 42 from his 10 overs.
Sri Lanka’s innings began shakily, with wickets from consecutive deliveries at the end of the third over and the beginning of the fourth. Danushka Gunathilaka, brought in for this match at the expense of Milinda Siriwardana, was bowled by Starc for 2; next ball, Tillakarante Dilshan was bowled behind his legs by Nathan Lyon, operating around the wicket.
Sri Lanka were 12 for 2, but as was the case in the Tests, Kusal Mendis rebuilt after the openers had failed. Australia’s problem was the runs leaked from outside the four frontline bowlers. Between them, Head and Henriques cost 81 from nine overs. Now, both those men – listed in the top-six – will have much batting work to do to help Australia out of their hole.
