And here’s the match report:
With that, it’s time for me to log off. Thanks for your company over the course of this T20I double header on the OBO. We’ll be back on Sunday for more short-form action, Australia hosting Pakistan in Sydney for the first of their three T20s and New Zealand welcoming England to Wellington for the seond rubber in their five-match run. Until then, enjoy the rugby and have lovely weekends! Bye!
David Warner has been named man of the match. And surely the series, too. Yep, he had a shocker in the Ashes but all he could do was come back home and pile on the runs and pile them on he has over the last week. 100, 60 and 57 were his three unbeaten scores.
AUSTRALIA WIN BY SEVEN WICKETS!
Warner finishes it with a pulled boundary; Australia sweep the series. They’ve got the job done here with 14 balls to spare. The opener finishes the series with 217 runs, not out in each innings.
17.4 overs: Australia 145-3 (Warner 57, Turner 22) Target 143
17th over: Australia 140-3 (Warner 53, Turner 21) Target 143 Bit of speculation on TV that we might be watching Malinga’s final over on Australian soil, but he’ll surely be back for the World T20. I hope so. Three runs left for Australia to win, 18 balls to get it done.
16th over: Australia 132-3 (Warner 50, Turner 19) Target 143 Five low-risk runs taken off Sandakan as this game moves towards its logical end point. 28,568 came along tonight, mostly Sri Lankan fans. They’ve done a great job supporting their team.
15th over: Australia 127-3 (Warner 49, Turner 15) Target 143 Lahiru hits Warner’s stumps but the zing bails don’t come off! How often did we see it during the World Cup? Another one that spilled off the batsman and made contact almost in slow motion, but you expect at least one bail to dislodge. Turner is the man who again puts the dent in the chase though, hooking the quick over the fine leg boundary for a second six in the five balls he’s been out there. Warner responds with one of his own to finish the set, lifting across the line and beyond the boundary at cow corner. If Sri Lanka had a window, it has closed in the last two overs. Australia need 16 off five overs.
14th over: Australia 110-3 (Warner 40, Turner 8) Target 143 The technology shows McDermott would have been reprieved had they reviewed. Hmmm. The crowd are willing their Sri Lankan charges on, easily outnumbering Australian fans here tonight. Jayasuriya, who had 13 taken from his first over, is up again to Warner. It’s Turner who goes BIG though, launching the off-spinner into the Great Southern Stand! With five other singles taken to the sweepers, it moves the runs required tally beneath the balls remaining for the first time in the chase, 34 off 37 the updated equation.
WICKET! McDermott lbw b Malinga 5 (Australia 99-3)
Well, then. It looked a bit legside to me but Warner has advised McDermott to cop the decision and walk off. The opener is 37 off 36 and Australia still require 44 off 43. Not far from Game On.
13th over: Australia 99-3 (Warner 37, Turner 0) Target 143
Updated
12th over: Australia 91-2 (Warner 30, McDermott 4) Target 143 Right, back to Sandakan at McDermott, playing his first game on home soil. There’ll be some nerves there. That’s shown early in the over, twice failing to beat the men in the fielding circle before grabbing a couple to midwicket - good running from Warner, who slaps one down the ground when he gets his chance. Just five off it though, which is a small win for the visitors. Wickets, though. They need them.
Sandakan takes it to remove Smith for 13!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2019
Live #AUSvSL: https://t.co/wza63xv4YB pic.twitter.com/drUnG4pMzr
WICKET! Smith c Sandakan b Pradeep 13 (Australia 85-2)
Sandakan takes Smith at deep square leg! It’s well hit, so he has to keep his cool to take the catch above his head, and does just that. Can Sri Lanka take advantage of this small opening they now have?
11th over: Australia 86-2 (Warner 28, McDermott 0) Target 143
10th over: Australia 82-1 (Warner 28, Smith 11) Target 143 Two balls, two fours for Smith. As you do. This time, straight back over Sandakan’s head. Nine from it, leaving 61 from 60 balls for the win.
