On Friday, February 14, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and decided to bat first in the second ODI of the two-match series in Colombo. With a strong century of 101 from 115 deliveries, wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis kept the team in the match even after Pathum Nissanka was dismissed early. Important strikes from Asalanka (78* off 66 deliveries) and opener Nishan Mudushka (51 off 70 deliveries) also helped him. This was sufficient for Sri Lanka to ultimately reach a strong score of 281.
This was always going to be a difficult chase for the Australians on a track that gave the spinners plenty of turn and grip. The visitors were ultimately swept out for just 107 runs, and not a single Australian batsman had any influence on the match.
In the end, Dunith Wellalage was the best bowler, finishing with figures of 4/35. Wanindu Hasaranga and Asitha Fernando also claimed three wickets apiece. The Australians’ ODI series ended disappointingly, while Sri Lanka’s 174-run victory and 2-0 clean sweep following a dismal Test series was the ideal rebound.
Talking points from 2nd ODI
1. Biggest win for Sri Lanka against Australia in ODIs
The Sri Lankans won the most runs against the six-time ODI World Cup winners in this match, dominating nearly every aspect of the match. The spinners ensured the Australians never got away at all, and Asitha Fernando ripped through the batting order as the Lankan bowlers bowled with great regularity.
2. Steve Smith’s captaincy comeback starts badly
In ODIs, Steve Smith assumed captaincy after a long absence, and he would not have preferred to begin in this manner. Going into the Champions Trophy, he won’t feel very confident since there will be a lot of questions about how he led the team.
Who Said What?
Winning skipper, Charith Asalanka and Player of the Series:
There is no mantra. I just wanted to score big hundreds and get three-four wickets from each man. Clearly the pitch had low bounce today than the last game. No seam movement. But a good pitch. Kusal Mendis and Nishan Madushka set the platform for us. Australia also bowled well but today is our day. Both days went really well. When I go to bat, I don’t think about captaincy. I am a No. 5 batter for the team. It is disappointing to miss out of Champions Trophy. But don’t need to look back and think much. But we should not repeat the mistakes and look forward to such form.
Losing skipper, Steve Smith
We have been outplayed in these last two games. We keep moving forward, credit to Sri Lanka, they played well in these surfaces. Thought their bowlers exceptionally well. These wickets skidded more than the Test wickets. It has been a fun time here in Sri Lanka. Some great memories made in the last few weeks.
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