Sri Lanka v Australia, 4th ODI: Five Talking Points

Australia claimed an important win in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka at Dambulla as they have now clinched the series 3-1 with one match to play. However, the way they went about their win showcased that it was a clear vengeance that played a massive role in the Aussies securing a quick win over their opponents on the day. In spite of a fighting knock from Dhananjaya de Silva, it was the brilliance of the Aussie batsmen who smashed the ball to different parts of the Rangiri Stadium as Australia quite effectively cruised to an impressive win.

1. John Hastings runs riot

Those who had given a lot of flak to the Australian selectors when John Hastings made his way as a replacement had little but no choice but to eat their words. The 30-year old impressed with the ball as he picked his career best figures of 6/45 as the Lankans simply did not find a launching pad. Hastings picked up the important wickets of the likes of Angelo Mathews as well as Kusal Mendis with a few tail-ender scalps towards the end of the innings.

2. Dhanajaya de Silva stands tall amid ruins

With Tillakaratne Dilshan out of the side, the onus fell on Dhananjaya de Silva to come up with the goods in the opening slot for the Lankans. In spite of losing wickets at the other end, de Silva settled well into his new role as he stitched an important partnership with skipper Angelo Mathews. Needless to say, de Silva smashed 76 of the 212 runs the Lankans could muster.

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3. Warner and co. decimate Lankan pacers

With the Aussies not able to handle the terrific spin attack fielded by the Lankans, little did they expect an onslaught as bad as Warner and Finch gave them. Aaron Finch and David Warner, perhaps the most devastating of the Aussie openers in the era came out and set Dambulla ablaze. Finch, in particular, lit up his end of the crease when he equalled the fastest ODI fifty as he smashed 55 runs in just 19 deliveries. David Warner on the other hand also impressed with the bat as the duo stitched an impressive partnership of 74 in just 33 deliveries.

4. Australia batsmen tear Lankan bowling attack to shreds

The Australian batsmen impressed with the exception of southpaw Usman Khawaja as they seemed to be in a hurry to scale the total set by their hosts. George Bailey solidified his place in the side with an impressive knock of 90. He was supported by Travis Head who made a good 40 as they fought off the spin threat posed by the Lankans on the day to guide the Aussies to a 3-1 win in the series.

5. Sachith Pathirana impresses 

Taking the place of the recently-retired Tillakaratne Dilshan is by no means an easy task. With the Lankans staring down the barrel, it was clear that someone had to step up to the plate. That someone was Dilshan’s replacement – Sachith Pathirana. The spinner picked three of the four Australian wickets to fall on the day as and also kept a check on the astronomical scoring rate of the Aussies. Needless to say, an impressive comeback.

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