That’s all from us today, congratulations to Sri Lanka, on that form they will be sorely missed in the upcoming Champions Trophy. We’ll be back to bring you all the key games from that in a week or so and there will be a report of this game on the site very soon.
Thanks for joining, goodbye!
Post match presentation:
Kusal Mendis is Player of the Match:
I am very happy today. First couple of overs we had to play the new ball and Nishan (Madushka) batted well and supported me. I played well at the death. This track was a little slow and turned, we batted well, myself and Charith and Nishan batted well and handed the pitch well. Charith (Asalanka) batted well after the 30th over. I enjoyed his batting!”
Steve Smith, Australia captain:
We have been outplayed in these last two games. We keep moving forward, all credit to Sri Lanka. They played well on these surfaces and I thought their bowlers did 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.”
Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka captain:
There is no mantra. I just wanted to score big totals and get three-four wickets from each man. Clearly the pitch had lower bounce today than the last game and no seam movement. But it was a good pitch. Kusal Mendis and Nishan Madushka set the platform for us. Australia also bowled well but today is our day.
When I go out to bat, I don’t think about captaincy. I am a No. 5 batter for the team. It is disappointing to miss out on the Champions Trophy but we don’t need to look back and think too much, we should not repeat the mistakes and look forward.”
So Australia lose the series 2-0 and head to Pakistan with bruised egos and plenty of things to ponder. They are missing some big name players and looked very vulnerable against spin.
Arf!
Does anyone know if Australia trained between the first and second ODIs?
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) February 14, 2025
Fantastic bowling from Sri Lanka. Seamer Asitha Fernando got the early wickets of Head, Short and Fraser-McGurk to pick up figures of 3-23 before Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage combined to spin out the rest of Australia’s batting card in emphatic fashion. Picking up 7-58 between them.
Sri Lanka win by 174 runs!
Zampa is bowled by Wellalage, the arm ball splatting the middle stump to seal an emphatic victory. Sri Lanka take the series 2-0 and are unbeaten in eleven series on home soil (ten wins and one draw). Australia are blown away and head to the Champions Trophy with plenty of questions to answer.
24th over: Australia 105-9 (Zampa 6, Sangha 5) Asitha Fernando should also get plenty of credit for his three wickets at the top of the order. He laid the foundation for the collapse with his clever use of cutters and pace off deliveries.
23rd over: Australia 101-9 (Zampa 5, Sangha 2) Wellalage can’t find the coup de grace so on we go. Sangha nudges a single.
Updated
22nd over: Australia 100-9 (Zampa 5, Sangha 1) Zampa heaves across the line to pick up four runs. Australia were 79-3 when the collapse started. They now bring up their hundred… nine wickets down.
21st over: Australia 94-9 (Zampa 0, Sangha 0) Tanveer Sangha is Australia’s last batter. The visitors have been obliterated in this run chase.
WICKET! Dwarshuis c Malinga b Wellalage 9 (Australia 94-9)
Dwarshuis deploys the long handle and tries to salvage some pride. He nails a SIX but then falls later in the over trying to repeat the big shot. Australia on the brink!
20th over: Australia 86-8 (Dwarshuis 1, Zampa 0) Adam Zampa is in to play the innings of his life…Hasaranga tries to sneak to googly through but his fellow leggie defends stoutly to see out the over. Another wicket maiden. The Aussies are scorched earth in Colombo.
Updated
WICKET! Abbott lbw b Hasaranga (Australia 86-8)
STONE. DEAD. LBW. Abbot swipes across the line and misses. Nothing has ever been more out.
19th over: Australia 86-7 (Abbott 2, Dwarshuis 1) Wellalage with his dander well and truly up – he nearly gets Abbott with a top spinner that gets big on Abbott, the cut shot falling short of backward point.
18th over: Australia 83-7 (Abbott 0, Dwarshuis 0) Ben Dwarshuis defends the hat-trick ball – a googly from Hasaranga. What a passage of spin bowling this has been from the home side.
