New Delhi: Reeling from the absence of several key players, Australia suffered another massive blow in their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, losing the two-match ODI series in Sri Lanka in a humiliating fashion.
Aiming to carry the winning momentum of the Test series, the Kookaburras were brought down to their knees by Sri Lanka, who, on form, merit presence in the Champions Trophy but won’t be there due to their lowly finish in the ODI World Cup 2023. Australia, on the other hand, will look to forget the events that unfolded in the last few days as they never happened and hope for a quick turnaround ahead of the CT, starting on February 19.
After winning the first ODI by 65 runs, Sri Lanka upped the ante in the second and annihilated the visitors by 174 runs for their biggest win by runs against Australia in ODIs.
All-round Sri Lanka punish under-par Australia
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka, despite making a shaky start, finished strongly in the death overs to post a decent 281/4 on the board. After Pathum Nissanka’s early wicket, Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis stabilised the innings with a 98-run partnership
Despite Madushka’s dismissal for 51 at a crucial juncture, Mendis carried on and completed his fifth ODI hundred and first against Australia in the 44th over before being dismissed in the next few balls.
However, skipper Charith Asalanka followed up on his sensational century in the opening ODI, smashing a blazing half-century (78 off 66 balls) as Sri Lanka finished on a high, scoring 97 in the last 10 overs.
Australia got off the worst possible start after losing Matthew Short (2), Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) and Travis Head (18) inside the powerplay and never really recovered in the tough run-chase. Steve Smith (22) and Josh Inglis (29) provided brief resistance with a 46-run stand but once the partnership was broken Sri Lankan spinners cut through the middle and lower order like a hot knife through butter.
Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers with superb figures of 4 for 35 while Wanindu Hasaranga and Asitha Fernando bagged three wickets each.
SL vs AUS 2nd ODI: Sri Lanka annihilated Australia by 174 runs in the second ODI for their biggest win by runs against the Kookaburras in 50-over cricket and sweep the series 2-0. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
