Sri Lanka 253 for 8 (Jayawardene 84*, Thirimanne 57, Johnson 3-48) beat Australia 233 (Voges 49, Kulasekara 3-42) by 20 runs
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A victorious Sri Lanka will play in Cardiff on Thursday. A humbled
Australia will start pondering the Ashes, and the state of disrepair
their cricket has fallen into. Led by Mahela Jayawardene's
silken unbeaten 84, Sri Lanka stuttered into a Champions Trophy
semi-final against India by defeating a collective whose captain Michael
Clarke watched disconsolately from The Oval balcony.
Their slim chances of qualifying long since expired, Australia offered a
last gasp via Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty, who added 41 for the
final wicket. They were only separated by a blinding return catch from
Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose exultant celebrations underlined the anxiety
that had crept into a team who looked comfortable winners for most of
the journey.
Once Jayawardene had lifted Sri Lanka to 253 for 8 after an uncertain
beginning, passing 11,000 ODI runs on the way, Australia's chances of
qualifying became largely theoretical. India in their pomp might have
been a chance to reach 254 in 29.1 overs, but not a team that had failed
to top 250 in two previous matches and been distracted by all manner of
off field woes, from Clarke's fragile back to David Warner's choices of
drinking spots and punching bags.
This left Angelo Mathews' team to ride out a brief spell of hitting from
Glenn Maxwell, a doughty rearguard from Adam Voges, and a pesky last
stand by the final wicket pair of McKay and Doherty, who conjured the
second best partnership of the innings. As in India earlier this year,
this served mainly to expose the appalling lack of application shown by
many of the batsmen.
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'Situations dictated how the game was unfolding' - Jayawardene
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Australia's troubles were best summed up by their stand-in leader George
Bailey, who dozed off at the wrong moment and found himself run out,
helping to end a Champions Trophy defence that never really began. Apart
from the emergence of James Faulkner they have precious little to show
for the past two weeks.
Sri Lanka's innings had flirted with mediocrity in the face of some
diligent bowling until Jayawardene's delayed arrival, which signalled a
late innings surge. Lahiru Thirimanne
had been promoted ahead of Jayawardene at an uncertain 20 for 2, and
the switch allowed the senior man to make merry in the later overs
against the older ball after Thirimanne composed an important, steadying
57.
Given the scenario confronting them, Australia's batsmen were forced to
play on instinct, and Shane Watson's cover drive from the first ball of
the innings made for a promising portent. But as has become the norm
Watson flattered to deceive, bowled in the second over when making a
hare-brained attempt to cut Nuwan Kulasekara off the stumps.
Phillip Hughes showed himself adept at edging past the bails, twice
gaining boundaries in those fortuitous circumstances. But the use of
only half the bat did not suggest permanence, and it was no great
surprise when he glided Kulasekara into Kumar Sangakkara's gloves.
Having come in at No. 3, Maxwell offered entertainment, cracking five
boundaries and one six in the manner that earned him his exorbitant IPL
contract. But Sri Lanka always had Lasith Malinga to use in case of
emergencies, and he duly yorked Maxwell in his first over after the
Victorian had swung once too often.
Bailey has been a middle order resuscitator of sorts in the two previous
games, but the team has not responded fruitfully enough to his
leadership. He was to slip up badly here, dawdling in mid-pitch when
trying to pinch a leg bye and finding himself run out at the
non-striker's end by Kulasekara's direct hit.
The innings then petered out in a manner sadly familiar to those who
have watched Australia away from home in recent months. Only Doherty and
McKay gave the impression they genuinely cared to win the contest,
something not so surprising when observing the recent record: they have
not won overseas in an international match in any format this year.
Quite apart from the problems unearthed by Warner's Birmingham
misadventures, this is no trend to take into an Ashes series.
Overcast skies and a desire to know his eventual target had encouraged
Bailey to send Sri Lanka in. Mitchell Johnson's first two deliveries of
the match were poor; the first clattered to the backward point boundary,
the second scuttling to fine leg off the pads. But his third was
straight and too quick for Kusal Perera, who was clearly lbw.
Sangakkara hinted at the genius that had guided Sri Lanka to a stirring
chase against England on this ground last week, but found himself tied
down by McKay's persistent line and subtle movement. Having already
chanced a desperate single, Sangakkara was offered a fraction of extra
width and lashed out, but managed only to slice a drive to Maxwell.
At that moment Australia could envision a slim target, but Thirimanne
was sent in to steady the innings in Dilshan's company, leaving
Jayawardene in reserve. A serviceable job was done, gaps found every now
and then the Australian bowlers were not gifted any wickets. It took
Doherty to split them with a ball that straightened just enough to take
an edge, Watson diving alertly to his right at slip.
Mathews played a halting innings in Jayawardene's company before losing
his off bail to a nicely pitched delivery from Faulkner, but Dinesh
Chandimal was busier and more effective in a fifth-wicket stand of 65 in
56 balls. The Australians did not bowl too much that was loose, but
were left to marvel at Jayawardene's knack for manipulating the field as
the score mounted.
In what is becoming a pattern as familiar as Australian defeat, the
wicketkeeper and agitator Wade became embroiled in a profane joust with
Jayawardene. Ninety-nine Sri Lankan runs from the final 13 overs meant
the Australians could start thinking less about niggle and more about
the Test matches to come.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here
Feeds: Daniel Brettig
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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