Sri Lanka take four wickets in 16 balls to reduce Australia to batting fumes.
WICKET! Smith lbw b Hasaranga 29 (Australia 83-7)
Wanindu Hasaranga gets Steve Smith LBW and is on a hat-trick!
17th over: Australia 80-6 (Smith 29, Abbott 0) Crikey! Wellalage nearly gets Sean Abbott first ball with one that skids on. Sri Lanka going for the kill in Colombo.
Updated
WICKET! Maxwell b Wellalage 1 (Australia 83-6)
Bowled him! Wellalage castles Maxwell third ball! Drift in to middle and then spins to take the top of off. Maxwell stands and stares but has to drag himself from the middle.
16th over: Australia 80-5 (Smith 27, Maxwell 0) Here’s Glenn Maxwell. Stand by your beds! That was a sharp catch by Kamindu to get rid of Hardie. Sri Lanka have been very impressive in this bowling innings.
WICKET! Hardie c Kamindu Mendis b Hasaranga 0 (Australia 80-5)
Gone! Hardie goes for a duck as he nicks Hasaranga to slip! Aussies in the mire now.
15th over: Australia 79-4 (Smith 26, Hardie 0) Aaron Hardie is the new batter, a lot of pressure on Smith to anchor now. Australia still have Maxwell to come but are still over 200 adrift.
WICKET! Inglis b Wellalage 22 (Australia 79-4)
Justice is done! Inglis plays all around an arm ball from Wellalage and his timbers are toppled. The third umpire decision doesn’t cost Sri Lanka that many in the end and the players take a drink to discuss further.
14th over: Australia 72-3 (Smith 23, Inglis 18) Sri Lanka can’t believe they haven’t got Inglis there and rightly so, that is a huge moment in this game with the partnership building between Smith and Inglis. With every further replay It looks like his foot was on the line but with nothing behind it.
Josh Inglis gets away with one! Hasaranga slides one past him and Kusal Mendis whips off the bails. The side on replays show that the batter has his foot on the line and nothing behind it at the key moment but Chris Gaffaney sees it differently in the third umpire’s chair and decides it is NOT OUT. I don’t think that is the correct decision. Has Gaffaney pressed the wrong button there?
13th over: Australia 67-3 (Smith 22, Inglis 14) Inglis flicks wristily to get four off Malinga and then guides to deep third for a single. He’s timing them well. Mockers alert! Smith repeats the shot to keep strike for the next over.
12th over: Australia 61-3 (Smith 21, Inglis 9) Decent battle between the batters and Hasaranga! Inglis drives a full ball away for four but after a single is partner is beaten by a beauty on the final ball as Hasaranga turns one past the edge.
11th over: Australia 54-3 (Smith 19, Inglis 4) Malinga is bowling a mix of cross seam and off cutter deliveries – he nearly gets the wicket of Smith with one that sticks in the pitch that the Aussie captain nearly plinks to mid off. Malinga gets it wrong and tosses down a no ball above waist height, Smith gets down on one knee to lash the free hit away over the in-field for four. Fifty up for Australia.
10th over: Australia 48-3 (Smith 15, Inglis 3) Shot! Smith whips Wellalage through midwicket for four and then follows up with a SIX lofted down the ground, using his feet well to trot out of his crease and get under a length ball. The bowler responds with three dot balls to see out the over.
9th over: Australia 38-3 (Smith 5, Inglis 3) Eshan Malinga into the attack and the seamer continues the theme of varying the pace, three runs off his first over as Australia look to re-build their innings.
Updated
8th over: Australia 35-3 (Smith 4, Inglis 2) Bowling change for Sri Lanka as Dunith Wellalage comes into the attack. It’s a good one to start with by the left arm spinner, landing it on a postage stamp and just a single off the over to Inglis.
