SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2017 overpower Australia to win first T20

MELBOURNE: Chamara Kapugedera smashed a four off the last ball to give Sri Lanka a thrilling five- victory over Australia in their first international at the Melbourne Ground yesterday. The win kept Sri Lanka unbeat- en in four T20 internationals in Australia and fol- lowed their 2-1 series win over last month. The pulsating win was made possible by a dashing 52 off 37 balls by Asela Gunaratne, who was named man-of-the-match for his match-turn- ing innings. Gunaratne slammed seven fours to share in a decisive 60-run stand with Milinda Siriwardana to put the Sri Lankans just 18 runs short of victo- ry with 17 balls remaining. “We have beaten South Africa and Australia - one of the best teams in the world - and it is a good feeling,” skipper said. “All the batters enjoyed the game. Fielding is the area where we have to improve. The bowlers, though, did well to keep them to 168.” It was a tense finish with skipper making fielding changes before every ball to pre- vent Sri Lanka from getting home.But it was Kapugedera who stood up to the pressure and slammed fast bowler ’s final through the covers to the rope for the MELBOURNE: Australia’s Tim Paine (left) stumps Asela Gunaratne of Sri Lanka during the first Twenty20 cricket winning hit. The win put Sri Lanka one up in the match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the MCG yesterday. —AFP series with two matches to play in Geelong tomor- row and Adelaide on Wednesday. “Credit to the Sri nearly a year due to injuries, was an influential fig- Lankans. They came out swinging and attacked ure taking two in two balls and taking two SCOREBOARD the run chase,” Finch said. catches. Malinga claimed the wickets of Travis Head for 31 off 24 balls and debutant Ashton MELBOURNE: Scores in the first between Australia and Sri Lanka at “When you have the power to hit down the the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday: ground and also scoop over the keeper, it is tough Turner for 18 off 13 balls, both caught by to bowl to. “I thought we were a bit short. We at deep mid-wicket. Australia Sri Lanka lacked maybe a 15-plus over. There were a lot of Malinga finished with two wickets for 29 off his A. Finch c Malinga b Gunaratne 43 N. Dickwella c Klinger b Zampa 30 M. Klinger c Malinga b Sandakan 38 U. Tharanga c Paine b Cummins 0 positives too and I am looking forward to four overs. Paceman Pat Cummins struck with the last ball of his opening over to have Tharanga T. Head c Prasanna b Malinga 31 D. Munaweera c Finch b Zampa 44 Geelong.” For a time it looked as though the M. Henriques c Kapugedera b Bandara 17 A. Gunaratne st Paine b Turner 52 Australians, playing without their leading stars, edging to wicketkeeper Tim Paine for a in A. Turner c Prasanna b Malinga 18 M. Siriwardana lbw b Turner 15 , , Mitchell Starc and Josh the first over of the Sri Lanka innings. Leg-spinner J. Faulkner 14 C. Kapugedera not out 10 Hazlewood all on tour in India, would hold off the Adam Zampa claimed the big wicket of free-scor- T. Paine run out (Kulasekara) 0 S. Prasanna not out 8 fast-finishing Sri Lankans. The home side posted a ing opener for 30 off 25 balls. P. Cummins not out 0 Extras (b1, lb3, w9) 13 Extras (b1, lb1, w4, nb1) 7 Total (5 wickets, 20 overs) 172 competitive total of 168 for six off their 20 overs Dickwella, who slammed four fours and a six, looked to flick Zampa over mid-wicket only to lob Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 168 Did not bat: S. Bandara, L. Malinga, N. with skipper Finch smashing two sixes and two Did not bat: A. Zampa, A. Tye, B. Stanlake Kulasekara, L. Sandakan fours in his topscoring 43 off 34 balls. a leading edge to Klinger at short third man in the Fall of wickets: 1-76 (Klinger), 2-86 (Finch), Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Tharanga), 2-79 Finch shared in an opening stand of 76 with ninth over. Dilshan Munaweera smashed a breezy 3-116 (Henriques), 4-153 (Dickwella), 3-91 (Munaweera), 4-151 T20I debutant . Klinger, making his 44 off 29 balls with six fours before he hit a short (Head), 5-153 (Turner), 6-162 (Paine) (Gunaratne), 5-152 (Siriwardana) debut at the age of 36 after starring with the Perth ball from Zampa to mid-wicket where Finch