RESULT
1st ODI (D/N), Colombo (RPS), August 21, 2016, Australia tour of Sri Lanka
(46.5/50 ov, T:228) 228/7

Australia won by 3 wickets (with 19 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
4/38
james-faulkner
New
AUS
Full commentary

10.30 pm That's a wrap, hope you enjoyed having a little bit of cricket come at you when rain has ravaged the game for the last couple of days. The next ODI of the series is on Wednesday, hope to see you then too.

"Nice to be on this side of the result, proud of the way the boys fought back," says Smith, "Perhaps, I thought there'd be a bit more dew, The wicket broke up, wasn't the easiest one-day wicket to bat on. I thought the bowlers did a good job to restrict them to 227, they took the pace off, put them in the right areas and made it difficult. Couple of good partnerships got the job done. The guys had some good plans, sweeping , coming down the pitch, and going deep in the crease. Nice that the guys were able to execute"

"I think the wicket played as it was right throughout, it only got worse. We were 20-30 runs short. It was not the easiest wicket to bat on, Chandimal and Mendis did really well, but we were short. It was spinning quite a bit, Dilruwan and Milinda didn't bowl that well, Sandakan didn't bowl that well and hopefully they come back hard. We don';t need to panic, just do the basics right, improve with bat ball and field," Mathews says, "Chandimal got hit on his ribs, hopefully he is okay" Chandimal went for an X-ray says Russell Arnold for Ten Sports.

10.25 pm James Faulkner is Man of the Match "First time in Sri Lanka, it was a tough wicket to bat on and the top order set us up for the chase. Conditions dictate that, lots of change of pace and protecting one side of the ground. We fielded well, we even took a wicket off the first over. Always nerves at the end, it was a great chase."

10.13 pm The touring Australian fans are happy, they've even got the traditional Faulkner-out-there-at-the-end-for-the-win template. But the bulk of the work was done by the opener Aaron Finch, who wasn't here for the Tests, blazing away at the start, knowing getting runs off the quicks and against the new ball would be vital on a pitch where hitting through the line was rife with danger. Smith had to combat that in the middle order, and he buckled down to play one of his best innings so far. It may only have been 58 runs, but after that abysmal Test series, and plenty of spinners and enough rippers beating the outside edge to revive memories of that, this was an innings Australia needed from their captain. He had confessed to feeling angry at his dismissals to Rangana Herath and here he batted like he was loathe to give up his wicket. It was too close for comfort for him, having been sent back into the dressing room with 30 needed. Australia contrived to lose three wickets and were seven down by the time they got those precious winning runs.

Nikhil Mane: "This is Australia's highest successful run-chase in Sri Lanka in ODIs!" Brave call then from Smith to choose to field at the toss, the pitch was dry, it was always bound to turn. Australia did extremely well in the middle overs to curtail Sri Lanka even with the set half-centurious Chandimal and Mendis at the crease

Agape: "Shouldn't it be possible to work out exactly how many times Faulkner has been at the crease when the winning runs were struck? It seems kind of uncanny..." A few things are better with a little mystery in them. His bigger contribution, of course, was with the four wickets he took. Coming into the tour and assessing conditions quickly, bowling those cutters near-perfectly

46.5
1
Dilshan to Starc, 1 run

Australia win. It's short and a shade outside off, punched through the covers - punches the air as he runs as well - and signs the match off. Winnings runs, and becoming the fastest to 100 ODI wickets in the same game. Starc, you beauty.

46.4
Dilshan to Starc, no run

driven to short cover again as a quicker, fuller one comes at him on leg stump

46.3
Dilshan to Starc, no run

goes back to a flatter ball and pushes to short cover

46.2
Dilshan to Starc, no run

goes for the big old slog sweep, and is beaten by the turn

46.1
2
Dilshan to Starc, 2 runs

outside edge, squirts away to the sweeper cover and scores are level

Australia need three, Sri Lanka need three.