7th over: Australia 34-3 (Smith 4, Inglis 1) Josh Inglis joins Smith in the middle, he gets off the mark with a scampered single dropped into the off side.
WICKET! Head c sub (WIA Fernando) b AM Fernando 18 (Australia 33-3)
Asitha bowls wicket to wicket and mixes up his pace, his knuckle ball is coming out like a maple-copter, it did for Fraser-McGurk. Three dots to Head… GONE! Head pulls the fourth ball but finds the man on the square leg fence. Sri Lanka celebrate a huge wicket! Australia teetering. Excellent bowling from Asitha Fernando who has taken all three wickets!
6th over: Australia 33-2 (Head 18, Smith 4) Head drives into the covers and takes a single. Theekshana floats down a full toss and Smith bunts it through cover for four to get off the mark. The bowler tightens up and targets the front pad, Smith defends cautiously.
5th over: Australia 28-2 (Head 17, Smith 0) Here comes Steve Smith.
WICKET! Fraser-McGurk c Asalanka b Asitha Fernando 9 (Australia 28-2)
JFM lasers a length ball from Asitha over point for a one bounce four. He then misses out on a pull and the ball clunks into his box. He was too early on the shot and the surface is a little two paced.
A slower ball then does for Fraser-McGurk! Asitha takes the pace off and the batter slaps it straight to the Sri Lankan skipper at mid off!
4th over: Australia 24-1 (Head 17, Fraser-McGurk 5) Theekshana sends down a testing over that sees Fraser-McGurk get a thick outside edge playing away from his body, the edge is DROPPED by the keeper though. It was a tough chance stood up as the deviation was big. Head clips for three behind square and JFM collects a single down the ground.
3rd over: Australia 20-1 (Head 14, Fraser-McGurk 4) Fraser-McGurk joins Head in the middle. He could do with a score… and that’ll help – he times his first ball sweetly off his pads through square leg for four.
WICKET! Short lbw b AM Fernando 2 (Australia 16-1)
Gone! It was an ugly hoick from Matt Short and the ball was smacking into the top of middle stump. Sri Lanka get their first scalp.
Short stands tall and crunches a drive but straight to mid off. He then attempts a gigantic moose across the line and misses – this looks very OUT! He’s reviewed because the umpire has raised the finger…
2nd over: Australia 16-0 (Head 14, Short 2) Maheesh Theekshana from the other end and the spinner launches into a huge appeal straight away as he thinks he’s pinned Head LBW! The umpire says not out and the bowler calls for a review immediately… am I missing something here? No. It pitched outside leg and Sri Lanka burn a review. That’s the Head fear factor creeping in I think. The home side know they have to pick him up cheaply.
1st over: Australia 14-0 (Head 13, Short 1) Travis Head and Matt Short open up for the Aussies. Asitha Fernando takes the new ball for Sri Lanka and has two slips in place. Will there be any movement early doors? Nope! It looks gun barrel straight out there and Travis Head looks in sparkling nick as he plunders three boundaries off the first over! A slap through point is followed by two meaty bunts down the ground. Australia off to a flier!
Thanks Rob and hello everyone. How do we see this one then? Sri Lanka played very well and have posted a challenging score on this Colombo wicket… then again Australia have got Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell in their side today and if just one of them comes off like we know they can then Australia could romp home.
We’ll be underway again in about five minutes.
Updated
Australia need 282 to win
Sri Lanka learned the lessons of their false start in the first ODI and laid a solid platform for the strokemakers in the middle order. Kusal Mendis anchored the innings with 101, allowing Charith Asalanka (78 not out from 66 balls) and Janith Liyanage (32 not out from 21) to have some fun at the death.
It feels like Sri Lanka are favourites but Travis Head could change that in the space of a few overs. Jim Wallace will be here for the run-chase. see you soon.
