Tag: #Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka avoid Ignominy in the 5th T20I Match

Sri Lanka edge past Australia in a nerve wrecking thriller at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Sri Lanka won the game by 7 wickets with 1 ball left. Australia would rue that they missed out on a white-wash. Sri Lanka would be booming with confidence as their next assignment against a dangerous India which is about to start on 24th February. Australia on the other hand is all set for a historic Pakistan Tour starting from 4th March. The crowd at MCG witnessed one of a thrilling encounters where finally Sri Lanka got the better of Australia after 4 attempts.

Australia had won the toss & elected to bat. Australia managed a challenging total of 155 runs for Sri Lanka. Challenging in the sense the pitch was a bit uneven. Sri Lanka had a productive power-play as they scored 54 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. This time Kusal Mendis took the responsibility of taking the team out of trouble. Sri Lanka required 84 runs in last 11 overs with 6 wickets in tank.

The onus was on the Captain Dasun Shanaka & Kusal Mendis. Both the batters played smartly as they were taking calculative risks. The Captain Aaron Finch tried every trick in the book but both the batters didn’t allow the pressure to get the better of them. Kusal Mendis struck a defining knock of 69 runs in 58 balls. He along with Shanaka made sure that required run rate was not getting out of reach. Getting out of the reach in the sense not beyond 10.

SNAPSHOT: Kusal Mendis waiving his bat after scoring a well-constructed knock of half century.

In the last 2 overs Sri Lanka required 20 runs to win. Kusal Mendis showcased his batting prowess as he played wittily against the foxy Jhye Richardson. In the last over Sri Lanka required 9 runs. It was high time that Sri Lanka win as losing from here would be a huge embarrassment. Skipper Dasun Shanka smacked a gigantic six & levelled the scores. The way skipper smacked the ball was absolutely a treat to watch. Sri Lanka lost skipper in the next ball & then the all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne finished off the game.

Ashton Agar continued his dream run. He was the pick of the bowlers as he took 1 wicket & gave away 19 runs in 4 overs spell. Kane Richardson was the only bowler who got wickets.  He took 2 wickets & gave away 28 runs in his 3.4 overs (* he went out of the field due to hamstring problem). Australia would be happy that they have a back-up bowling unit who can irk any batting line up.

SNAPSHOT: Ashton Agar the crafty off spinner keeping the batters guessing through his variations.

After electing to bat first once again Australia had a poor power-play as they scored 22 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in power-play overs. Australia’s batters were facing times as Sri Lanka’s bowlers bamboozled them through shrewd variations. The likes of Josh Inglis & Glenn Maxwell tried to resurrect the innings. Both the batters managed to scored 20 odd runs. At the end of 10 over mark Australia’s score was 58 runs for the loss of 3 wickets.

Finally, the wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade had runs under his belt. He played a terrific knock of 43 runs in 27 balls. His contribution helped Australia to post a competitive score of 154 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

SNAPSHOT: Matthew Wade smashing the bowler all-around the park & scoring a breezy cameo.

Lahiru Kumara & Dushmantha Chameera took 2 wickets each. The entire bowling unit of Sri Lanka made sure that they don’t let Aussie batters get away. Sri Lanka’s pace department made sure that they don’t spoil the hard work of spinners.

Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis & Bowlers Dismantle Sri Lanka

Australia came out flying colors against Sri Lanka. Australia won the match by 6 wickets & now have taken an unassailable lead of 4-0 in the 5 T20I Series. Australia in this T20I match were without the services of the trio: Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood & Pat Cummins. All 3 were given break as the Aussies are set to tour Pakistan in the next month. Sri Lanka would hope that they avoid a whitewash which looks most likely because the brand of Cricket which Sri Lanka doesn’t quite fit in the international level. Sri Lanka is in all sorts of trouble as they are not showing a fight.

Australia had opted to field first. Sri Lanka once again failed to put up a sizeable total. Sri Lanka managed to score 139 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. In response to 140 target Aussies lost 2 wickets & managed to score only 30 runs in the power-play overs. Then came the duo of Glenn Maxwell & Josh Inglis. Josh Inglish who is new to International Cricket scored 40 runs in 20 balls, he along with Maxwell toyed with Sri Lanks’s bowlers.

