Australia 305/5 (50 ov)
Sri Lanka 198/3 (40 ov)
Australia win by 107 runs
Australia Innings - Close
Runs
|
Balls
|
4s
|
6s
| |||
| Finch | c Chandimal | b A Mendis |
16
| 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Hughes | c Chandimal | b Malinga |
112
| 129 | 14 | 0 |
| Khawaja | run out (Chandimal) |
3
| 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bailey | c J Mendis | b Mathews |
89
| 79 | 8 | 1 |
| D Hussey | not out |
60
| 34 | 6 | 1 | |
| Maxwell | c A Mendis | b N Kulasekara |
5
| 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Haddin | not out |
10
| 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| Extras | 5w 2b 3lb | 10 | ||||
| Total | for 5 | 305 | (50.0 ovs) | |||
|
|
50 over report (Aus): Phillip Hughes became the first Australian to score a century on ODI debut and George Bailey fell just short of a captain's hundred as Australia reached 6 for 305 from their 50 overs at the MCG. On a good batting pitch, Sri Lanka were not out of the game but their strike bowlers Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis didn't have the impact the Sri Lankans would have anticipated, and they will instead need something special from the batsmen to maintain the team's good recent record in Melbourne.
A late half-century from David Hussey, who was auditioning to become the permanent middle-order replacement for his retiring brother Michael, pushed the Australians past the 300-mark as the final ten overs brought 89 runs. Hussey finished unbeaten on 60 from 34 deliveries and took 21 off the last over, bowled by Mendis, including a six over long-off to bring up his half-century. It was a fine finish for the Australians, who had chosen to bat on a very hot afternoon.
The presence of three debutants at the top of Australia's order for the first time in a one-day international since the days of World Series Cricket didn't prove a major problem as Hughes showed why he has been one of the country's best domestic one-day batsmen in the past two years. His 112 from 129 balls made him the eighth man to make a hundred on ODI debut and surpassed Phil Jaques (94) as the leading Australian scorer on debut.
His 150-run third-wicket stand with Bailey was the key for Australia after the other two debutants, Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja, fell within the first 16 overs. Finch was caught behind for 16 when he pushed at a Mendis delivery that appeared to be a back-of-the-hand legbreak, and Khawaja was run out for 3 when he was turned back trying for a quick single to the leg side.
The throw from Jeevan Mendis didn't actually beat Khawaja to the crease, but in his full-stretch dive Khawaja was unable to prevent his bat from bouncing off the ground, and when the bails were taken off his blade was across the crease but not grounded. It was one of several pieces of poor running from the Australians, and although none of the others cost a wicket, Bailey and Hughes especially had a number of close calls during their stand.
One came when Hughes was pushing for his half-century with a quick single to mid-on and Bailey, who initially was ball-watching and also had a near tangle with the bowler, survived thanks to dive at the striker's end. Hughes' fifty had come from 57 deliveries and he was especially powerful through the off side, cutting and cover-driving when given width, exactly the kind of strokes he typically plays in Test cricket.
He also picked up three boundaries through the leg side and after a slight lull in the 80s and 90s, reached his century from his 123rd delivery with a single clipped wide of midwicket. A searing pair of boundaries through the off side against Malinga followed in the next over, but then Malinga had the consolation of having Hughes caught behind while backing away and making room, and it ended a fine innings that will make Hughes hard to drop when David Warner, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke return.
At the other end, Bailey had scored at a brisker rate than Hughes and picked the gaps well, working the ball effectively off his pads and driving straight down the ground, including one six lofted over long-on off Jeevan Mendis. Bailey's half-century came from 44 balls and he looked set for his first ODI century until he latched on to an Angelo Mathews delivery and sent it straight into the hands of Jeevan Mendis at deep midwicket.
Glenn Maxwell followed soon afterwards when he chipped Nuwan Kulasekara to midwicket for 5, but then Hussey and the recalled Brad Haddin finished the task well. Hussey struck six fours and one six, while Haddin wound up on 10 from 13 balls.
Sri Lanka Innings - All out
Runs
|
Balls
|
4s
|
6s
| |||
| Tharanga | c Haddin | b Starc |
1
| 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Dilshan | run out (Khawaja) |
51
| 70 | 4 | 0 | |
| M Jayawardene | c Finch | b McKay |
5
| 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Chandimal | c Haddin | b McKay |
73
| 95 | 7 | 1 |
| Mathews | run out (Maxwell) |
12
| 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Thirimanne | run out (Maxwell) |
0
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| J Mendis | c Bailey | b Johnson |
20
| 18 | 1 | 1 |
| T Perera | c Bailey | b Johnson |
4
| 8 | 0 | 0 |
| N Kulasekara | c Bailey | b McKay |
18
| 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Malinga | not out |
1
| 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| A Mendis | c Haddin | b McKay |
0
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | 9w 2b 2lb | 13 | ||||
| Total | all out | 198 | (40.0 ovs) | |||
|
|
25 over report (SL): Sri Lanka lost two early wickets but Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal steadied the innings to ensure they were well and truly in the match at the halfway point in their chase of 306. After 25 overs, Sri Lanka were 2 for 111 with Dilshan on 51 and Chandimal on 49, and while the required run-rate had crept up to 7.80, the presence of two set batsmen and eight wickets in hand were a slight concern for the Australians.
Chandimal had struck the only six of the innings when he chipped Glenn Maxwell down the ground and over the long-on boundary, and he had also managed five fours, including one handsome shot over cover off Mitchell Johnson. The Australians thought they had Chandimal on 21 when they reviewed a not-out lbw decision off the bowling of Xavier Doherty and while it was very close, replays suggested it would have hit in the "umpire's call" zone at the top of the stumps and Chandimal survived.
