Premadasa stadium
1st ODI: All-round Sri Lanka Stun Australia For 49-run Victory
Despite an early bowling wicket-blitz by Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson that reduced Sri Lanka to 31/4, Asalanka’s counter-attacking century ensured the hosts posted a competitive total of 214 after they won the toss and elected to bat first. His determined knock, laced with well-timed boundaries, was the bedrock of Sri Lanka’s innings, as he stitched together a crucial 79-run stand with Eshan Malinga, who contributed just a single run.
Australia, too, found themselves reeling 31/4 in a mirror collapse, with the top three managing a combined five runs. Matt Short fell for a second-ball duck, Jake Fraser-McGurk followed soon after for two, while Cooper Connolly’s attempted aggression against Maheesh Theekshana saw him trapped lbw for three.
