Hazlewood, Carey secure consolation win for Australia

Colombo (Agencies): A depleted spin attack led by 19-year-old Dunith Wellalage made a fist of defending a small chase. But ultimately, Sri Lanka’s calamitous early collapse, in which they’d sunk to 85 for 8, proved the defining period of the match.

Australia had themselves been in trouble at 19 for 3, then 101 for 5, but Alex Carey’s measured 45, which featured just one boundary, saw them to a target of 161 with four wickets and more than 10 overs to spare.

The victory is mere consolation for the visitors, who had already lost the series. But it perhaps offered some confidence to their bowlers, especially, ahead of the Tests. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins had set Sri Lanka’s collapse in motion – Hazlewood getting both Sri Lanka’s openers. Matthew Kuhnemann, who is also in the Test squad, claimed two wickets for himself, with Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green taking one apiece.

Save for Aaron Finch’s dropped catch to reprieve the game’s top-scorer Chamika Karunaratne on 61, Australia fielded well again, effecting two run outs as miscommunication between the wickets continued to cost Sri Lanka. The hosts only batted 43.1 overs, with Karunaratne’s 75 off 74 balls lifting them up towards semi-respectability, as he put on 58-run ninth-wicket stand with debutant seamer Pramod Madushan.
Sri Lanka’s implosion had begun in the third over, when Hazlewood nicked Pathum Nissanka off, then had Danushka Gunathilaka caught trying to clear mid-on in his next over. Dinesh Chandimal, playing this game in place of an unwell Dhananjaya de Silva, holed out to long-on against Cummins, to leave Sri Lanka 34 for 3.

And then although Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka threatened briefly to launch a recovery, they were out off successive deliveries, both in unusual fashion. Asalanka was run out having called Mendis through for a second run before being sent back early. Next ball, Mendis went back too far in his crease to hit Glenn Maxwell to the legside, and trod on his stumps.

Three more wickets fell quickly, before a positive Karunaratne, and a careful Madushan put on Sri Lanka’s one significant stand. As Karunaratne found boundaries through leg, using the sweep, slog sweep, and pull to good effect, Madushan soaked up 52 deliveries for his 15. The pair batted almost 17 overs together, with Karunaratne reaching a maiden ODI half-century off the 62nd ball he faced.

When Madushan departed – caught-and-bowled by Green – Karunaratne bludgeoned two sixes off a Marnus Labuschagne over, but soon top-edged a short Pat Cummins ball, and was out himself. Sri Lanka’s spinners, though, were not going down without a fight on another turning deck. He got a little extra bounce off the surface to take Finch’s glove, the ball then lobbing to slip, to give Sri Lanka their first wicket, in the second over. Wellalage, took the first of his three wickets in the next over, having David Warner caught by a diving Danushka Gunathilaka at mid-on. Josh Inglis’ maiden ODI innings was then cut short in its 10th ball by Theekshana, who had him caught at leg slip.

That was about as close to a collapse as Australia got, though. Carey came in with the score on 50 for 4, and set about accumulating sagely, first alongside Marnus Labuschagne, with whom he struck up a 51-run stand, then later with Green, who hit the match-winning six. Carey’s only boundary came off a sweep against Vandersay. And even that, only with fewer than 30 required.

Wellalage, Sri Lanka’s best bowler, took 3 for 42, while Theekshana claimed 2 for 26. Wellalage finished the series’ highest wicket-taker, having claimed nine wickets at an average of 22.33.