Sri Lanka beat Australia in 4th ODI, seal series
Sri Lanka beat Australia in the fourth ODI on Tuesday to clinch the ODI series with a game to spare. Australia had taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match series before the Lankans won three successive matches including tonight's affair. With a 3-1 lead, the last game is now a dead-rubber. Batting first, SL managed 258/10. Australia failed to chase down the target.
How did the match pan out?
Sri Lanka were in tatters, losing three wickets for 34 runs. Thereafter, Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka added a century-plus stand. Australia kept taking wickets at regular intervals bu Asalanka made sure his side breached 250. Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins claimed two wickets apiece. In response, David Warner's 99-run effort wasn't enough as Australia couldn't get past the line.
1,300 runs for Dhananjaya; maiden century for Asalanka
Dhananjaya scored a superb 61-ball 60 for his side. His knock was laced with seven fours. The senior customer has surpassed the 1,300-run mark in ODIs. He has 1,325 runs at 27.04. He now has eight ODI fifties. Asalanka hammered his maiden century in ODIs. He struck 10 fours and a six. He now has 645 runs at 46.07.
Key numbers for the Aussie bowlers
Pat Cummins claimed 2/37 from nine overs. The Aussie pacer has raced to 117 scalps at 28.33. Glenn Maxwell (1/49) has 55 ODI wickets now. He equaled the tally of former Aussie bowler Xavier Doherty. Marsh (2/29) has 52 ODI wickets, equaling the likes of Darren Lehmann and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Warner attains these numbers
Warner suffered a heartbreak, being dismissed on 99. The southpaw struck 12 fours in a 112-ball effort. Warner has raced to 5,600 career ODI runs at 45.16. This was his 24th ODI fifty. He surpassed former South Africa captains Hanse Cronje (5,565) and Faf du Plessis (5,507) in terms of runs. Against Lanka, Warner has amassed 769 runs at 36.61 (2nd fifty).
Dhananjaya bowls well for Lanka
Dhananjaya bowled well after his valiant effort with the bat. He claimed figures worth 2/39 from his 10 overs. He now has 33 ODI scalps at 38.66.
