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20 overs Sri Lanka 4 for 161 (Jayawardene 61*, T Perera 35*) v Australia
Mahela Jayawardene top scored for Sri Lanka © Getty Images
Mahela Jayawardene and Thisara Perera led Sri Lanka's recovery from a slow start to post a very competitive 4 for 161 in the second Twenty20 international at the MCG. Australia will need to complete the biggest chase ever in a T20 international in Australia in order to avoid a 2-0 series defeat after George Bailey won the toss and sent the Sri Lankans in to bat.
Jayawardene finished unbeaten on 61 from 45 deliveries and Perera on 35 from 15 as Sri Lanka lifted their tempo significantly in the final five overs, which brought 60 runs for the loss of only one wicket. Ben Laughlin, who struggled to restrict the Sri Lankans in the final few overs of the first match in Sydney, again had a hard time bowling at the death and conceded 20 runs from the last over of the innings.
That over started with a reverse sweep for four that brought Jayawardene his fifty from 42 balls. It also included two more fours to the vacant third-man area from Jayawardene and a top-edged six from Perera, leaving Laughlin with 1 for 40 from his four overs. The Jayawardene-Perera partnership finished on 59 from 28 balls and could prove to be the key period of the game.
James Faulkner, who had bowled a terrific initial spell of 1 for 3 from his first two overs, also suffered at the hands of Perera and Jayawardene in the later stages. He was struck over midwicket for six by Perera, as well as dabbed delicately over short fine leg for four, and Faulkner finished his four overs with 1 for 24.
The Sri Lanka top order had struggled in the first half of the innings as Australia's bowlers used clever variations and picked up wickets to help keep the runs down. Faulkner picked up his first international wicket in the third over of the match when Tillakaratne Dilshan tried to pull his slower ball and played on for 15 off 17 balls.
None of the Sri Lankan top three managed a strike-rate of better than a run a ball as they failed to pick the pace of the bowling, or the gaps in the field. Dinesh Chandimal fell victim to a change in pace from Ben Laughlin, whose first ball of the game was a slower delivery that Chandimal smoked through cover for four. But in the same over Laughlin's quicker bouncer hurried Chandimal, who lobbed a catch to mid-off.
Kushal Perera, who had struck three crisp boundaries including two in a Mitchell Starc over - Starc struggled with his line and sent down four leg-side wides - fell for 15 when he tried to slog Glenn Maxwell over the infield. The ball flew very high off the top edge and nearly struck the hovering Spidercam, and provided a very tricky swirling catch for the cover fielder George Bailey, who ran almost a complete circle as he tried to track the ball and successfully completed the take.
After ten overs the Sri Lankans were 3 for 56 and it wasn't until the 12th over of the innings that the first six was struck, when Jayawardene slammed Maxwell straight down the ground. Jayawardene began to find his touch but was lucky to survive a run-out chanc eon 36, when Jeevan Mendis dropped the ball at his feet and took off for a run and the bowler Laughlin had Jayawardene well covered - except he failed to pick up the ball.
Mendis fell for 25 from 24 balls when he drove Xavier Doherty hard and flat and was caught at long-off by Faulkner, ending a productive 63-run partnership with Jayawardene that had been important in rebuilding the Sri Lankan innings. To keep the left- and right-hand combination going, Thisara Perera was promoted ahead of Angelo Mathews and the results were good for Sri Lanka.
Mahela Jayawardene top scored for Sri Lanka © Getty Images
Mahela Jayawardene and Thisara Perera led Sri Lanka's recovery from a slow start to post a very competitive 4 for 161 in the second Twenty20 international at the MCG. Australia will need to complete the biggest chase ever in a T20 international in Australia in order to avoid a 2-0 series defeat after George Bailey won the toss and sent the Sri Lankans in to bat.
Jayawardene finished unbeaten on 61 from 45 deliveries and Perera on 35 from 15 as Sri Lanka lifted their tempo significantly in the final five overs, which brought 60 runs for the loss of only one wicket. Ben Laughlin, who struggled to restrict the Sri Lankans in the final few overs of the first match in Sydney, again had a hard time bowling at the death and conceded 20 runs from the last over of the innings.
That over started with a reverse sweep for four that brought Jayawardene his fifty from 42 balls. It also included two more fours to the vacant third-man area from Jayawardene and a top-edged six from Perera, leaving Laughlin with 1 for 40 from his four overs. The Jayawardene-Perera partnership finished on 59 from 28 balls and could prove to be the key period of the game.
James Faulkner, who had bowled a terrific initial spell of 1 for 3 from his first two overs, also suffered at the hands of Perera and Jayawardene in the later stages. He was struck over midwicket for six by Perera, as well as dabbed delicately over short fine leg for four, and Faulkner finished his four overs with 1 for 24.
The Sri Lanka top order had struggled in the first half of the innings as Australia's bowlers used clever variations and picked up wickets to help keep the runs down. Faulkner picked up his first international wicket in the third over of the match when Tillakaratne Dilshan tried to pull his slower ball and played on for 15 off 17 balls.
None of the Sri Lankan top three managed a strike-rate of better than a run a ball as they failed to pick the pace of the bowling, or the gaps in the field. Dinesh Chandimal fell victim to a change in pace from Ben Laughlin, whose first ball of the game was a slower delivery that Chandimal smoked through cover for four. But in the same over Laughlin's quicker bouncer hurried Chandimal, who lobbed a catch to mid-off.
Kushal Perera, who had struck three crisp boundaries including two in a Mitchell Starc over - Starc struggled with his line and sent down four leg-side wides - fell for 15 when he tried to slog Glenn Maxwell over the infield. The ball flew very high off the top edge and nearly struck the hovering Spidercam, and provided a very tricky swirling catch for the cover fielder George Bailey, who ran almost a complete circle as he tried to track the ball and successfully completed the take.
After ten overs the Sri Lankans were 3 for 56 and it wasn't until the 12th over of the innings that the first six was struck, when Jayawardene slammed Maxwell straight down the ground. Jayawardene began to find his touch but was lucky to survive a run-out chanc eon 36, when Jeevan Mendis dropped the ball at his feet and took off for a run and the bowler Laughlin had Jayawardene well covered - except he failed to pick up the ball.
Mendis fell for 25 from 24 balls when he drove Xavier Doherty hard and flat and was caught at long-off by Faulkner, ending a productive 63-run partnership with Jayawardene that had been important in rebuilding the Sri Lankan innings. To keep the left- and right-hand combination going, Thisara Perera was promoted ahead of Angelo Mathews and the results were good for Sri Lanka.