LIVE: Captain Aaron Finch scored half a century of courage in the third ODI against Sri Lanka, but the hosts are in the lead as the Australian batsmen fight in a tricky Colombo field.
After David Warner (9) and Mitchell Marsh (10) fell at a good price, Aaron Finch struggled hard to achieve his 30th half-century ODI.
After surviving a very difficult fall in the slips, while in 38 runs, Finch’s luck was exhausted in 62 runs when spinner Jeffrey Vandersay evoked another outside edge in the first slip, with Dhananjaya de Silva grabbing a sensational capture.
There were only two overs after Vandersay had Marnus Labuschagne (29) perplexed with a brilliant bowling alley, leaving Australia in an extreme situation on 4/121 with two new hitters to Travis Head and Alex Carey.
This duo survived a couple of close calls to build a 50-run partnership, with Australia now 4/174 after 38 overs. Head is at 22 and Carey at 31.
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FIRST INNINGS REPORT:
Australia made three changes to the game, with an injured Steve Smith replaced by Mitch Marsh, who returned from injury. Cameron Green joins the team, as does Jhye Richardson, with Pat Cummins resting and Mitchell Swepson down. This means that only three bowling players specialize for Australia in heavyweight all-rounder and all-terrain training.
After winning the draw and opting to play first in the first two games of the five-game series, Aaron Finch won the draw again, before opting for a different strategy on a slow, dry Colombo field in a scorching hot day.
But it was soon counterproductive, as his opening teammate David Warner was sacked in the third final by just 9 of 12 balls, surpassing an excellent rebound from Dushmantha Chameera. Warner had tried to throw him on the square leg, but only found Maheesh Theekshana on the thin leg, leaving Australia 1/14.
It looked like Australia was settling in at the entrances as Finch and the returning baptist Mitchell Marsh built steadily, before Marsh could read a slower ball that was magnificently thrown by 19-year-old Dunith Wellalage talent. Marsh tried to get up and took him straight to Kusal Mendis under cover, leaving by 10 of 23 to leave Australia 2/47.
All Australian batsmen had difficulty reading the rhythm of the pitch, with Sri Lankan spinners regularly hitting the bat and forcing false shots. Captain Aaron Finch was by far the most comfortable of the first order, though he was not immune to the mistakes and wrong shots that burned his teammates.
He dropped in the slips on a strong opportunity in front of spinner Jeffrey Vandersay while making 38 runs, and soon responded by breaking a deep six – the first limit in 40 balls – before raising his half-century shortly afterwards. It was his third against Sri Lanka and his 30th in ODI cricket.
Vandersay had almost taken the port of Marnus Labuschagne at the beginning of his entrance with a beautiful piece of bowling, and finally caught up with his man with a delicious leg spinner who defeated Labuschagne and sent him almost ashore while Dickwella went take out the bail and hit the batsman. on the 29th of the 36th.
And in his next envelope, Vandersay made a double, while Finch tried to throw a ball slower from his hips, but only took it outside to a Dhananjaya de Silva who threw himself into the slips.
Travis Head was given a lifeline in four races when Maheesh Theekshana hit him on the pads and Sri Lanka appealed strongly to LBW. But it was not handed over due to the appearance of an inner edge, and Sri Lanka chose not to check. But a repeat showed that the ball touched the pads before the bat, and should have been kicked out.
Head and Carey turned the attack well without setting limits (for 50 balls in a single lap), patiently rebuilding the innings, and with more power at once to Glenn Maxwell and even Cameron Green.
With Carey in 27 runs, he crashed a shot in the air into the cover, where Shanaka fired brilliantly, but couldn’t hold on to what would have been a remarkable one-handed catch.
TEAM NEWS
Australia made three changes to the game, with an injured Steve Smith replaced by Mitch Marsh, who returned from injury. Cameron Green joins the team, as does Jhye Richardson, with Pat Cummins resting and Mitchell Swepson down. This means that only three bowling players specialize for Australia in heavyweight all-rounder and all-terrain training.
The eleven from Australia who have already delta with injuries to Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Ashton Agar, Mitch Marsh and Sean Abbott this series.
Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann will retain his place in the Australian Eleven after securing two ports in his ODI debut.
For Sri Lanka, Niroshan Dickwella replaces superstar Danushka Gunathilaka (groin injury) at the helm of the order.
Australia won the first ODI by two wickets with nine balls remaining, before Sri Lanka bounced back in the second ODI, winning by 26 runs with the Duckwork-Lewis method.
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EQUIPMENT
Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (captain), Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (week), Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Jhye Richardson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood
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