9th over: Australia 73-1 (Warner 26, Smith 4) Target 143 Ridiculous from Smith to begin, somehow finding enough time to adjust his stroke at the very last moment to pull Lahiru around the corner for four first ball, bisecting the fielders with precision. 14 runs and a wicket from the eventful over.
WICKET! Finch c b Lahiru 37 (Australia 69-1)
It was a costly exercise but Sri Lanka have the captain! Lahiru was launched down the ground by Finch for six to begin the over, and there were a couple of wides in there as he tried to shake things up. In the end, he’s won the scalp with a slower ball, miscued to long on.
8th over: Australia 59-0 (Finch 30, Warner 25) Target 143 Can Sandakan shake things up with his left-arm wrist spin? The only way they are any chance at all is by putting a big dent in Australia’s batting line up over the next few overs - bulk wickets or bust. The incision won’t be coming here though, six singles milked instead.
Updated
7th over: Australia 53-0 (Finch 27, Warner 22) Target 143 The captain is getting busy, Jayasuriya not getting a moment to settle with his offies, pumped waaay over long on in classic Finch fashion for SIX. Two hard-run twos follow, keeping the pressure on. 13 from the over with each ball scored off. An important psychological blow.
6th over: Australia 40-0 (Finch 16, Warner 20) Target 143 Two lbw shouts, Pradeep beating Finch’s bat twice, but he’s getting no love. On reflection, both shouts are more in hope than expectation, the second landing on the Australian skipper’s boot but well down leg. Six off it, Australia well placed at the end of the power play.
5th over: Australia 34-0 (Finch 16, Warner 16) Target 143 Lahiru is swung around to bowl from the Artist Formerly Known As the Hilton Hotel End. For about two years at uni, their car park backed onto my dodgy apartment balcony. Living 200m from the ‘G was quite the experience. And he’s had a chance put down off him too! Finch time time, shelled by Oshada moving to his right. Not a tough catch; not at all. You can’t drop these blokes in consecutive overs.
4th over: Australia 27-0 (Finch 11, Warner 14) Target 143 Lahiru is taken off - not sure about that. He’s replaced by the unluckiest bowler in all the world (aside from maybe Shami): Nuwan Pradeep. The last time I wrote this CricViz repudiated me, but I still believe it. RIGHT ON CUE: Malinga drops Warner at mid-off! There was a dive but the skipper made it look tougher than it was, I fancy. Mark Waugh shares my view on commentary for what that is worth?
3rd over: Australia 20-0 (Finch 7, Warner 12) Target 143 Warner is in some touch at the moment, slamming Malinga from one knee through extra cover for four more of the best. Always the competitor, the veteran slinger bounces back with one that jags off the seam to beat the opener’s outside edge. There’s a bit going on in this game.
2nd over: Australia 15-0 (Finch 7, Warner 7) Target 143 Phwoooooar, Lahiru through Warner with an absolute beauty straight away too, beating him outside the off stump at 148kph! It’s not Warner’s first rodeo though, knowing the short ball was coming next, waiting on it, and smashing it through midwicket for four. Finch gets one in his slot to finish, needing no second invitation to loft a full-blooded drive over long-on for SIX. After all that, 12 from the over.
NOT OUT! Umpire’s call on height. Definitely worth a look given it hit Finch on the back leg. At 146kph too - serious wheels first up.
IS FINCH LBW? The big quick Lahiru certainly thinks so, insisting on a review when it is given out on the field. To DRS we go.
1st over: Australia 3-0 (Finch 1, Warner 2) Target 143 Finch gives himself a couple of balls before turning one square to get off the mark, Warner doing likewise to the man at deep backward square, racing back for a couple. That’s good MCG running.
“Hey Adam.” Hi, Jake Santa Maria. “Can you explain how there is another T20 World Cup in 2021 that makes no sense to me.”
Nor me. But I suspect for the usual reason: cash money, baby.
Warner and Finch are ready to roll. The former is yet to be dismissed in the series, cracking 100 and 60 in the two games so far. Finch was with him in the runs on Sunday but picked up a golden duck on Wednesday, caught down the legside. Malinga to begin. PLAY!
BOSH!
