That’s all from the Gabba. We’ll be back with the OBO for a double-header on Friday: New Zealand v England in their first T20 followed a couple of hours later by Australia v Sri Lanka in Melbourne. Between now and then, I will spend 24 hours on a flight before joining you for both of those fixtures at the MCG. Until then - bye!
Steve Smith speaks: “We played well tonight. The bowlers did a terrific job early on and bowled excellent areas. They restricted them to 117, which wasn’t enough on that wicket. It’s good to be back in this team ahead of the T20 World Cup next year. It’s nice batting up the other end from Davey, it makes it easy. He’s a strong little lad. I’ll bat where I’m told in Melbourne on Friday.”
Updated
AUSTRALIA WIN BY NINE WICKETS! With 42 balls to spare.
Australia 118-1 (Warner 60, Smith 53) Target 118 Hasaranga denies Warner the chance to hit the winning run, sending a wide down the legside. That just about sums up the game and the series so far, Sri Lanka hammered once again. They have chased this down with seven overs to spare, barely breaking a sweat. In Smith’s first hit back in national colours in Australia, he was excellent, as was Warner.
13th over: Australia 117-1 (Warner 60, Smith 53) Target 118 Sandakan nearly gives us a bit of trivia to end the night, pulling the stump out the way Cummins did in the first innings after Smith’s bails were broken. But he failed to touch the stump with the ball - NOT OUT, says the TV umpire. Two in a match would surely have been a first in T20s. Warner levels the scores with a single to finish the set, after a four down the ground before the run out that wasn’t.
12th over: Australia 111-1 (Warner 55, Smith 52) Target 118 Pradeep goes up for leg before with a very unlikely shout as it has pitched a mile outside Warner’s leg stump but he sends it upstairs anyway. Four from it. Nearly done. Far more interesting is the commentary. Warne won’t be at the MCG game on Friday, he explains, because he has “an exciting meeting” in LA about a film.
11th over: Australia 107-1 (Warner 55, Smith 50) Target 118 A Warner boundary pushes Australia beyond 100, crunching a Sandakan half-tracker past point. There’s a bit of confusion later in the over, which would have removed the left-hander had the throw been accurate, but nae bother: Smith steers another four next ball, past point with no trouble at all. He then moves to 50 with one to mid-off, in 32 balls. As Adam Gilchrist notes on TV, it is his first hit in a T20I since the 2016 World T20 but that matters little. Start the car.
Warner to 50
10th over: Australia 97-1 (Warner 50, Smith 45) Target 118 Warner raises his half-century with a pulled single, his 14th fifth in T20Is to go with the ton he made on Sunday. It has taken him 30 deliveries to get there, seven boundaries collected along the way. Easy peasy. Smith has enough time to raise his bat himself, clipping Malinga - now coming around the wicket - into the gap for four more. He gets another couple past point to move into the 40s before finishing the set with another lavish boundary, timing the pants off an off-drive. What a shot. He’s 45 from 29 balls. 12 off the over.
9th over: Australia 85-1 (Warner 49, Smith 35) Target 118 Going through the motions? Just about. Warner spices it up a bit with a perfect reverse sweep, the rest of the runs taken with ease. Australia now need 33 runs in 66 balls, for what it’s worth.
8th over: Australia 75-1 (Warner 40, Smith 33) Target 118 Oh, easy as you like from Warner who helps a misdirected Udana short ball on its way over the man inside the fielding ring on the 45. More good running ensures they finish with ten runs from the over. “They have such an understanding,” notes Isa Guha on the telly.
The oldest living Test cricketer, Eileen Ash, turns 108 today. So here’s your yearly reminder that she is bloody incredible. She says the secret to her longevity is “breathing”. What a wicked sense of humour.https://t.co/WGu1sFwvQP
— Brydon Coverdale (@brydoncoverdale) October 30, 2019
7th over: Australia 65-1 (Warner 34, Smith 29) Target 118 Sandakan with his left-arm wrist spin now the power play is complete, as is the custom. He starts well, giving just enough air with sufficient accuracy to deny either Australian the chance to free their arms. They manage to jag two runs from the final ball, which Malinga dives to stop at cover. They’re so quick between the wickets.
