Colombo, June 7: Despite a big rain break late in the game, skipper Aaron Finch and David Warner blazed Australia to the target of 129 inside 14 overs, here at R Premadasa Stadium, on Tuesday.
Finch walloped four sixes and four fours in his 40-ball 61 not out. Warner cracked nine fours in his 70 off 44. And Australia began their tour with as emphatic a victory as they could have hoped for.
If there was a nervous moment for Australia, it came in the first over, when Maheesh Theekshana was awarded an lbw decision against Finch, third ball. That decision was overturned when Finch was shown to have edged that delivery into his pads. And it wasn’t long before Australia’s openers exploded.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan openers got off to a flying start. By the end of the Powerplay, Sri Lanka were a healthy 59 for 0.
Having got to 100 for 1 in the 12th over, Sri Lanka plummeted to 128.
Josh Hazlewood produced an excellent middle-overs spell and claimed four wickets in all. Mitchell Starc, who put the collapse in motion, picked up three although may miss the second of the back-to-back games having suffered a cut finger in his opening over. There were two run outs in addition.
There was some tight bowling from Hazlewood and Ashton Agar through this period, but little in the pitch to aid the bowlers, and it was hardly unplayable bowling. This was more collective hara-kiri by the Sri Lankan batters. (ANI)