That's HUGE from Malinga! 💥#AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/nuH3vajK5k
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2019
Sri Lanka finish on 142-6
20th over: Sri Lanka 142-6 (Rajapaksa 17, Malinga 8) MALINGA... BANG! The captain promotes himself up the order and creams Richardson straight back over his head for SIX! What a shot! It ensures Australia will need at least seven an over in the chase. How many more? He swings hard at the penultimate delivery but doesn’t make contact. Last one, Finch sends third man back and brings up his backward square, so we’re getting the wide yorker, right? Close - it’s a yorker on the stumps, Malinga hacks a single. Well bowled. Both teams would probably take that going into the break.
WICKET! Jayasuriya b Starc 12 (Sri Lanka 132-6)
Starc sends Jayasuriya’s leg-stump spiralling when trying to ramp and failing to make contact. “Don’t try and ramp me,” says Isa Guha. But it was a good over for the visitors, 14 runs coming from it.
19th over: Sri Lanka 132-6 (Rajapaksa 16) Shot! Shot! Rajapaksa might be facing Starc - the man who Justin Langer described earlier as the best white-ball bowler in the world - but he doesn’t mind at all. The first blow goes hiiigh into the night sky, landing with the crowd at square leg. The second goes finer and nearly goes the full journey once more, bouncing over the rope. The Sri Lankan fans - and they have filled the bottom deck of both the public stands - are really up and about now. Richardson to now bowl the death over.
18th over: Sri Lanka 118-5 (Jayasuriya 11, Rajapaksa 3) Zampa now to finish his spell and he finishes it well with a combination of hard-spun wrong’uns and toppies. He beats Rajapaksa who dragged his back foot - prompting a third umpire review - but he’s just back.
ZOMBIE NATION on between overs, just as it was in Christchurch earlier today when the teams walked out. This is a great development. When I grow up, I want to be the Cricket Ground DJ.
“Obviously, like all sensible people, I’d dismissed The Hundred as a load of nonsense,” begins Matt Dony. “Then, Welsh Fire drafted Smith and Starc. Suddenly I’m invested. (Yes, and fickle. I know.) I’ll be keeping a close eye on Smith’s form from here on. On the one hand, it seems almost inhuman to expect him to maintain the level he’s been at. On the other hand, I now REALLY want him to.”
17th over: Sri Lanka 111-5 (Jayasuriya 7, Rajapaksa 0) Cummins is actually on a hat-trick, which the TV commentators relay to Smith who tells the bowler and the captain. Perhaps Jayasuriya picked up on it as he elected to leave it through to Carey. Unorthodox in the 17th over of a T20. Rajapaksa can’t get him away through the offside from the last couple of balls. So, just one run along with the wicket of Perera - the perfect over from Australia’s star, finishing with 2/23.
WICKET! Perera c Turner b Cummins 57 (Sri Lanka 110-5)
Urgh, Perera holes out. That hurts. Of course, it’s Cummins who does the job, winning a top edge that ends up in the hands of mid-off.
16th over: Sri Lanka 110-4 (Perera 57, Jayasuria 6) They’re happy enough playing Agar out to the sweepers, collecting seven runs along the way. He finishes with 0/24. Handy series for him.
15th over: Sri Lanka 104-4 (Perera 56, Jayasuria 2) Bit of confusion when McDermott nearly nails Warner with a throw coming in from cover. In that same direction, Perera clears the fielder inside the ring and gets three for it. 150-160 should be in the frame for Sri Lanka.
WICKET! Oshada c Carey b Richardson 6 (Sri Lanka 99-4)
The strong Australian appeal is agreed to by the on-field umpire as Oshada fails to steer Richardson to third man. He immediately sent it upstairs and hot spot didn’t show anything... but snicko did. That’s enough - snicko stumps all else. Not always for the better.
Perera to 50!
14th over: Sri Lanka 98-3 (Perera 52, Oshada 6) Zampa is back and Perera immediately goes the switch it and does it well enough to bank a boundary. From the next ball the left-hander raises his half-century with a couple out to the fat side of this MCG field. He adds another boundary to finish, albeit off an edge, but the Sri Lankan fans couldn’t care less in full voice with plenty of flags. Great stuff.
