After a fairly one-sided first T20I, Australia were once again threatening to run away with the game in the second match, but a stunning collapse brought Sri Lanka right into the game. However, a mature knock from Matthew Wade saw the Aussies home as they took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. We look at some key moments from the second SL vs AUS T20I.
Hazlewood at it, AGAIN!
The Sri Lankan batters are yet to figure out the best way to negate Josh Hazlewood. After his spell broke the Lankan batting in the first T20I, his miserly bowling in this match didn’t allow Sri Lanka to take off.
Hazlewood started his spell with a maiden. Despite not being amongst wickets in this match, his economical spell ensured that the hosts never got any momentum in their innings. Once again, the key to Hazlewood’s success was his length – that nagging good length on and around off-stump – that doesn’t allow batters to get underneath the ball to hit. The pacer finished with figures of 4-1-16-0 and ensured that Sri Lanka were restricted to an easily gettable target.
The Australian collapse
After a collapse that rocked the Lankan batting in the first match, it was time for Australia to repay the kind hosts with a collapse of their own. Aaron Finch and David Warner had once again provided a brisk start to the chase, scoring 33 off just 16 balls.
Post Finch’s wicket, Warner continued his stunning form against Sri Lanka. Warner was dismissed only once in the last five innings against the hosts. However, on either side of his dismissal (his first sub-50 score in the last six innings), Australia made the chase difficult for themselves. From 53-1, the tourists were reduced to 99-7, thanks to some dodgy running and poor batting sense. Eventually, they again had to rely on Matthew Wade to bail them out.
Wade’s assured knock
An inning of run-a-ball seldom raises eyebrows, and if it does, it is usually due to the poor strike rate. Though, Wade’s unbeaten 26-run inning off 26 balls was no usual inning. The Aussie wicketkeeper walked in to bat with his side in a bit of trouble at 80-5. The required run rate was never going to be an issue, but the trickiest part was negating the Lankan spinners’ threat on a challenging surface.
What was remarkable about Wade’s inning was his assuredness, especially against spinners – a bowling type he isn’t too comfortable with. Before edging what became the last ball of the chase for a boundary, Wade had a control percentage of 92%. Known for his aggressive style and pace-smashing abilities, his game awareness is what would have pleased Australia the most.
Australia now lead the three-match series 2-0 and will be looking for a clean sweep. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have lost their fifth consecutive bilateral T20I series. The hosts will demand a lot more from their struggling batters and will look to give the home fans something to cheer for before moving to a different format.