50th over: Sri Lanka 281-4 (Asalanka 78, Liyanage 32) Sri Lanka end with a flourish, pillaging 17 from Hardie’s final over. Asalanka was dropped over the boundary for six by Short at wide long on, a bad miss that was compounded when Asalanka swiped the next ball down the ground for six more.
That’s an excellent effort from Sri Lanka, who went through the gears and hammered 85 from the last eight overs.
49th over: Sri Lanka 264-4 (Asalanka 64, Liyanage 31) Liyanage flashes Abbott over the two men on the edge of the circle and away for four. He then shapes to scoop, realises the ball is well wide of off stump and tries to reverse scoop instead. He can barely reach the ball – it would have been a wide had he missed it – and toe-ends it nowhere.
He makes up for it by cuffing six more down the ground. That aside it was a canny last over from Abbott, who finishes with figures of 10-0-41-1. Sri Lanka have scored 68 from the last seven overs.
Updated
48th over: Sri Lanka 254-4 (Asalanka 64, Liyanage 21) This is a cracking cameo from Liyanage, who works Dwarshuis off the hip for another boundary. Asalanka scoops the last ball of Dwarshuis’s spell for four to move to 64 from 61 balls.
Dwarshuis suffered a bit at the death but overall he bowled pretty well: 10-1-47-1.
47th over: Sri Lanka 242-4 (Asalanka 58, Liyanage 15) Liyanage opens the face to steer Abbott for four, the first boundary Abbott has conceded all day, and then picks him up over backards square for a mighty six. Shot!
Three overs to go.
Updated
46th over: Sri Lanka 230-4 (Asalanka 57, Liyanage 4) Asalanka turns a good over for Australia into a good one for Sri Lanka by heaving Dwarshuis’s last ball through midwicket for four. That was perfectly placed.
Updated
Fifty for Asalanka
45th over: Sri Lanka 223-4 (Asalanka 52, Liyanage 2) Asalanka fiddles a Zampa googly for three, a classy stroke that brings up a stylish fifty from 54 balls. He probably wishes this was a five-match series because he’s in sublime form.
Five overs to go. Sri Lanka are well on course for 250, which most of the commentary team think would be extremely competitive.
Updated
WICKET! Sri Lanka 215-4 (Kusal c Short b Zampa 101)
Kusal slog-sweeps Zampa straight to deep midwicket, where Short takes a comfortable head-high catch. That was a terrific knock on an awkward pitch: 101 from 115 balls with 11 fours.
Kusal Mendis's fifth ODI hundred!
44th over: Sri Lanka 215-3 (Kusal 101, Asalanka 47) Kusal Mendis inside-edges Hardie for a single to reach a fine century from 113 balls. He’s playing second fiddle at the moment, despite reaching that milestone, and Asalanka pummels Hardie to the cover boundary to keep things moving. The last eight overs have gone for 63.
Updated
43rd over: Sri Lanka 205-3 (Kusal 99, Asalanka 41) Asalanka launches Sangha over extra cover for four to bring up Sri Lanka’s 200. A thick edge runs away for another boundary.
Kusal Mendis, on 99, faces only one delivery in the over. He can’t get it past mid-on so he’ll have to wait for his hundred.
42nd over: Sri Lanka 196-3 (Kusal 99, Asalanka 32) Kusal hooks Abbott for a single, one of five in the over, to move to 99. He was looking for two but Asalanka wisely said no.
Abbott has probably secured his Champions Trophy place with today’s performance: 8-0-19-1.
41st over: Sri Lanka 191-3 (Kusal 97, Asalanka 30) Sangha returns and beats Asalanka with a nice googly. Inglis whips off the bails and appeals for something and nothing; it missed the bat and Asalanka’s back foot went nowhere.
Kusal Mendis under-edges one slog sweep but carts the next through midwicket for four. He needs three more for his first ODI hundred gainst Australia.
40th over: Sri Lanka 184-3 (Kusal 92, Asalanka 28) Sean Abbott slows Sri Lanka down with another good over that yields four singles. He’s bowled seven overs without conceding a boundary.