6th over: Australia 58-1 (Warner 30, Smith 26) Target 118 Udana, one of the best death bowlers in the ODI World Cup earlier this year, will need to draw on some of that despite the fact that this is only the sixth over of Australia’s chase. He doesn’t do a bad job either, using about five slower balls in the over, giving up just the six runs.
Admittedly, chasing 118 is not a stern test of Smith's T20 credentials but a score of 1 for 1 is what he's in this team to fix. Three overs later Smith has 21 off 12 and Australia are 35 for 1. Risk-free proactivity. Nicely done. #AUSvSL
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 30, 2019
5th over: Australia 52-1 (Warner 29, Smith 22) Target 118 “I’m about to have a shower,” Victor Onions on twitter informs us. “If I call you will you read the OBO out to me like you are commentating?” Well, speaking of early showers... this is what they are getting tonight. Hasaranga is no match for Warner with his leg spin, crushing him for four boundaries in the over - sweeping, cutting, pulling, driving.
4th over: Australia 35-1 (Warner 13, Smith 21) Target 118 Australia’s former leadership axis are now scoring off every ball, galloping between the wickets as they accumulate. Then Warner, yet to hit a boundary, finishes the over with some real stand-and-deliver stuff, hammering Pradeep straight down the ground. Have that.
Have a look at Smith’s drive from the previous over.
Magnificent straight drive from Steve Smith! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/Quan2kzDxk
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 30, 2019
3rd over: Australia 25-1 (Warner 8, Smith 17) Target 118 Malinga to Smith, the latter off strike first up with one to square leg, Warner then pulling a short ball for two more. Later, with one ball to face in the set, Smith leaps on a full ball, stroking it past the boots of the bowler for four more. He’s already 17 off 10 balls.
2nd over: Australia 15-1 (Warner 5, Smith 10) Target 118 Nice punch from Warner off Pradeep’s first ball, grabbing three from it. Smith later in the over plays a perfect square drive that goes all the way for four. They cut to him on the television from a pre-game interview where the former captain says there are some nights during a Test Match when he doesn’t sleep at all, most of the time getting two or three hours. Goodness me. He makes it two fours on the trot with a clip through the air that Hasaranga can’t quite keep him before his roof hits the rope. Yup, he’s away.
Lasith Malinga has a very good record against Aaron Finch. He's dismissed him three times in 65 balls, in T20, but more impressively he's done so with an economy of just 4.8rpo. Against a man like Finch, that is outstanding. #AUSvSL
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) October 30, 2019
1st over: Australia 1-1 (Warner 1, Smith 1) Target 118 Another first in the Smith comeback: his first innings in Australia since the sandpaper farrago. He defends that initial delivery back down the track before ducks an accurate short one, then can’t beat midwicket with a flick. Never write off Lasith Malinga.
WICKET! Finch c Dickwella b Malinga 0 (Australia 1-1)
Whoa, Finch bags a golden duck! Not much of a delivery from Malinga, comfortably down the legside, but he’s tickled it into the gloves of Dickwella.
The players are back on the field. Some more news from Cricket Australia to report as Warner and Finch make their way: Andrew McDonald has been appointed as Australia’s new senior assistant coach. He will be allowed to continue his his IPL and Hundred gigs at the same time to help afford him. Clever or conflicted? We’ll see.
“Evening Adam.” Hello, Jake Santa Maria. “With two Dutch cricketers living with me I must shout out to Netherlands for qualifying for the WC next year but would love to know your thoughts on PNG getting there especially being their first ever tournament relatively close to home.”
Fantastic, isn’t it? Some want to present this as emerging teams getting worse (take Ireland’s troubles in this competition), but the more compelling argument is that more nations than ever are seriously competitive in these qualification tournaments. Yet, sadly, the ODI World Cup remains at ten teams. We shouldn’t forget this.
