Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of today’s third ODI against Australia at Pallekele after suffering a groin strain. The nation’s richest sportsman at the moment having fetched a sum of USD 1.3 million in this year’s IPL, Hasaranga was sent for a scan in Kandy.  How severe the injury is not known as the report has been dispatched to Colombo for expert opinion. Hasaranga could miss more than one game but it is believed that he should be fit for the tail end of the series. Sri Lanka will have to figure out his replacement for today’s game and although they have another leg-spinner in Jeffrey Vandersay, Hasaranga’s wicket taking ability, cleverly disguising his deliveries will be missed. Hasaranga has used the googly to good effect throughout the series and the only Australian batsman who seemed to have got a measure of the leggie was his RCB team mate Glenn Maxwell.

The game was slipping away from Australia when Maxwell walked in at number seven. The Victorian then threw caution to wind coming up with some stunning strokes.

Australia kept losing wickets, but Maxwell’s boundary hitting ability helped them to keep the required run rate under control and in the end they won with nine balls to spare. Dasun Shanaka relied heavily on spin and Maxwell treated them with little respect. The bowlers were under pressure and started faulting with their lengths. Shanaka then turned to pace and Maxwell sealed the deal by hitting back to back sixes off  Dushmantha Chameera. The Pallekele track had some help for spinners but it settled down after a rain interruption during the Australian innings.

Australia’s