Shanaka magic scripts incredible run chase
View(s):
With Sri Lanka needed 59 off the last three overs, the defeat was written firmly on the wall, but Shanaka’s magical hitting in the last three overs brought a smile to the faces as Sri Lanka completed incredible win to lose the series 2-1.
Shanaka had scored just 6 runs off his first 13 balls but smashed 48 off the last 12 balls to script a never-to-forget victory against the world champions.
Ashton Agar bowled a tidy over, conceding just six runs off the 17th over, pushing Sri Lanka into further disarray, until Australia’s most sought after paceman, Josh Hazlewood was taken to the cleaners by Shanaka.
Two consecutive sixes, followed by two back-to-back boundaries and a single to end up the over, would have haunted Hazelwood, who ended up his quota of four overs by conceding 22 runs in the final over. Until then he had claimed two scalps, giving away just three runs.
The penultimate over from Jhye Richardson was another feast for Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne, who collectively added 18 runs, bringing down the requirement to 19 off the final over. With pressure mounting paceman Kane Richardson took the challenge, yet he threw the first two deliveries wide with Shanaka facing. After two singles off two legal deliveries, still the task of steering his side towards a win was on the shoulders of Shanaka, who slammed two consecutive boundaries and then a massive six, his fourth, to tie the game with a delivery remaining. With the six Shanaka reached his half century, a brilliant knock of 54 not out, off 25 deliveries, with bulk of the scoring coming from boundaries. Shanaka did not have the trouble of making that extra effort, when Richardson fired his third wide of the over, awarding Sri Lanka the much anticipated, yet unlike victory with a delivery remaining.
By then, Shanaka and Karunaratne had shared an unbroken stand of 69 runs for the seventh wicket, with the latter ending his role at 14 not out off 10 balls, inclusive of two boundaries. Earlier on, the Sri Lanka top order continued their dismal form. The unsettled middle-order added more salt to the wound. Opener Pathum Nissanka (27) and Charith Asalanka (26) were able to bring in some hope, but others failed to settle in when the team needed most.
As usual Hazlewood was the neat wrecker, but yesterday the Lankan skipper avoided a possible chance of him becoming the player of the series, with that bashing in the 18th over. Yet Hazlewood and Marcus Stoinis claimed two wickets apiece.
Having the comfort of already snatching the three-match series, Australia decided to bat first after winning the toss, only to continue their usual rampage. Openers David Warner and skipper Aaron Finch made sure they put up that usual rock solid opening partnership. Finch was sent back as the first Australian wicket at 43, but by then he had made 29 off 20 deliveries, which proved sufficient, to earn him the player of the series award following his previous knocks of 24 and 61 not out. Warner, who made 39 off 33, emerged the top scorer for the Australians, who also had solid contributors in Marcus Stoinis, who hit 38 off 23 and Steven Smith, who remained unbeaten on 37 after facing 27 balls. The only Sri Lanka bowler to complete with a decent figure was spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who claimed two scalps.
| SCORECARD | |
| Australia David Warner lbw b Theekshana 39 Aaron Finch b Theekshana 29 Glenn Maxwell c Gunathilaka b Hasaranga 16 Steven Smith not out 37 Josh Inglis run out 00 Marcus Stoinis st Mendis b Jayawickrama 38 Matthew Wade not out 13 Extra (nb1, w3) 04 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 176 Did not out: Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Finch, 5.4), 2-85 (Maxwell, 9.6), 3-85 (Warner, 10.1), 4-85 (Inglis, 10.2), 5-133 (Stoinis, 15.6) Bowling: Chamika Karunaratne 3-0-19-0, Dushmantha Chameera 4-0-46-0, Maheesh Theekshana 4-0-25-2, Dasun Shanaka 1-0-10-0, Wanindu Hasaranga 4-0-33-1, Praveen Jayawaickrama 4-0-43-1 Sri Lanka Danushka Gunathilaka c J. Richardson b Hazlewood 15 Pathum Nissanka c Hazlewood b Stoinis 27 Charith Asalanka c Finch b Finch 26 Bhanuka Rajapaksa lbw b Agar 17 Kusal Mendis b Hazlewood 06 Dasun Shanaka not out 54 Wanindu Hasaranga c Finch b J. Richardson 08 Chamika Karunaratne not out 14 Extras (b1, lb4, w5) 10 Total (6 wickets; 19,5 overs) 177 Did not bat: Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Gunathilaka, 3.2), 2-67 (Asalanka, 8.2), 3-81 (Nissanka, 10.5), 4-96 (Rajapaksa, 12.2), 5-98 (Mendis, 13.5), Hasaranga, 15.4) Bowling: Jhye Richardson 4-0-46-1, Josh Hazlewood 4-1-25-2, Kane Richardson 2.5-0-44-0, Ashton Agar 4-0-23-1, Glenn Maxwell 3-0-26-0, Marcus Stoinis 2-0-8-2 |