SRI LANKA ALL-OUT 117. WICKET! Sandakan run out [Cummins] 10.
Sharp work from Cummins to finish his spell and the Sri Lankan innings. Sandakan did well enough throughout the over to add seven, Pradeep smashing the final ball back dead straight, hitting the stumps at the non-strikers’ end. The big quick reacted quickly to the deflection, realising Sandakan was well down the track, managing to pull the stump out of the ground to execute the run out. You don’t see that happen too often. Australia require 118 to win the series.
18th over: Sri Lanka 110-9 (Sandakan 5, Pradeep 1) My guy Pradeep gets off the mark with a biiig top edge, which Zampa tries to snaffle running back with the flight at extra cover but his dive doesn’t quick stick. His four overs are now done, claiming 2/20. Lovely bowling.
WICKET! Malinga st Carey b Zampa (Sri Lanka 108-9)
Zampa’s slower leggie strikes again, in very similar circumstanes to how he picked up his earlier wicket. This time, he draws Malinga down the track, Carey taking the bails. The ball before the Sri Lankan skipper was given out lbw but had it turned around on review, bouncing over the top - but the spinner has his measure.
17th over: Sri Lanka 107-8 (Sandakan 3, Malinga 9) Malinga knows the drill trying to rehabilitate a sketchy innings, making room to twice pop Richardson above the ring at cover for a couple of timely boundaries to start the over. That gets the band singing. Sandakan’s turn but he can’t make the same sort of contact. Still, it moves the visitors beyond 100 and within striking distance of, say, 130?
16th over: Sri Lanka 97-8 (Sandakan 2, Malinga 0) Sandakan wants nothing to do with the faster shorter one but is able to slice over backward point for a couple to finish yet another successful over for the home side. Once again it is just four runs and a wicket.
WICKET! Udana c Richardson b Cummins 10 (Sri Lanka 95-8)
This is grim for Sri Lanka, but take nothing away from the classy Australian bowlers. Cummins nails his shorter, slower off-cutter, prompting a hack across the line from Udana landing in the hands of Richardson on the deep backward square rope.
15th over: Sri Lanka 93-7 (Udana 8, Sandakan 0) Sandakan is happy enough keeping Zampa’s wrong’un out rather than trying to score from it. Just four runs and the wicket from the spinners’ over.
Breaking news: England’s women have a new coach.
WICKET! Hasaranga st Carey b Zampa 10 (Sri Lanka 93-7)
Classic leg-spinners’ wicket, bringing the right-hander forward with a bit of extra flight, beating the edge and leaving him stranded. Carey does the rest. All of Australia’s bowlers have been tip-top tonight.
14th over: Sri Lanka 89-6 (Hasaranga 9, Udana 5) Agar finishes with 2/27, getting through another without a boundary. Indeed, that makes two T20Is in a row where he’s achieved that. Thrilled to see he’s back in national colours and ticking over nicely. Lovely fella.
13th over: Sri Lanka 82-6 (Hasaranga 5, Udana 2) The life has been sucked out of the Sri Lankan innings through these middle overs, especially since Perera fell. Just five singles from Zampa here.
Those stumps lighting up mean a second wicket for Ashton Agar. He's got one over remaining.#AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/lEs0UcB16j
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 30, 2019
12th over: Sri Lanka 77-6 (Hasaranga 1, Udana 1) Stanlake’s four overs have netted him 2/23. He was a big part of Australia’s success in the format in 2018 - twice coming within a fration of a point of overtaking Pakistan as the No1 ranked team.
WICKET! Shanaka c Carey b Stanlake 1 (Sri Lanka 75-6)
Stanlake bounces Shanaka out on the hook! The deflection is so slight that Carey barely appeals when the ball lands in his gloves, but the decision goes the way of the bowler. No review - that’s out.
WICKET! Perera b Agar 27 (Sri Lanka 75-5)
Perera chops the straight one on. They’re in big strife now.
