Shanaka’s 25-ball 54* scripts stunning victory for Sri Lanka
Hosts smash a record 59 off last three overs to deny Australia 3-0 sweep
Chamika Karunaratne and Dasun Shanaka gave Sri Lanka an unlikely win • BCCI
Sri Lanka 177 for 6 (Shanaka 54*, Stoinis 2-8, Hazlewood 2-25) beat Australia 176 for 5 (Warner 39, Stoinis 38, Theekshana 2-25) by four wickets
Dasun Shanaka made a furious late charge at a total that always seemed beyond Sri Lanka, crashing sixes over midwicket, smoking fours down the ground, and through cover, batting desperately to bring his team some joy out of the series.
There was a bit of luck, but not that much. A wide that shouldn’t have been called, maybe. Australia’s bowlers missing their lengths a little more often than they usually would.
But in the presence of packed and uproarious Pallekele crowd, Shanaka hunted down 75 off the last five overs in the company of Chamika Karunaratne, who occasionally produced big hits himself, but was more the captain’s hype man. Shanaka had hit only six off his first 12 balls, but then went into supernova mode, blasting 48 off his next 13 deliveries, taking Josh Hazlewood apart, then Jhye Richardson, then Kane Richardson in the final over, from which 19 had been required.
The last over
As good as the two previous overs had been for Sri Lanka, it didn’t seem like they’d make it in the last one. Shanaka is not particularly good at crashing balls through the offside (deep midwicket and down the ground are his areas). But then the pressure of Shanaka’s outrageous hitting in the previous two overs got to Kane. Or so you’d surmise.
As good as the two previous overs had been for Sri Lanka, it didn’t seem like they’d make it in the last one. Shanaka is not particularly good at crashing balls through the offside (deep midwicket and down the ground are his areas). But then the pressure of Shanaka’s outrageous hitting in the previous two overs got to Kane. Or so you’d surmise.
He bowled two clear off-side wides first up, which brought the requirement down to 17 off the last over, essentially. Then he bowled two decent deliveries, one of which was hit to sweeper cover, and a slower ball that Sri Lanka’s batters scrambled a bye off.
But with 15 needed off the last four, the real magic began for Sri Lanka. Shanaka slashed a slightly overpitched wide ball for four past point – his very first boundary of the innings in that region. Then, when Kane missed a straight yorker, he pummelled him down the ground, easily beating long-off.
Next was the shot that, for the first time in the chase, seemed to put Sri Lanka on top. A low full toss, walloped into the sightscreen behind the bowler’s head.The winning run was off a wide ball in the penultimated ball of the inning hurled by Kane Richardson