39th over: Sri Lanka 180-3 (Kusal 90, Asalanka 26) Sri Lanka are on the charge. Kusal hits Hardie for successive boundaries, a slash past the keeper and an elegant chip over midwicket. A quick single takes him into the nineties; this is now his highest ODI score against the Aussies.
38th over: Sri Lanka 170-3 (Kusal 81, Asalanka 25) Kusal, who has struggled to time the ball in the last hour or so, drives Dwarshuis just over the leaping Head at mid-off. That’s his first boundary since the shot that brought up his fifty in the 22nd over.
Fraser-McGurk saves two with a terrific sprawling stop when Asalanka works Dwarshuis through square leg.
Sri Lanka have gone up a gear. After scoring 27 in nine overs, they’ve added 30 in the last five.
37th over: Sri Lanka 162-3 (Kusal 76, Asalanka 22) Asalanka is looking dangerous. He charges Zampa to smack an emphatic straight six, a signal that the charge is on. Zampa and Smith discuss an LBW review when Asalanka misses a whip across the line; they rightly decide against it.
There has been a bit of turn but overall the seamers have been much more effective.
Seam 19-1-55-3
Spin 18-0-105-0
36th over: Sri Lanka 152-3 (Kusal 75, Asalanka 14) Ben Dwarshuis, back in the attack, beats Kusal all ends up with a superb slower bouncer. Kusal swung so hard that he almost pulled a stomach muscle. A superb over from Dwarshuis concludes with a fuller delivery snaking past Kusal’s outside edge.
Drinks
35th over: Sri Lanka 150-3 (Kusal 74, Asalanka 13) Zampa is still hunting his first wicket of the series. Sri Lanka have played him well, with controlled aggression and good rotation of strike.
Two singles from that over, the last before the second drinks break. It feels like Sri Lanka are in a strong position, but the spinners have not had the expected impact. Yet.
34th over: Sri Lanka 148-3 (Kusal 73, Asalanka 12) There are a lot of one-over spells at the moment. Hardie returns and is belted straight four by Asalanka, the first boundary in 12 overs.
Eight from the over, Sri Lanka’s best for a while. These two could really hurt Australia if they get going.
Updated
33rd over: Sri Lanka 140-3 (Kusal 71, Asalanka 7) Adam Zampa, who still has six overs remaining, returns to the attack. Asalanka clouts a slog-sweep high towards cow corner, where the ball lands just in front of Maxwell running round the boundary. He slowed down briefly, conscious of Dwarshuis in his peripheral vision, and that probably Australia the wicket.
Six singles from the over.
Updated
32nd over: Sri Lanka 134-3 (Kusal 68, Asalanka 4) Hardie is replaced by Short after a one-over spell. It’s another over of singles and dot balls; Sri Lanka are building for an assault at the death but they need to be careful they don’t go down a blind alley.
31st over: Sri Lanka 131-3 (Kusal 66, Asalanka 3) Abbott took some tap from Asalanka in the first ODI, but so far today he has bowled with impressive accuracy. He has figures of 6-0-11-1 after another good over that ends with a short ball that zips from the pitch to hit Asalanka on the shoulder.
Sri Lanka have scored 18 for 2 in the last seven overs.
30th over: Sri Lanka 129-3 (Kusal 65, Asalanka 3) Maybe this pitch isn’t as awkward as we thought, certainly against the spinners: Australia’s have combined figures of 14-0-85-0.
Steve Smith is going with seam at both ends, bringing Aaron Hardie back into the attack. He has a biggish LBW debut turned down against Asalanka, who missed a flick across the line. It looked too high and Steve Smith decides against a review.
29th over: Sri Lanka 125-3 (Kusal 63, Asalanka 1) Not for the first time today, Abbott surprises the batter with a zippy bouncer that forces them to abort a planned hook shot; this time it was Kusal Mendis. Another fine over, just one from it.