13th over: Sri Lanka 85-3 (Perera 44, Oshada 1) Oshada, into the team tonight, joins Perera. Starc is back for Australia and the more experienced man of the two really should be back in the sheds but Richardson has put down a most straightforward catch at backward point. “It did him for lack of pace,” is Mark Waugh’s assessment. It came the ball after he put away a half-volley through cover. Maybe that’s the bit of fortune he needs to turn up the volume.
WICKET! Fernando c McDermott b Cummins 20 (Sri Lanka 76-3)
Cummins gets the breakthrough, Fernando doing much as his colleague Mendis did earlier in the innings, picking out McDermott who barely had to move a muscle on the deep backward square boundary rope. He didn’t pull the ball so much as place it.
12th over: Sri Lanka 76-3 (Perera 36)
Updated
11th over: Sri Lanka 71-2 (Perera 32, Fernando 19) I’ve covered most of the games Steve Smith has played for Australia over the last five years and I reckon that’s the first time I’ve seen him misfield a ball at his feet. It only costs the hosts one run, though. Agar gets to the end of the over with six taken. Sri Lanka have to pull the trigger.
10th over: Sri Lanka 65-2 (Perera 31, Fernando 15) Zampa bowls, the batsmen take a picket fence. Gotta have a dip now, Avishka. Give this wonderful Sri Lankan crowd something to really sing about.
9th over: Sri Lanka 59-2 (Perera 28, Fernando 12) Better from Agar in terms of where he’s landing it. They’re able to take runs from ever ball of it, albeit no boundaries. Who will they try and take down?
8th over: Sri Lanka 51-2 (Perera 22, Fernando 10) Zampa now with his leggies, which were excellent in Brisbane on Wednesday. Mark Waugh reveals on TV that the spinner asked him to bring some of his 1990s sunnies along to complete his new look - the mullet hair prominent. On his actual craft, Zampa said he has been bowling 40 per cent wrong’uns in this series, which is the theme of this over too - the stumps are always in play. Just four singles from it. Handy.
7th over: Sri Lanka 47-2 (Perera 20, Fernando 8) With the power play over, it’s time for Agar, who hasn’t conceded a boundary across eight overs in this series so far. Despite a couple of poor short and wide deliveries, he manages to get through the over with this fact in tact.
Is T20 the only format where a fast bowler doesn’t mind smiling after being hit for a six (even if off a top-edge). And what a smile it is. @patcummins30 #ausvsl #ThePatCumminsSmile @cricbuzz pic.twitter.com/8RiA0PMawF
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) November 1, 2019
6th over: Sri Lanka 41-2 (Perera 18, Fernando 4) Cummins again, Fernando straight onto the balls of his feet to punch a couple more through cover. If you haven’t had the pleasure as yet, try and watch this young bloke bat sooner rather than later. He’s very, very good. Now that I’ve said this, he’ll be out in the next five minutes - ask Mitch Marsh, who I feel responsible for ruining. He pulls another single to give Perera a chance, who benefits from a second fat top edge, this time pitching just inside the rope before rolling for four.
5th over: Sri Lanka 34-2 (Perera 14, Fernando 1) My favourite young player in the world, Avishka Fernando, strolls out at No4. He times a nice single to cover to get off the mark first ball but nearly runs himself out when looking for a second. Sent back in time - just. A successful over for Richardson, Mendis his first scalp of the series.
Mendis picks out McDermott in the deep! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/LwQrLwncD9
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2019
WICKET! Mendis c McDermott b Richardson 13 (Sri Lanka 33-2)
Mendis pulls Richardson off the front foot, hits it sweet, but places it straight down the throat of McDermott at deep backward square.