took a : Malinga 4-0-29-2 (1w), Kulasekara Bowling: Cummins 4-0-29-1, Stanlake 3-0- 4-0-38-0 (1nb, 1w), Bandara 42-0 (4w), Faulkner 4-0-27-0 (1w), Scorchers in the domestic Big Bash League, ham- head-high catch. But Gunaratne took charge and his half-century turned the tide to set up the 3-0-35-1 (1w), Prasanna 4-0-23-0 (1w), Tye 3-0-32-0, Zampa 4-0-26-2, Turner 2-0-12-2 mered 38 off 32 balls with four boundaries. Lasith Sandakan 4-0-30-1, Gunaratne 1-0-11-1 Result: Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets. Malinga, who has played virtually no cricket for thrilling victory for the Sri Lankans. —AFP SCOREBOARD Brilliant Tahir spins AUCKLAND, : Scoreboard yesterday in the Twenty20 cricket international between New Zealand and South Africa at : S Africa to victory South Africa New Zealand c Bruce b Wheeler 62 Glenn Phillips c de Kock b Morris 5 c Santner b Boult 0 c Parnell b Phehlukwayo13 AUCKLAND: Leg-spinner justified his position faces and we lacked partnerships.” The loss was New lbw b de Grandhomme 36 b Morris 0 as the top-ranked bowler in white-ball cricket with an Zealand’s first at home this summer. The South African top Tom Bruce b Tahir 33 de Villiers c Wheeler b de Grandhomme 26 inspired display in South Africa’s 78-run victory over New order also underlined how dangerous they would be in the Corey Anderson c de Kock b Phelukwayo 6 Zealand in their one-off Twenty20 international at Eden five match one-day series that starts at in J.P. Duminy run out 29 c Duminy b Tahir 15 Park yesterday. Tahir, who took two wickets in two balls in Hamilton tomorrow with nearly all of them making telling Farhaan Berhardien c Anderson b Boult 8 c de Kock b Tahir 0 his second over, had his figures marginally sullied by suc- contributions. While Quinton de Kock fell for a duck in the not out 13 c Amla b Phehlukwayo 5 cessive sixes from Colin de Grandhomme but still finished third over, Hashim Amla (62), Faf du Plessis (36), AB not out 0 b Tahir 6 with a career-best 5-24 in 3.5 overs, with the home bats- de Villiers (26) and JP Duminy (29) all scored quickly. Extras (4b,4lb,3w) 11 b Tahir 20 men unable to pick his . Amla hit nine boundaries and a six in his 43-ball innings TOTAL (for six wickets) 185 not out 1 The 37-year-old was able to build on a superb perform- and combined with du Plessis in an 87-run partnership from Overs: 20. time: 86 minutes. Extras (1lb,2w) 3 ance by opening bowler Chris Morris, who was also denied a 8.3 overs as the visitors looked well set to score in excess of Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-102, 3-123, 4-145, 5- TOTAL (all out) 107 hat-trick on his way to figures of 2-10 in his initial three-over 200. De Grandhomme, however, dismissed both du Plessis Overs: 14.5. Batting time: 72 minutes. spell. claimed three victims, including and de Villiers to leave their side on 145-4 in the 16th over, 171, 6-181. Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-10, 3-38, 4-55, 5-60, 6- the vital wicket of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, as ensuring the all-rounders needed to push the innings on. Did not bat: Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane 60, 7-68, 8-80, 9-106, 10-107. the hosts were dismissed for 107 in 14.5 overs in pursuit of Opening New Zealand bowler Trent Boult finished with an Paterson, Imran Tahir. Bowling: Chris Morris 3-1-10-2, Dane South Africa’s 185 for six. “They played well in all depart- impressive 2-8 from four overs. “We played some good crick- Bowling: Trent Boult 4-0-8-2, Ben Wheeler 4- Paterson 2-0-13-0, Wayne Parnell 3-0-40-0 ments. Frustrating from our perspective, we didn’t fire a et,” du Plessis said. “We were consistent with the bat on a 0-49-1, Tim Southee 4-0-47-0 (2w), Mitchell (1w), Andile Phehlukwayo 3-0-19-3 (1w), shot,” Williamson told reporters. wicket that bounced and we played really well. “We have Santner 4-0-40-0, Colin de Grandhomme 3- Imran Tahir 3.5-0-24-5. “On this ground, you don’t know what a good score is. had six or seven months that have been amazing. We are 0-22-2 (1w), Colin Munro 1-0-11-0. Result: South Africa won by 78 runs. We pulled it back (when bowling) and probably gave our- confident but we know that we have to rock up every day selves a par target. But rotating strike is hard on drop-in sur- and perform.” —Reuters