11th over: Sri Lanka 75-5 (Hasaranga 0, Shanaka 1) Shane Warne is trying to get Maxwell to talk about the nicknames of Agar and Cummins. Thankfully, he realises this isn’t a good idea.
WICKET! Dickwella c Turner b Cummins 5 (Sri Lanka 65-4)
10th over: Sri Lanka 65-4 (Perera 18) Perera unfurls his second booming drive, this time giving Cummins the treatment through cover. We shouldn’t be surprised, according to those who have crunched the data, he did play one of the best Test innings of all-time just eight months ago. Dickwella’s turn, who scoops for four! Stanlake could have stopped it but didn’t get his hand down in time. But Dickwella doesn’t get properly in, sending a gentle leading edge to Turner at point to finish the over. Nice change of pace from Cummins to earn his entry to the book.
WICKET! Avishka c Cummins b Agar 17 (Sri Lanka 53-3)
Fine work from Agar, tempting Fernando with a slower one through the air, well wide of the off-stump. He takes the bait, top-edging high into the sky, taken nicely by Cummins running in from long-off.
9th over: Sri Lanka 54-3 (Perera 12, Dickwella 0)
8th over: Sri Lanka 49-2 (Avishka 15, Perera 9) Zampa now, with his wrist spin. His wrong’un is spot on from the outset, winning Avishka’s inside edge then beating Fernando on the outside of his bat. Avishka gets more of it next time he’s up, timing a forceful drive into the gap at extra cover for a boundary. They needed that.
7th over: Sri Lanka 41-2 (Avishka 9, Perera 7) It’s spin with Agar for the first time tonight. He had a good game on Sunday, conceding just 13 runs. Not his best over here but ge gets out of it with five singles.
Stanlake hits the top of off!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 30, 2019
Live #AUSvSL: https://t.co/HO09shzEmE pic.twitter.com/2koow4kgEV
6th over: Sri Lanka 36-2 (Avishka 7, Perera 4) Shoooot. Kusal Perera strokes a gorgeous off-drive to the rope first ball - on the up, thanks for coming. Shane Warne says Shane Warne things on TV in response, champing Billy Stanlake in the process. Fernando has a dash later in the over, lifting high out to midwicket, but Richardson does well with an athletic stop on the rope. Power play done.
WICKET! Gunathilaka b Stanlake b Stanlake 21 (Sri Lanka 29-2)
Gunathilaka makes room but misses an attempted slap, Stanlake’s delivery clipping the very top of off-stump. That’ll do it.
5th over: Sri Lanka 28-1 (Gunathilaka 21, Avishka 4) Cummins is on and with his first ball he’s immediately on that nagging hip length to Avishka. Gunathilaka’s turn, who nails a cut shot but Maxwell is there at point, diving with one hand to stop a certain boundary. Superb. Warner is also into the act, racing around to stop more runs at mid-off. Nobody can stop four from the final ball though, a thick edge racing away to the rope; the left-hander into the 20s.
4th over: Sri Lanka 21-1 (Gunathilaka 16, Avishka 2) Gunathilaka backs out of a reverse something-or-another as Stanlake’s first ball arrives, deciding at the last minute to dab to third man. His execution improves dramatically as the over goes on, picking up a boundary over midwicket then scooping a SIX over the head of the ‘keeper. As you do when the quick is 6’10” and bowling 145kph.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 9-1 (Gunathilaka 4, Avishka 2) Another high-quality over from Richardson, beating Gunathilaka’s outside edge to begin, giving him very little thereafter. Avishka is off the mark from the final ball but he was lucky his hoick didn’t end up in the hands of the man at deep midwicket.
“Winning the toss and batting first was the only way Sri Lanka could make a comeback in this series today,” insists Abhijato Sensarma. “With no scoreboard pressure, presence of decent batsmen for flat pitches such as today’s, and an opportunity to cash in on the Starc-less death overs, it’s do or die for the islanders. It’s unbelievable Rajapaksa has been dropped after a great series versus Pakistan, but that’s just the way it is now. Hope they put aside the pessimism to revive their talent for unexpected heroics and make this series exciting again!” Yes, he sent this before the innings started.