28th over: Sri Lanka 124-3 (Kusal 62, Asalanka 1) Short replaces Maxwell. Inglis goes up for caught behind when Kusal misses a late cut; Australia decide against a review and replays show there was no edge.
Australia have pulled this back pretty well: the last six overs have produced 20 runs and two wickets.
27th over: Sri Lanka 121-3 (Kusal 60, Asalanka 0) The new batter is the captain Charith Asalanka, whose extraordinary century decided the first ODI.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 121-3 (Kamindu b Abbott 4)
Kamindu Mendis’s miserable trot continues when he drags the new bowler Sean Abbott back onto the stumps. He tried to drive a ball that came back into him from around the wicket; that usually spells trouble for a left-hander and this was no exception.
Updated
26th over: Sri Lanka 118-2 (Kusal 59, Kamindu 2) This is a chance for Australia to squeeze Sri Lanka. Kusal Mendis defends Maxwell into the ground, tries to knock the ball to Josh Inglis and almost hits it onto the stumps. I guess that would still have been out even though he was only trying to help the fielding side.
25th over: Sri Lanka 115-2 (Kusal 57, Kamindu 1) Kamindu Mendis is the new batter.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 113-2 (Madushka c Zampa b Dwarshuis 51)
Well bowled Ben Dwarshuis. He was brought back to take a wicket and has done just that. Madushka hooked a slower bouncer to long leg, where Zampa backpedalled to take a well-judged catch.
Zampa had to throw the ball up, knowing his momentum was going to take him over the boundary, but his brain, hands and feet were all in sync and Madushka is on his way.
Updated
Fifty for Madushka
24th over: Sri Lanka 113-1 (Madushka 51, Kusal 56) Madushka laps Maxwell for two to reach an accomplished half-century, his second in only three ODI innings. It’s been a fine knock – he led the way at the start and then played second fiddle to a rampant Kusal Mendis.
23rd over: Sri Lanka 107-1 (Madushka 48, Kusal 53) With Australia in urgent need of a wicket, Steve Smith decides on a change of pace. Ben Dwarshuis replaces Zampa and almost does the job when Madushka is beaten by a leg-cutter from around the wicket.
Fifty for Kusal Mendis
22nd over: Sri Lanka 104-1 (Madushka 47, Kusal 51) Kusal Mendis races to a run-a-ball fifty by sweeping and pulling Maxwell for successive boundaries; the last 24 of those runs came only from 13 deliveries.
Updated
21st over: Sri Lanka 94-1 (Madushka 46, Kusal 42) Kusal Mendis back cuts Zampa expertly for four, then lofts him down the ground for another. He’s caused Australia plenty of problems over the years, most notably with that remarkable 176 at Pallekele in 2016, and he’s doing it again today.
Updated
20th over: Sri Lanka 86-1 (Madushka 46, Kusal 34) Glenn Maxwell, spinner No4 in this innings, replaces Sangha after the drinks break. A bit of extra bounce surprses Madushka, whose top-edged pull drops well short of deep backward square. Four singles from the over.
Drinks
With the caveats that a) there’s a long way to go and b) Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell can chase anything, it feels like Sri Lanka are in a very strong position.
19th over: Sri Lanka 82-1 (Madushka 44, Kusal 32) Kusal Mendis mows a full ball from Zampa to the left of mid-on for four. That’s an emphatic shot. Zampa responds with a quicker ball that is this close to trapping Kusal in front. Instead he drags a pull down the leg side for two more. Lovely bowling though.
18th over: Sri Lanka 74-1 (Madushka 43, Kusal 25) Sangha tosses one up to Madushka, who makes room to drive stylishly over extra cover for four. He’s batting superbly and is seven away from a second fifty in only three ODI innings.
