Mathews heroics get Sri Lanka close

Though Sri Lanka ended up falling short by five runs, if it were not for Angelo Mathews they would have been beaten easily. Mathews came in with Sri Lanka 4 for 110 and watched as wickets kept tumbling and the team slipped to 7 for 143. Mathews, however, had pulled off one unlikely win over Australia before, in 2010, and kept believing.

He showed restraint, rotating the strike and trying to string together partnerships with the tailenders to keep Sri Lanka in the game.

He had only hit three boundaries out of 53 runs by the beginning of the final over. Sri Lanka needed 18. Mathews begun by smashing a short ball through midwicket for four. The next ball was stroked for six over mid-off.

Mathews was dismissed off the fifth ball of the over, but his effort to take Sri Lanka from a position where they were out of the contest to within a chance of victory was outstanding.