COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — In a dominant performance, Sri Lanka triumphed over Australia by 174 runs in the second one-day international match on Friday, completing a clean sweep of the two-match series with a 2-0 victory. Kusal Mendis led the charge with his fifth century, while Dunith Wellalage showcased his bowling prowess with four wickets.
Sri Lanka batted first after winning the toss, posting a competitive score of 281 runs for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 50 overs. The Australian side struggled in reply, collapsing dramatically to be bowled out for just 107 runs in the 25th over, losing their last seven batsmen for a mere 28 runs.
Mendis topped the Sri Lankan scoring with an impressive 101 runs, receiving solid support from the captain, Charith Asalanka, who contributed an unbeaten 78 runs following his century in the previous match. “I’m really satisfied with our progress. We were at a low ranking just a few months ago,” stated Mendis. “Our hard work is now paying off.”
Opener Nishan Madushka also made an impression, scoring his second half-century in ODIs with a total of 51 runs. Fast bowler Sean Abbott recorded the best bowling figures for Australia with 1-41. Australia’s total marks its second lowest against Sri Lanka, the only lower score being an all-out total of 74 in 2013. Furthermore, Sri Lanka’s victory margin stands as the largest they have achieved against Australia in ODIs.
“We aimed for the top order to bat longer,” explained Mendis. “Given the heat, we anticipated they might struggle, so we focused on building our innings.” The match began with Aaron Hardie claiming an early wicket, dismissing Pathum Nissanka for just six runs when the team score was 15. However, Kusal Mendis and Madushka partnered to put together a 98-run partnership for the second wicket over the course of 115 balls.
Madushka’s innings included one six and four boundaries before being caught out by Adam Zampa off the bowling of Ben Dwarshuis. Following that, Kamindu Mendis was dismissed cheaply for four, leaving Sri Lanka at 121-3. The partnership between Kusal Mendis and Asalanka was also significant, contributing 94 runs, with Asalanka hitting three sixes and six boundaries throughout his 78-run knock off 66 deliveries. Kusal Mendis struck a total of 11 boundaries in his 115-ball innings.
In the Australian innings, Asitha Fernando managed to dismiss Matthew Short leg before wicket for six runs, while Jake Fraser-McGurk was caught out by Asalanka for nine. Travis Head, who scored 18, was also caught in the deep by substitute fielder Avishka Fernando. A momentary recovery came from Steven Smith and Josh Inglis, who added 46 runs for the fourth wicket, but once Wellalage bowled Inglis for 22, the Australian innings fell apart. Glenn Maxwell was dismissed for just one run by Wellalage, and Smith ended up being the highest scorer for Australia with 29 runs before being trapped lbw by Wanindu Hasaranga.
Wellalage finished with impressive figures of 4-35, while both Fernando and Hasaranga took three wickets apiece. The Australian team made five changes for this match, bringing back Head, Maxwell, and Inglis after they were rested in the previous game, in which Australia lost by 49 runs. Dwarshuis and leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha were also included in the squad, while Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, Cooper Connolly, Spencer Johnson, and Nathan Ellis were omitted.
Australian captain Smith remarked that his team was trying out different combinations ahead of the Champions Trophy scheduled later this month in Pakistan and the UAE. “We aimed to experiment and provide everyone with an opportunity to get some game time. We’re hopeful that we can learn from this experience and perform well in Pakistan,” he stated. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka opted to drop opener Avishka Fernando in favor of bringing in Nishan Madushka.