Disaster for Sri Lanka!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 30, 2019
Agar completes the run out, the visitors are 1-6 after two overs.
Live #AUSvSL: https://t.co/HO09shzEmE pic.twitter.com/kywlmpc5Mw
2nd over: Sri Lanka 6-1 (Gunathilaka 3, Avishka 0) Gunathilaka is beaten by the final ball of the excellent Stanlake over. Earlier, he already sorted him out twice with sharp deliveries outside the off-stump. Between times, a spinkler came on at mid-off. Eventful.
WICKET! Mendis run out [Agar] 1 (Sri Lanka 5-1)
Ugly cricket. Gunathilaka took off after pushing to point and Mendis was coming, but he was sent back far too late. Agar deflected cleverly at the bowlers’ end upon receiving the throw.
1st over: Sri Lanka 4-0 (Gunathilaka 2, Mendis 1) As Gunathilaka gets off the mark first all to third man, Shane Warne rolls out the favoured stat of most TV commentators: if you lose three wickets in a T20 power play, you lose three times in four. Richardson is right on the money to the right-handed Mendis, beating him with good’un. Warne is now talking about lasagne because it helped Stanlake, who will we will shortly, put on six kilograms. Smith drops Mendis to finish the first over, diving to his right at backward point with the right hand. It is a tough chance by normal-people standards, but they are the type that the former skipper makes a habit of snaffling.
Gunathilaka and Mendis are opening the batting. Richardson, of the Kane variety, has the new ball in his hand. PLAY!
The crowd numbers will be a talking point tonight. Men’s international cricket in Australia doesn’t come much more Off-Broadway than this. October, mid-week, pay TV coverage only - not a great combination. Anyway, the players are on the field so positive vibes only, as they say on the internet.
Hottest ticket in town. #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/nPqBd6QLec
— Dylan Leach (@leachitup) October 30, 2019
At the toss. Sri Lankan skipper Malinga said he wants them to “show character” today and believes batting first will take a bit of pressure off to begin. Finch was “a bit undecided” due to the dew, leaning towards batting. “But we’re not too disappointed bowling first.”
Three changes for Sri Lanka. Kasun Rajitha, Oshada Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaska are out. Coming in: Avishka Fernando (HOW WAS HE OUT TO BEGIN WITH?), Niroshan Dickwella and Isuru Udana. For Australia, just Stanlake for Starc.
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake.
Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga (c), Nuwan Pradeep.
While we wait for those teamsheets. I mentioned Mitch Starc’s brother. I really should have identified him as Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Brandon Starc. Handy family.
Sri Lanka have won the toss
They are batting. Teams shortly.
Preamble
To the Gabba we go for the second men’s international of this marathon Australian summer. It’s it there that the Sri Lankans will try and recover form the 134-run mauling they copped in the city of churches on Sunday at the hands of Warner and Maxwell and co.
It’d be daft to completely rule them out in this three-game T20 series on the basis of that first performance, though. Look at what they did in the World Cup when they looked a broken and divided rabble - they beat England, who went on to win the whole thing. Or that absurd Test win in Durban. Or sweeping Pakistan last month.
Maybe that’s too optimistic this time around, though. Poor old Kasun Rajitha’s analysis of 0/75 - the worst in T20I history - summed it up as Australia’s openers put on 122 before Warner and Maxwell added another 109 in about 25 minutes then the quicks went to work. The hosts are determined to up their game in this format with a home T20 World Cup ahead of them exactly a year from now.
Ahead of the toss, we already know Mitch Starc hasn’t made the trip, instead attending his brother’s wedding. Fair play. Big Queenslander Billy Stanlake comes into the XI. As for Sri Lanka, expect bulk changes with Dickwella and Udana the most likely inclusions.
