Australia have sealed the T20 series on the first leg of their tour of Sri Lanka, a superb all round bowling effort paving the way for a three-wicket victory in the second T20 International.
After Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to field, Kane and Jhye Richardson took seven wickets between them as Sri Lanka’s suffered another batting collapse that left Australia needing just 125 to win.
But it was hardly a cakewalk for Finch’s side, who looked particularly jittery when facing Wanindu Hasaranga. The legspinner took four wickets and left Australia cautiously limping to victory with three wickets in hand.
Sri Lanka's openers go hard and go home
Jhye Richardson came into the side in place of Mitchell Starc, who had cut his finger in the first match of the series, but Finch opted to open the bowling with Glenn Maxwell and it proved to be a masterstroke.
Sri Lanka had gone hard at Maxwell in the previous game and the temptation proved to be too hard to resist for Danushka Gunathilaka, who top edged a sweep off Maxwell’s fifth delivery, and Mitchell Marsh was quick on his feet and safe with his hands as he hared around to deep square leg for a fine catch.
Marsh was a magnet, stationed at deep third two overs later, when Pathum Nissanka attempted an expansive drive off Jhye Richardson only to see it fly off the outside edge for Marsh’s second catch.
The naked aggression hadn’t paid off and, with Australia’s bowlers in a parsimonious mood, Sri Lanka were reeling at 2 for 7 after three overs.
The calm before the Richardson storm
24 hours earlier, Sri Lanka’s openers exploded in the first ten overs before the middle order imploded. This time the sputtering start was followed by a steadier middle phase, marked by a 66-run partnership between Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis. But Australia’s bowling collective made the going tough; Ashton Agar found challenging grip and turn, the fast bowlers were disciplined in pitching just short of a length and there was little to relieve the pressure.
It told in the second half of the innings, as Kane and Jhye Richardson tore through Sri Lanka’s defences, at one point taking four wickets in five balls. Kane’s canny variations at the death - he took three wickets in the final over - completed the second demolition of Sri Lanka’s batting line up in as many days. He finished with career best figures of 4 for 30, while Jhye’s 3 for 26 made it a true Richardson rout.
Hasaranga’s googlies give Australia the jitters
In the previous match, Australia’s opening pair of Finch and Warner had made easy work of the 128-run target, passing it with six overs to spare. In game two they appeared to be in a hurry to wrap up the series, thumping 24 off the first two overs as they chased a slightly smaller total of 124,
But Hasaranga and his bag of confounding googlies kept Sri Lanka in the contest. Finch, who has looked more solid and confident with each over he has faced so far on this tour, miscued a drive to cover and, although Australia’s scoring was well ahead of the required run rate, a wobbly middle order made it a nervy chase.
Maxwell looked certain to guide Australia home at a steady walk until Hasaranga came back into the attack with his googlies in the 12th over. Maxwell tamely chipped one to long-off and the next bamboozled Agar, twirling through a glaring gap between bat and pad and clattering into the stumps. Jhye Richardson barely survived the hat-trick ball, another wrong ‘un that nearly kissed the outside edge of his bat.
But that was Hasaranga’s final over and Wade and Richardson kept their heads in a scrappy chase. They got there with 13 balls to spare, but it was a stark contrast to the dominant batting performance of the previous night.