Dilshan had struck four boundaries including a couple of cuts when Doherty dropped short, and by the halfway point of the innings the Dilshan-Chandimal partnership had reached 94 runs. It was a strong fightback from Sri Lanka after they wobbled to 2 for 17 in the sixth over after the departures of Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene.
Tharanga pushed at a ball outside off from Mitchell Starc and edged behind to Brad Haddin for 1, and Jayawardene was also tentative outside off against Clint McKay. On 5, his edge was snapped up at slip by the debutant Aaron Finch, but Australia needed more of the same to halt Sri Lanka in their push for a fourth consecutive ODI victory at the MCG.
50 over report (SL): B-team, hey? An Australian outfit led by George Bailey in his 14th ODI and featuring three debutants did what sides captained by Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson have not managed to do in the past three one-day international encounters against Sri Lanka at the MCG: win. One of those first-gamers, Phillip Hughes, became the first Australian to score a century on ODI debut and Bailey fell just short of a captain's hundred to drive Australia to 5 for 305, before a series of run-outs derailed Sri Lanka's chase.
50 over report (SL): B-team, hey? An Australian outfit led by George Bailey in his 14th ODI and featuring three debutants did what sides captained by Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson have not managed to do in the past three one-day international encounters against Sri Lanka at the MCG: win. One of those first-gamers, Phillip Hughes, became the first Australian to score a century on ODI debut and Bailey fell just short of a captain's hundred to drive Australia to 5 for 305, before a series of run-outs derailed Sri Lanka's chase.
In the end, the Australians - without Clarke, Watson, David Warner, Michael Hussey and Matthew Wade - cruised to victory by 107 runs. If they can do something similar in the second match in Adelaide on Sunday, it might be hard for the selectors to make too many changes. But whatever happens, what can't be altered is the strong performance Bailey's side put up at the MCG. They had the best of the conditions, forcing Sri Lanka to field on a very hot afternoon, but they also grabbed their opportunities.
Literally. Brad Haddin, recalled for his first international match in nearly a year, took a stunning catch to end the innings of Dinesh Chandimal, and any lingering hope Sri Lanka had of pulling off a heist. On 73, Chandimal got a thick edge to a delivery from Clint McKay and Haddin, 35, hurled himself in the air and to his right with the athleticism of a man ten years his junior, and plucked the ball out of mid-air. It was that sort of night for the Australians, who completed three sharp run-outs.
One of those ended the 94-run stand between Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan, a partnership that might have left Bailey slightly nervous as they gained momentum. But a direct-hit from debutant Khawaja ended Dilshan's innings on 51, before two run-outs from consecutive deliveries - one a direct hit from Glenn Maxwell and the second a combination effort from Maxwell and Haddin - got rid of Angelo Mathews for 12 and Lahiru Thirimanne for a diamond duck.
After that, and Haddin's lightning catch, it was all academic. Mitchell Johnson picked up a couple of wickets and McKay cleaned up the tail to finish with 4 for 33 as the Sri Lankans were dismissed for 198 in the 40th over. Really, it was only the Chandimal-Dilshan stand that gave Sri Lanka any hope, after Mitchell Starc had Upul Tharanga caught behind for 1 in the third over and McKay had Mahela Jayawardene taken by Aaron Finch at slip for 5. It wasn't the kind of start Sri Lanka wanted after conceding so many runs to the Australians.
A late half-century from David Hussey, who was auditioning to become the permanent middle-order replacement for his retiring brother Michael, pushed the Australians past the 300-mark as the final ten overs brought 89 runs. Hussey finished unbeaten on 60 from 34 deliveries and took 21 off the last over, bowled by Ajantha Mendis, including a six over long-off to bring up his half-century. It was a fine finish for the Australians, who had chosen to bat on a very hot afternoon.
The presence of three debutants at the top of Australia's order for the first time in a one-day international since the days of World Series Cricket didn't prove a major problem as Hughes showed why he has been one of the country's best domestic one-day batsmen in the past two years. His 112 from 129 balls made him the eighth man to make a hundred on ODI debut and surpassed Phil Jaques (94) as the leading Australian scorer on debut.
His 150-run third-wicket stand with Bailey was the key for Australia after the other two debutants, Finch and Khawaja, fell within the first 16 overs. Finch was caught behind for 16 when he pushed at a Mendis delivery that appeared to be a back-of-the-hand legbreak, and Khawaja was run out for 3 when he was turned back trying for a quick single to the leg side.
Another near run-out came from the ball that brought Hughes his fifty from 57 deliveries, but he and Bailey survived that and a number of other close calls. Hughes was especially powerful through the off side, cutting and cover-driving when given width, exactly the kind of strokes he typically plays in Test cricket.
He also picked up three boundaries through the leg side and after a slight lull in the 80s and 90s, reached his century from his 123rd delivery with a single clipped wide of midwicket. A searing pair of boundaries through the off side against Lasith Malinga followed in the next over, but then Malinga had the consolation of having Hughes caught behind while backing away and making room, and it ended a fine innings that will make Hughes hard to drop.
At the other end, Bailey had scored at a brisker rate than Hughes and picked the gaps well, working the ball effectively off his pads and driving straight down the ground, including one six lofted over long-on off Jeevan Mendis. Bailey's half-century came from 44 balls and he looked set for his first ODI century until he latched on to a Mathews delivery and sent it straight into the hands of Jeevan Mendis at deep midwicket.
Maxwell followed soon afterwards when he chipped Nuwan Kulasekara to midwicket for 5, but then Hussey and Haddin finished the task well. Hussey struck six fours and one six, while Haddin wound up on 10 from 13 balls. In the end, it was more than enough. Not bad for a so-called B-team.
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