Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka, held the other end firmly as wickets fell. In order to make up for the batting failure, he attempted to establish some middle-field partnerships, but none were successful. He teamed up with spinner Dunith Wellalage, who came into bat at number seven and scored a vital knock of thirty runs. For the seventh wicket, the pair forged a 67-run partnership.
In the first ODI, Sri Lanka defeated Australia in a thrilling match in Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium. When Sri Lanka chose to bat first after winning the toss, their top order fell apart like a deck of cards. They were reeling at 31/4 at one point. Kusal Mendis’ 19-run innings was the greatest score among the top four batters.
However, Asalanka demonstrated his ability to withstand the excellent Australian bowling. In the 43rd over, he scored his fourth ODI century. As soon as the scoreboard showed 214 runs, Asalanka left, allowing the Australian attack to easily overwhelm the lower order. Ultimately, Sri Lanka scored 214 runs, which was a decent total.
The Player of the Match award went to Charith Asalanka.
In every manner, it was a target for tourists, yet they received the same treatment as those who visited Sri Lanka. Following Steve Smith’s dismissal, the squad was on the verge of collapse at 31/4. However, the 52-run partnership between Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne for the fifth wicket was short-lived. Both players left with respective scores of 15 and 41 runs.
During Sri Lanka’s innings, Aaron Hardie found himself in a similar predicament as Asalanka. However, the all-round player was lacking in gas and other teammates’ contributions. After hitting a tough 32 runs, he was the ninth man out, and Sri Lanka won by 49 runs, bowling out Australia for a pitiful 165. With a four-fer, Maheesh Theekhshana was Sri Lanka’s best bowler, while Asalanka was named Player of the Match.
Here’s how ‘X’ users reacted to Sri Lanka’s win:
SRI LANKA BEAT AUSTRALIA BY 49 RUNS. pic.twitter.com/3jwy3Ft9Yr
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 12, 2025
One more example, sri lanka can trap any team in their conditions in one day format #AusvsSri
— Abhishek Panchare (@140yorker) February 12, 2025
Sri Lanka staged an epic comeback from 55/5 and 135/8 to clinch a thrilling victory against Australia, spearheaded by Captain Charith Asalanka!
This remarkable turnaround is one of the finest in ODI cricket in recent times!#charithasalanka #AusvsSri #SteveSmith pic.twitter.com/RLLJyVNf9e
— Rajesh Singh (@THEVAJRA85) February 12, 2025
Sri Lanka secures a thrilling victory in the first ODI against Australia ! 🎉 Charith Asalanka shines with a stellar performance, earning the well-deserved Man of the Match! 🏆 #SLvsAUS #CharithAsalanka #Cricket #AusvsSri#AusvsSL Australia
Team in balance Steve Smith pic.twitter.com/tySEIkqugL— Rahul Maggo (@RahulMaggo10) February 12, 2025
FROM 30-4 TO WIN THE MATCH. GREATES COMEBACK OF THIS YEAR#AusvsSri #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/SQGsyOVj0x
— FA (@FaheemaLi_66) February 12, 2025
#AusvsSri
Sri Lanka driving seat
Against Australia pic.twitter.com/pWwmdHlFhU— Sajjad Ali Baloch (@SajjadShar) February 12, 2025
#ChampionsTrophy2025
Sri Lanka win against Australia 49 runs margin#AusvsSri pic.twitter.com/PtwcWH77gi— Sajjad Ali Baloch (@SajjadShar) February 12, 2025
SIRI LANKA defeat Australia by 49 runs #AusvsSri | #zelena #INDvsENG | #PAKvsSA pic.twitter.com/YvQehuEl4o
— Tayyab Says🇵🇰🇵🇸 (@tayyab_ibn_adam) February 12, 2025
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