Glenn Maxwell made a contribution of an invaluable 48 runs in 39 balls, as Australia won the 4th T20I match with 1.5 overs remaining (*11 balls). From Sri Lanka Lahiru Kumara was the only bowler who had good figures as he took 2 wickets & gave away 22 runs in his 4 overs spell. Maheesh Theekshana the mystery spinner had a good outing as he took 1 wicket & conceded 20 runs in his quota of 4 overs.

SNAPSHOT: Glenn Maxwell guiding the ball towards third man by playing an upper cut shot.

After electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka had a decent power-play where they managed to score 41 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. The elegant opener Pathum Nissanka once again continued his good run by scoring 46 runs in 40 balls. Sri Lanka were looking set for a total in excess of 170 runs but as usual there was a collapse. Sri Lanka lost 6 wickets for 12 runs (110-2 to 122-8). Apart from Nissanka not a single batter scored 30 runs. Jhye Richardson & Kane Richardson both fast bowlers took 2 wickets each. The spinners Ashton Agar & Adam Zampa were quite economical with the ball. Both the spinners gave away 40 runs amongst themselves in a span of 8 overs & both of them took 1 wicket each. The role of spinners is critical as the middle overs phase is pivotal.

The next T20I match is scheduled on 20th January. Australia would be delighted as they were without Steven Smith & the pace trio. All in all, Australia is making a statement that their any team is enough to create destruction. Sri Lanka on the side would hope that their batters show some intent which has been missing since the start of the T20I Series. Sri Lanka should not forget that their next assignment is against India which is scheduled on 24th February, so Sri Lanka cannot take the next T20I match as every match for them is a contest.

Australia Edge Past Sri Lanka in a Frenetic Super Over

Spirited Australia registered victory against all odds. Sri Lanka would be regretting about the loss as they came so close yet so far. Australia now have taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in a 5 T20I Match Series.

Sri Lanka had won the toss & opted to bowl first. In response to the 165 total Australia’s bowlers dented Sri Lanka’s run chase by picking up 3 wickets. Sri Lanka managed to score 36 runs only. The tyro Pathum Nissanka & Skipper Dasun Shanaka were involved in a 48 runs partnership. Both the batters tried to put the run chase back on track after early hiccups.

Shanaka was dismissed by Steven Smith via run out. He managed to score a quick-fire cameo of 34 runs in 19 balls. At his dismissal Sri Lanka required 50 runs in 4 overs. Nissanka tried his best but the required run rate got better off him. He was dismissed in the 20th over where Sri Lanka required 12 runs from 3 balls. He scored an eclectic knock of 73 runs in 53 balls which included 7 fours & 2 sixes.

The off spinner Maheesh Theekshana smashed a six off the very fast bowler against Marcus Stoinis. His six was one of the magnificent hits as the spectators witnessed an absolute stunning effort by Steven Smith on the boundary. Just when it looked like the game was done & dusted the off-spinner’s blistering six changed the course of the match. On the last ball Sri Lanka required 5 to win & then Dushmantha Chameera hit a 4 at long off. Stoinis was seen shocked as Chameera converted a yorker to a full toss to smack the bowler for a boundary.

Super Over was needed in order to determine the Winner. From Sri Lanka the skipper Dasun Shanaka & Dinesh Chandimal came out to bat. The captain faced tough times as from Australia, Josh Hazlewood was bang on with deliveries. He gave away only 5 runs needing Australia 6 to get over the line. In response, Glenn Maxwell & Marcus Stoinis came out to bat. It took 3 deliveries for Australia to emerge out victorious.

SNAPSHOT: Australian & Sri Lankan Cricketers playing the Game of Cricket in Right Spirit.

Sri Lanka had invited Australia to bat first. Australia had a marvelous power-play where they scored 52 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. Josh Inglis had a good outing as he scored a well composed 48 in 32 balls. Apart from him no one managed to score 30 runs as the rest of the batters scored in bits & pieces. Australia somehow managed to put on a formidable score of 164/6.