Updated
17th over: Sri Lanka 66-1 (Madushka 37, Kusal 23) Zampa has a slip in place and is getting into his work. He concedes only one from his second over, which includes a quicker ball that almost gets through Kusal Mendis.
16th over: Sri Lanka 65-1 (Madushka 36, Kusal 23) A seductive leg break from Sangha beats Madushka’s outside edge. Kusal sweeps the final delivery of the over for two to bring up a fine fifty partnership from 63 balls; it’s been a study in risk management and rotation of strike against spin.
Updated
15th over: Sri Lanka 60-1 (Madushka 34, Kusal 20) Adam Zampa replaces Abbott, which means legspin from both ends. Zampa and Sangha complement each other nicely; Sangha a more classical leggie, Zampa always attacking the stumps.
Sri Lanka struggled to rotate strike against the seamers but they’re doing it excellently now. They take five from Zampa’s first over, three singles and a two, to continue what has been a strong start. Australia could do with a wicket.
14th over: Sri Lanka 55-1 (Madushka 32, Kusal 17) It’s time for the leg spin of Tanveer Sangha; I’m looking forward to watching him bowl. He has a whippy action, slightly reminiscent of Mushtaq Ahmed, the Pakistan magician of the 1990s. His third ball turns sharply to beat Kusal; the rest of the over is milked sensibly for five runs.
13th over: Sri Lanka 50-1 (Madushka 28, Kusal 16) An excellent bumper from Abbott forces Madushka to abort his planned hook stroke. Sri Lanka went too hard against the new balls on Wednesday and lost five wickets in the first 15 overs. So far today they’ve been more careful.
Abbott has started very accurately, which is reflected in figures of 3-0-5-0-.
12th over: Sri Lanka 49-1 (Madushka 27, Kusal 16) Madushka laps Short for a couple, with the ball going between Inglis’s gloves down the leg side. He saw it so late that it wasn’t really a chance. At first I wasn’t sure the ball had touched the ball but it was given as runs.
Kusal shapes to pull the last delivery, is surprised by some extra bounce and pats the ball into the leg side. The early signs are that there’s plenty in this pitch for the spin bowlers.
11th over: Sri Lanka 43-1 (Madushka 23, Kusal 15) A slower ball from Abbott beats Madushka, who watches the ball slightly quizzically as it goes past his off stump. Just three from the over.
10th over: Sri Lanka 40-1 (Madushka 22, Kusal 12) Australia have five slow bowlers in the side today. Matt Short is the first to come into the attack – and his first over goes for 13.
Kusal was fortunate to edge through the vacant slip region for four; Madushka had precisely no luck when he clouted Short back over his head for six. That ball gripped a bit but Madushka went through with the shot and nailed it.
Updated
9th over: Sri Lanka 27-1 (Madushka 15, Kusal 6) Sean Abbott replaces Dwarshuis, who bowled a good opening spell of 4-0-13-0. Australia’s seamers are bowling very straight to maximise any uneven bounce or two-pacedness. Is that a word? It is now!
Just wone from Abbott’s over, steered to third by Kusal Mendis.
8th over: Sri Lanka 26-1 (Madushka 15, Kusal 5) Hardie has a big LBW shout turned down against Kusal Mendis. An inside edge saved Mendis, who walked across his stumps and would have been plumb.
Madushka, not for the first time, mistimes an attacking stroke that doesn’t beat the infield. The early signs are that it’s another awkward pitch.
7th over: Sri Lanka 24-1 (Madushka 13, Kusal 4) Dwarshuis beats Madushka with a gorgeous delivery that pitches on middle and leg before moving away off the seam.
Madushka’s response is a withering back cut for four, a terrific shot from a perfectly good ball. Then Kusal Mendis is beaten by another cracking delivery angled across the right-hander.