Sudheer: "By the looks of things, Kusal janith perara should take over the gloves from chandimal in all formats. Chandimal should concernatrate on his batting just like sangakkara."

end of over 463 runs • 1 wicket
AUS: 225/7CRR: 4.89 RRR: 0.75
Mitchell Starc2 (2b)
James Faulkner5 (7b)
Dilruwan Perera 10-0-48-3
Tillakaratne Dilshan 3-0-22-0
45.6
1
Perera to Starc, 1 run

nicely tossed up on off stump, Starc drives it to long-off again, short cover didn't put in the dive

45.5
1
Perera to Faulkner, 1 run

quick, full, right on middle and off, Faulkner comes forward tentatively and gets an inside edge past short leg. Streaky, but effective

45.4
1
Perera to Starc, 1 run

a little too full and Starc drives fluently to long-off

Australia were 190 for 3... now they are 222 for 7.. Oh dear oh dear... And now in walks Starc. Seems he has to do everything for Australia on this tour

45.3
W
Perera to Head, OUT

Kusal is certain he's stumped Head! And it appears his back foot is in the air even as he tried to push back to safety! Beautiful bowling from Dilruwan, tossed it up just outside off, tempted the batsman forward to defend with hard, searching hands. Just delight for an offspinner to get a man out like that, not to mention the rapid work from the keeper. Kusal is doing a rip-roaring job

Travis Head st †MDKJ Perera b MDK Perera 10 (17b 1x4 0x6 23m) SR: 58.82
45.2
Perera to Head, no run

huge chance for a run-out but Dilruwan doesn't pick up the ball! Head was trying to flick, gets struck on the pad and wants to hide in the other end. Had come halfway down, with the non-striker did not move at all, he didn't want anything to do with it

45.1
Perera to Head, no run

attempts a cut off a good length ball pitching on off stump and leaping away to the keeper's gloves

Australia need six more... Just one big old wallop more

SD: "That certainly won't help Bailey, would it? Setting it up then playing a rather irresponsible stroke just when the end was near. Things might get a little tighter than Australia would like now. Mitchell Marsh waiting in the wings. He can bowl as well...."

end of over 455 runs
AUS: 222/6CRR: 4.93 RRR: 1.20
Travis Head10 (14b 1x4)
James Faulkner4 (6b)
Tillakaratne Dilshan 3-0-22-0
Dilruwan Perera 9-0-45-2
44.6
1
Dilshan to Head, 1 run

comes on with the arm, but Head plays it well enough, backing away and cutting from the stumps

44.5
Dilshan to Head, no run

short and wide, slapped to short cover

44.4
Dilshan to Head, no run

shortish on off stump, defended

44.3
1
Dilshan to Faulkner, 1 run

shortish, which makes matters easy for a nervous batsman, can play from the crease, wait for the offbreak and play with it to deep square leg

44.3
1w
Dilshan to Faulkner, 1 wide

tossed up, a little quick on leg stump, Faulkner goes for the sweep and it just misses leg stump. Wide called with the batsman having swept from outside off

44.2
2
Dilshan to Faulkner, 2 runs

goes for a sweep despite the length behind short, and he was into the shot so early that the ball lobbed off the back of the bat and away over the wicketkeeper

44.1
Dilshan to Faulkner, no run

he's worth his weight in tons of runs, Gunathilaka! Gets struck on the bare forearm with Faulkner playing a full-blooded pull

Six over left, 11 runs to get, four wickets in hand.. Here's Dilshan

end of over 443 runs • 1 wicket
AUS: 217/6CRR: 4.93 RRR: 1.83
James Faulkner1 (3b)
Travis Head9 (11b 1x4)
Dilruwan Perera 9-0-45-2
Lakshan Sandakan 5-0-33-2
43.6
1
Perera to Faulkner, 1 run

oooh, that's tight. Faulkner goes back, his feet betraying his nerves, and does well to gently pat the ball behind square leg and away from the fielder under the helmet. Sri Lanka needed a few more close-in fielders in that over

43.5
Perera to Faulkner, no run

tentative forward defence from Faulkner as Perera loops the ball up outside off

AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
Australia Innings
<1 / 3>