4th over: Sri Lanka 31-1 (Mendis 12, Perera 13) Pat Cummins is on to replace Richardson, with Steve Smith on the mic. Did everyone see his interview the other day where he said he sometimes doesn’t sleep at all during a Test Match? Granted, this is my third OBO since I last slept in a bed having flown back to Australia overnight, but I don’t have to face Jofra Archer bowling 96mph. Anyway, back to Pat who is right on that annoying hip length before too long. They’ve taken to calling Cummins Winx in the dressing room, reflecting his thoroughbred status. A lot better than his alternative moniker. Don’t ask. A SIX to finish, Perera tries to pop him into the Ponsford Stand but instead, his top edge lands in the Olympic. They all laugh.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 21-1 (Mendis 10, Perera 5) Right, so Australia retain their review because the technology wasn’t available. Very strange. Perera tucks a boundary to keep the visitors moving, the big quick losing his radar with the response, spraying down leg. He gets it back quickly, beating Perera with one that really hoops. But the Sri Lankans get the last laugh in a strange over, four leg byes when another poor Starc delivery clips his front pad and beats Carey.
NOT OUT. No ball tracking? That’s what the third umpire is saying, that they don’t have the ball tracking technology available. What doing there? I mean, it probably wasn’t out but... what’s going on?
HAS STARC PICKED UP MENDIS LBW? Not out on the field. Looked to be missing leg with the swing into the right hander but Finch decides to send it upstairs.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 10-1 (Mendis 10, Perera 0) It was the swing that sorted Dickwella out, Starc generating plenty. Richardson’s turn from the southern end, stringing three dots together to Mendis before the punchy opener gets resourceful, lifting a ball from leg stump up and over the fine leg rope for six - off the front foot, if you don’t mind.
A golden duck for Dickwella!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2019
Fantastic start for Australia. Live: https://t.co/wza63xv4YB #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/QXDxq0N7Gb
WICKET! Dickwella c McDermott b Starc 0 (Sri Lanka 3-1)
Oh dear. First ball the vice-captain faces finds his leading edge and lands safely with McDermott at point. Starc is in the book to complete a very good first over, where Mendis wasn’t comfortable either.
1st over: Sri Lanka 3-1 (Mendis 3)
Updated
The players are on the field. Mitchell Starc will take the first over, running away from us at the Members End. Kusal Mendis is opening up with Niroshan Dickwella for the Sri Lankans. PLAY!
Updated
Justin Langer is on the telly. He loves the MCG. He’s very happy with where Australia’s white-ball cricket is at. A lesson from the World Cup is that if you plan early, they can settle on a team for the big tournament here in October - the final to be played at this venue. A lot of love for Glenn Maxwell, reinforcing the support he’s getting.
The teams as named
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steve Smith, Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa
Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga (c), Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara
Lasith Malinga says he would have batted anyway. The visitors have made two changes - we’ll have those shortly.
Aaron Finch says the pitch is good. There is some grass on there but he doesn’t believe it will have an impact on the game. Starc is in for Stanlake and McDermott for Maxwell. “Everyone is right behind him,” he says of his great mate. “He just needs some support.”
Australia have won the toss
They’ve having a bowl
Unusually for the MCG, they are playing tonight on the pitch waaaay across to the Punt Road End of the square. It means for a (marignally) shorter boundary to that side. As for the pitch, if it looks like a road and quacks like a road...
Tonight's @MCG pitch looks like this!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2019
The toss is in 30 minutes.#AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/SvdRpCrQ4E
Preamble
Welcome to the MCG for the second leg of our T20I double-header on the OBO today. England did the job over New Zealand this afternoon in their series opener this evening, Australia have the chance to sweep Sri Lanka, who have been hapless in their two outings to date - hammered in Adelaide and Brisbane.
There will be at least one change to Aaron Finch’s XI with Glenn Maxwell announcing yesterday that he is taking some leave from the game to manage some mental health issues. Justin Langer has already confirmed that Ben McDermott will take his spot.
With a view to the T20 World Cup in this country twelve months from now, the home camp will also be fairly keen to give Ashton Turner a hit. But given they have lost only three wickets in the two games so far, there is only so much they can do in this respect.
For Sri Lanka’s part, it is hard to believe that this is the same team that swept the world-leading Pakistanis before coming here. It’s anyone’s guess how they shake things up here before flying home.
Looking out across the ground, it could be a grotty old night. It was hot this afternoon but now, it’s windy and cloudy. Rain isn’t forecast but we know how the weather works in our glorious Melbourne. I’m looking forward to your company throughout. Drop me a line, yeah?
