Glenn Maxwell continued from where he left off on Tuesday as he blasted 66 off 41 deliveries to propel Australia to a 4 wicket win in the 2nd T20I. A spirited come-back from the Sri Lankan spinners proved to be in-vain as the visitors got home with 4 wickets in hand.
Having reached his 50 off just 18 deliveries, the joint fastest for Australia in T20Is, Maxwell’s early onslaught ensured that Tillakaratne Dilshan did not end his career on a winning note.
Earlier in the day Dhananjaya De Silva stroked a characteristically elegant half century to guide Sri Lanka to 128/9 after Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and chose to bat 1st.
Photo Album: Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd T20I
De Silva came into bat at the fall of TM Dilshan’s wicket as the latter was dismissed for just 1 in his final international game. Sri Lanka’s most successful partnership came with Kusal Janith Perera and De Silva in the middle as the pair took Sri Lanka to 44 in just over 5 overs. The pair were also the only two batsmen to make it to double figures in an innings that saw Sri Lanka go from a position of strength in the 1st 5 overs to registering a below par score.
Perera fell just before the fielding restrictions came off and from that point onwards the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals to finish on 128, a total that was well below what they would have been looking at scoring.
De Silva played a lone hand in the end, making his maiden T20I fifty in 41 deliveries; he fell in the final over for 62. The right-hander’s innings included 5 shots to the boundary as he looked to take on the bowlers, particularly in the early part of the innings.
For Australia it was James Faulkner and Adam Zampa who did most of the damamge, picking up 6 wickets between them for just 35 runs.
Chasing a below par target of 129, the visitors came out all guns blazing, as was expected, as Maxwell once again took the Sri Lankan bowlers to the cleaners in the early overs.
The Australian opening partnership of 93 in just over 8 overs seemingly put Sri Lanka well and truly out of the game, however, once Maxwell was dismissed by Seekkuge Prasanna, the visitors frailty against spin was once again on display as Prasanna, Sachith Pathirana and TM Dilshan wreaked havoc with the middle order.
Moises Henriques was stumped off the bowling of Pathirana and when Warner fell in the same over, it really set the cat amongst the pigeons. James Faulkner was promoted up the order but was run-out in the very next over, leaving Australia on 99/4. Usman Khawaja was put out of his misery by Dilshan, caught plumb in front and the veteran struck in his next over to have Mathew Wade caught at mid-wicket, in what turned out to be his last delivery in international cricket.
However, 128 was never going to be enough for the Lankans and Australia completed their nervy run chase when Travis Head belted a six just over the head of the fielder at deep mid-wicket.
