AUS vs SL: 2nd T20I – Warner, Smith help hosts take 2-0 series lead
Australia’s superior quality again came through as they sealed a comfortable victory in the second T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Brisbane. David Warner and Steven Smith were the stars of the show with unbeaten fifties as the Australians won the contest by 9 wickets. The visitors batting first on a flat batting deck, could only post a score of 117. This was never going to trouble the hosts’ formidable batting lineup.
A collective bowling effort
The Sri Lankan batters found the pace and bounce generated by Cummins and co too hot to handle. None of the batsmen could even register a score of 30 on the board. This failure pointed exactly at the kind of trouble the visitors found themselves in. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera was the only one who showcased some intent in his knock of 29 off 19 deliveries. Danushka Gunathilaka also fought hard at the top of the order during his knock of 21 but Billy Stanlake eventually outpaced him. With consistent breakthroughs from the Australian bowlers, Sri Lanka could never settle into a groove and eventually folded out for 117 in 19 overs. For Australia, Cummins, Stanlake, Agar and Zampa all chipped in with 2 wickets each.
Warner, Smith finish the job
SHOT!
Live #AUSvSL: https://t.co/HO09shzEmE pic.twitter.com/jGHA1hvmAP
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 30, 2019
With a minuscule score to defend, Sri Lanka needed early breakthroughs to stay alive in the contest. Lasith Malinga then successfully delivered, getting rid of the Australian skipper Aaron Finch on a first-ball duck. The wicket only proved to be a false dawn for the Lankans as Warner and Smith stamped their authority on the contest. The pair would each score unbeaten half-centuries with Australia winning the contest without breaking a sweat. Warner after his maiden T20I century in the first match ended with a score of 60 off 41 deliveries. Smith, on the other hand, scored 53 off 36 deliveries. With the result, the Aussies took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with the final match to be played in Melbourne.
Brief scores: Australia 118 for 1 (Warner 60*, Smith 53*) beat Sri Lanka 117 (Kusal Perera 27, Zampa 2-20, Stanlake 2-23) by nine wickets
