Kusal Mendis stars in SL U-19 win

Kusal Mendis' 103 and a tight bowling performance helped Sri Lanka Under-19s rout Australia Under-19s by 95 runs in the first Youth ODI in Colombo.

Set 263 to chase in 50 overs, Australia lost wickets in clusters to end well short. After a brisk opening stand of 23 in three overs, Australia lost their next three wickets in five overs and added just five runs to their tally. From 28 for 3, a fourth-wicket partnership of 23 between Ben McDermott and Damian Mortimer promised recovery, but left-arm pacer Harsha Rajapaksha took three wickets in two overs to leave the side at 57 for 6 in the 18th over.

Cameron Valente tried to shepherd the rest of the line-up with an 68-ball 47 but Sri Lanka's bowlers stifled the visitors and dismissed them for 167. Rajapaksha finished with figures of 3 for 21 in eight overs, while Lakshan Jayasinghe and AK Tyronne picked up two wickets each. Minod Bhanuka, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper, also had a good outing, contributing to six dismissals.

Earlier, Mendis anchored the Sri Lanka innings, adding useful partnerships with the middle order to help the side reach 262 for 8. His best stand came with Rajapaksha as the pair added 75 for the sixth wicket in nearly 10 overs to boost Sri Lanka's score. Both batsmen fell in the 43rd over but a few hits from Anuk Fernando and Binura Fernando pushed the score past 250.