Clinical Australia Overcome a Buoyant Sri Lanka

Australia showcased nerves of steel by winning a close encounter against the Courageous Sri Lanka. Australia won the 2nd ODI by a whisker of 20 Runs according to DLS (Duckworth Lewis Stern) Method. Australia have taken a lead of 1-0 in 5 Match T20I Series. This T20I Series starts the journey of the upcoming T20 World Cup in October-November 2022 in Australia. Australia are the Champions of T20 World Cup as earlier in T20 World Cup 2021 they thrashed the puissant New Zealand in Finale

Sri Lanka had opted to bowl first. Sri Lanka’s bowlers were spot on as they restricted Australia to a below-par total of 149/9. In response to 150 target Sri Lanka’s batters lost 2 wickets in power-play overs & managed to score 30 runs. The runs where hard to come due to the immaculateness of the Josh Hazlewood & Co. The opener Pathum Nissanka was dropped on 12 by the speedster Pat Cummins. At the end of 10 overs Sri Lanka managed to score 60 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. Sri Lanka needed another 90 runs to be victorious.

In 11th over the leg spinner Adam Zampa got rid of Nissanka & Charith Asalanka and all of a sudden Aussies were in the ascendancy. Sri Lanka were bruised as they needed the opener Nissanka to stay till at-least 16 overs; he scored a fighting 36 runs in 37 balls. The skipper Dasun Shanaka & the flamboyant spin all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga tried to put the run-chase back on track. Sri Lanka required another 74 runs in 6 overs which was a bit too much.

In the 16th over Josh Hazlewood did the damage by getting rid of Shanka & pinch hitter Chamika Karunaratne. His 2 wickets over dented the run chase as now the required run rate was way far off from the reach. Sri Lanka’s batters tried to score runs & fell short of the target by 20 runs (*DLS method).

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers as he took 4 wickets for only 12 runs in his 4 over spell. He along with the sly leg spinner Adam Zampa ruined Sri Lanka’s chances by picking up 3 wickets as he gave away 18 runs in his 4 over spell.

SNAPSHOT: Josh Hazlewood thrilled as ever after breaking the back of Sri Lanka’s batting line-up.
SNAPSHOT: Adam Zampa grinning after an impressive performance with the ball.

Invited to bat first Australia’s skipper Adam Finch had a forgettable outing as he scored 8 runs in 12 balls. His poor form now has been a concern as it has been a long time since he has notched up a gritty half-century. Ben McDermott made the most of the opportunity as he smashed a fighting half century of 53 runs in 41 balls. The debutant Josh Inglis had a decent run as he scored 23 runs in 18 balls. Australia’s middle order woes continue as the likes of Glenn Maxwell & Steven Smith had a bad day in the field. Hasaranga achieved a rare feat by picking up Fich, Smith & Maxwell

Then came one of the finest finishers in World Cricket Marcus Stoinis. He played a dazzling cameo of 30 runs in 17 balls. At the back end of the innings Sri Lanka’s Binura Fernando slowed down the run rate by getting wickets of Mattew Wade & Marcus Stoinis on consecutive deliveries. Those wickets just pulled the things back for Dasun Shanaka as Sri Lanka were chasing a moderate total of 150 runs. The left arm lanky fast bowler Binura Fernando had a dream spell as he took 2 wickets & gave away 12 runs in his 4 over spell. Chamika Karunaratne too had a good outing as he took 2 wickets & was economical.

This victory for Australia may sound good but this is a wake-up call. Sri Lanka at the same time would need to get mistakes corrected & create an upset. Australia look favorites but Sri Lanka can’t be taken for granted. All in all, we are in for a spectacular T20I Series where we may & most probably see some enthralling yet mesmerizing Cricket.

Wanindu Hasaranga’s Hat-trick in vain as David Miller cruises South Africa to a Spectacular Victory

South Africa vanquished Sri Lanka to register a 4 wicket win with one ball left. This match was played at Sharjah on 30th October. South Africa now have won 2 matches out of 3 with a NRR (Net Run Rate) of +0.210. With two matches left South Africa have got a serious chance to push their case forward.

T20 World Cup: It's great that David came good for us at right time, says Temba Bavuma | Cricket - Hindustan Times
SNAPSHOT: Kagiso Rabada & David Miller ecstatic after pulling out a heist

South Africa had opted to bowl first. Quinton de Kock took a knee in support of BLM (Black Lives Matter) Movement. Earlier he had opted out of the match against West Indies.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka Live Streaming T20 World Cup 2021: How to watch SA vs SL Super 12 Match Online | Cricket News – India TV
SNAPSHOT: Quinton de Kock taking a knee against Racism.