6th over: Sri Lanka 19-1 (Madushka 9, Kusal 4) Hardie loses his line for the first time and is turned wristily round the corner for four by Kusal Mendis.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 15-1 (Nissanka b Hardie 6)
Dot balls = pressure = wickets. Nissanka charges Hardie, misses a wild mow across the line and is bowled to end a difficult innings of 6 from 20 balls. Excellent bowling from Hardie, who has been nagging away just full of a good length.
Nissanka looks suspiciously at the bottom of his bat as he walks off, which suggests he wouldn’t be great at Cluedo.
Updated
5th over: Sri Lanka 15-0 (Nissanka 6, Madushka 9) Dwarshuis’s first really bad delivery is turned off the hip for four by Madushka, whose name is hard to type without the brain veering off towards Kate Bush’s back catalogue.
An otherwise good over ends with a dangerous inswinger that beats Madushka on the inside. Sri Lanka are struggling to rotate strike; I think 25 of the 30 deliveries so far have been dot balls.
4th over: Sri Lanka 11-0 (Nissanka 6, Madushka 5) After eating up a few more dot balls – he scored from only one of his first 16 balls – Nissanka releases a bit of pressure by pushing Hardie’s final ball through midwicket for two. Australia have started pretty well with the ball.
Updated
3rd over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Nissanka 4, Madushka 4) Dwarshuis lopes in to Nissanka, with two slips waiting for any edge. There is a bit of swing but nothing too extravagant, and Nissanka feels secure to punch a drive that is well stopped by the sprawling Maxwell at mid-off. A maiden.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Nissanka 4, Madushka 4) Aaron Hardie, who bowled very well in the first ODI, shares the new ball. Madushka slams a cut into the ground and past backward point for four to get off the mark. Sri Lanka are dealing exclusively in boundaries for now.
The commentators, Russel Arnold and Simon Katich, think the pitch looks similar to the one for the ODI, maybe slightly more cracked. Australia won’t want to chase much more than 220.
1st over: Sri Lanka 4-0 (Nissanka 4, Madushka 0) Dwarshuis, playing his second ODI, gets some encouraging early inswing. Nissanka times the fourth ball sweetly through extra cover for the first boundary. That’s the lot.
Time for the action. Ben Dwarshuis, LFM, will open the bowling to Pathum Nissanka.
Team news: Dwarshuis and Sangha among five changes
I thought Australia would pick their provisional XI for the Champions Trophy but Andrew McDonald has decided to rest some likely starters. In all there are five changes from the first ODI: Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis and Tanveer Sangha replace Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson.
Sri Lanka bring in Nishan Madushka for Avishka Fernando.
Sri Lanka Nissanka, Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Asalanka (c), Liyanage, Wellalage, Hasaranga, Theekshana, Malinga, Asitha Fernando.
Australia Short, Head, Fraser-McGurk, Smith (c), Inglis (wk), Maxwell, Hardie, Abbott, Dwarshuis, Zampa, Sangha.
Sri Lanka win the toss and bat
Australia will be chasing, as in the first ODI, possibly on a similarly awkward pitch
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the second and final ODI between Sri Lanka and Australia in Colombo.
Less than three weeks ago it looked like 10 of Australia’s World Cup-winning XI would be off to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, with David Warner the only man missing. Now there are six men standing: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and the Mitches, Starc and Marsh, have all been ruled out, and Australia find themselves having to rebuild a great team on the hoof.
This is their last official ODI before the Champions Trophy opener against England a week tomorrow. At the moment no warm-ups are scheduled, so Australia are likely to pick what Andrew McDonald thinks is their provisional XI going into the tournament.
That should mean a return for Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis, though it’s the composition of the bowling attack that is more intriguing. Adam Zampa is a sure thing; the other three or four places are up for grabs.
The bowling ability of Maxwell and Head, as well as Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Short, plus the stellar batting form of Alex Carey, gives them plenty of options both in terms of personnel and the balance of the side.
Today’s match should give us a pretty good idea of their thinking, and whether this rejigged team has the potential to add the Champions Trophy to Australia’s bulging cabinet.
