Australia win Super Over after Hazlewood heroics, take 2-0 lead against SL
Fast bowler concedes five runs in Super Over after picking up three wickets; Nissanka's 73 goes in vain
Pathum Nissanka hit a 53-ball 73 • Getty Images
Although Nissanka had played perhaps the innings of the game, captain Dasun Shanaka, who had also struck the ball cleanly in his 34 off 23, chose to open in the company of Dinesh Chandimal. It didn't go well. Shanaka tried to scoop Hazlewood over his shoulder first up but didn't make contact. Then he played and missed a wide yorker outside off stump. Third ball, he missed again, and when they tried to run on the overthrow, Chandimal was run out at the non-striker's end. Nissanka hit a two and a single in the two balls he got to face, but a Super Over score of 5 was never going to be enough.
Aside from the excellent Super Over, Hazlewood was outstanding all through Sri Lanka's innings. He removed Danushka Gunathilaka in the first over, the batter smoking one straight to cover. He then had Avishka Fernando caught at cover as well - his figures read 2 for 9 from his two Powerplay overs. He only gave away three runs in his third over - the 12th of the innings - and kept his last to 10. All up (including the Super Over), he sent down five overs and conceded only 27.
Josh Inglis produced an excellent 48 off 32 to set Australia's total up, but Nissanka produced the innings of the evening, progressing steadily while Sri Lanka lost wickets in the early overs (they were 25 for 3, then 67 for 4), before moving up the gears alongside Shanaka, with whom he shared a partnership worth 48 off 31. In the death overs, Nissanka cleared the boundary twice, to bring Sri Lanka close when they had seemed out of contention for much of the chase's duration. He will be annoyed at the ball he got out to - a knee-high full toss from Stoinis, which he slapped straight to deep backward square in the final over. Nevertheless, his 73 off 53 encapsulated much of Sri Lanka's fight.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf