A commanding innings from Glenn Maxwell helped Australia to a two-wicket victory in their first ODI against Sri Lanka at Pallekele.
Maxwell scored an unbeaten 80 off 51 balls to steer Australia to a match-winning total of 282 with nine balls remaining in a rain-shortened chase after Sri Lanka had initially set a target of 301 for victory.
The pitch was the same one used for the third T20I on Saturday and so, unsurprisingly, it was a night for the spinners, who took all but three of the wickets.
When Aaron Finch had been asked if Australia had settled on a team during the captain’s media zoom call the day before the match, he demurred, saying he didn’t think all the players had been told of their inclusion.
Pressed by journalist Malcolm Conn, Finch reconsidered and named his XI, deciding the players probably knew if they were in or out of the starting line up. There were plenty of chuckles at this example of Finch’s forthright nature.
The make up of the bowling attack followed a similar pattern to that of Australia’s T20 line up: three fast bowlers, one specialist spinner and an assortment of allrounders and part timers to make up the remaining ten overs.
This strategy has worked for Australia in T20s - they are World Champions, after all - and such is the strength of their fast bowling it has been their go-to balance in the fifty-over format as well, even when conditions may seem more conducive to spin.
When Finch was presented with a used pitch, it may perhaps have given him pause for thought and tempted him to bring Mitchell Swepson into the side as another spinner to accompany Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell, but there was to be no second reversal and Swepson remained in the dugout.
Australia welcomed back Pat Cummins for his first ODI in 18 months but were missing bowlers who would normally be vying for a starting berth in a first choice side in Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Adam Zampa. Kane Richardson was also absent after flying home with a hamstring injury.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, Sri Lanka certainly looked a team high on confidence, coming into the match off the back of a stunning victory in the final T20I.
The opening partnership was solid, Danushka Gunathilaka and Pathum Nissanka both compiling brisk half-centuries before departing in the space of two overs.
It was left to Mendis to pull anchoring duties and he did so brilliantly, scoring an unbeaten 86 off 87 balls, with the support of Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga who both scored 37 but in vastly different fashion. Asalanka’s innings was a handy one, coming off 42 deliveries but Hasaranga provided the fireworks in 19 balls of death over mayhem.
Australia’s bowlers took six wickets between them - Gunathilaka was run out - and four fell to spin, Marnus Labuschagne’s part-time leggies snaring a brace in addition to Agar’s two.
WHAT A CATCH. David Warner, take a bow 👏👏👏 Sri Lanka slip to 3-134
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In contrast to Australia, Sri Lanka had four frontline spin options and six overall and the first delivery from a spinner produced the wicket of David Warner, out for a duck when he was rapped on the pads by Maheesh Theekshana.
A steadying partnership between Finch and Steve Smith was broken when Hasaranga had Finch in two minds whether to go back or forward as he feathered the ball to Mendis, while Smith departed soon after scoring a busy half-century, clean bowled by the left-arm orthodox spin of Dunith Wellalage in his international debut.
Rain interrupted play and reduced the chase to 210 needed from 31.2 overs, but Australia were struggling to find their own anchor.
Marnus Labuschagne (24), Marcus Stoinis (44) and Alex Carey (21) all made decent starts before losing their wickets, the latter two falling to Hasaranga, who finished with 4 for 58 off his 9 overs.
But Australia’s best player of spin was still in reserve and Glenn Maxwell displayed his mastery of the art with his customary reservoir of sweeps, reverse sweeps, slog sweeps and everything in between.
It was a superb display of match awareness and calculated aggression, particularly as wickets continued to fall around him.
When Jhye Richardson came to the crease in the 40th over, Australia still needed 28 runs from 27 balls with just two wickets in hand; Maxwell calmly farmed the strike, waited patiently until he could dispatch the bad balls and then dropped the hammer, closing out the chase by pummelling back-to-back sixes off Dushmantha Chameera.
It was the sort of chase that was never entirely comfortable, but Maxwell’s mature and intelligent innings and his proficiency against spin will give Australia confidence they can chase down any target, even in Sri Lanka’s spinning stronghold.