South Africa were set a target of 143 runs which was tricky as the wicket was a bit tacky. Sri Lanka’s fielders were doing ruthless fielding as there were no easy singles. Dushmantha Chameera in the 4th over of the innings removed Quinton & Reeza Hendricks. Chameera was absolutely bowling thunder-bolts as the batters were amazed. In the power-play overs South Africa had scored 40 run for the loss of 2 wickets.

Skipper Temba Bavuma took care of the chase meticulously. At the end of 8th over South Africa were reduced to 49 runs for 3 wickets. Bavuma & Markram tried to put the run-chase back on track. The duo were involved in a partnership of 47 runs. In that partnership the focus was on to rotate the strike as spinners were getting a lot of help out from the pitch. On the last ball of 15th over Hasaranga bowled out Markram as Sri Lanka were right back.

T20 World Cup 2021: Bavuma reveals de Kock controversy was on his mind before Sri Lanka game - Firstcricket News, Firstpost
SNAPSHOT: Temba Bavuma anchoring the run chase

In the last 5 overs South Africa required 47 runs to win. The task was not that arduous but it required calculative approach. In the 18th over Hasaranga got two back-to-back wickets on consecutive balls of Bavuma & Pretorius.

SA vs SL: Wanindu Hasaranga becomes third to take T20 World Cup hat-trick; second in current edition | Cricket - Hindustan Times
SNAPSHOT: Wanindu Hasaranga enthralled after taking a hat-trick

Hasaranga became the 3rd bowler to take a hat-trick in T20 World Cup; as earlier in 2007 Brett Lee had taken hat-trick against Bangladesh, Curtis Campher of Ireland in 2021 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers against Netherlands.

Bavuma played a hard-fought knock of a run a ball 46 runs. Hasaranga finished his spell with the figures of 3 for 20. In the last 2 over South Africa required 25 runs. The only hope for South Africa was David Miller whose companion was the speedster Kagiso Rabada. Chameera gave away 10 runs in the 19th over (*Rabada had hit one six which eased the pressure) as the target for final over was of 15 runs. Chameera finished with the figures of 2 for 27 as his express pace was too hot to handle

Lahiru Kumara was the bowler & he got pummeled by David Miller as he struck 2 humongous sixes. Lahiru Kumara’s error of pitching the ball in the arc costed Sri Lanka the match. Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the bowlers till the last over. Sri Lanka won’t be able to believe that how they lost the match but this is the cruelty of T20 World Cup. David Miller played a colossal cameo as he swung by the pendulum in South Africa’s favor.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka Highlights T20 World Cup: Miller's last-over heroics take SA to dramatic win | Hindustan Times
SNAPSHOT: David Miller smoking the ball out of the park.

Sri Lanka had got off to a decent start in the power-play overs. They managed to score 39 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. Pathum Nissanka was looking in deft touch. The partnership between Pathum & Asalanka was looking scary. South Africa required something from the fielders & it happened. Rabada & de Kock (on the bowling of Keshav Maharaj) knocked out Asalanka by a turbulent piece of fielding. At that point the score was 61-2 in 9 overs.

Pathum Nissanka swings the ball away to the leg side
SNAPSHOT: Pathum Nissanka taking responsibility of setting a target.

Pathum stood tall where at one side all the other batters were transient. Pathum played a sturdy knock of 72 runs in 58 balls which included 6 fours & 3 sixes. Not a single batter scored 30 runs. Tabraiz Shamsi swindled the batters via his variations. His figures were notable as he took 3 wickets & gave away 17 runs. Dwaine Pretorius took 3 wickets in his 3 overs spell & gave away 17 runs. South Africa had bundled out Sri Lanka for 142 runs.

Sri Lanka v South Africa: T20 World Cup 2021 - live coverage and updates from Sharjah | Cricket – Gulf News
SNAPSHOT: Tabraiz Shamsi dismantling the batting line up of Sri Lanka

South Africa’s next match is against Bangladesh on 02nd November at Abu Dhabi. Bangladesh don’t have a promising record against South Africa. South Africa would look to seize that match with a good NRR as tense finishes aren’t that convincing.

Sri Lanka have lost 2 out of their 3 matches. They have a statistical chance to make it to Semis. Their next 2 matches are against England on 01st November at Sharjah & West Indies on 04th November at Abu Dhabi. If they defeat these two teams with a huge margin then only they can qualify. Sri Lanka should emphasize on the line up of bowlers, 3-4 batters must score 30+ runs as building a target requires a team effort & same applies to bowlers for defending.