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Pallekele: Australian bowlers put in a professional effort to restrict Sri Lanka to 178 for 9 to win the match by 85 runs in the first T20 International (T20I) at Pallekele on Tuesday.
Glenn Maxwell’s brilliant 145 not out set the match beautifully for Australia, who posted a record-breaking score of 263 for 3 in their 20 overs. With this win, Australia go 1-0 up in the two-match T20I series.
This is Sri Lanka’s heaviest defeat in terms of runs in the shortest format.
Skipper Dinesh Chandimal scored a good fifty to lead Sri Lanka’s fightback, but he was left with too much to do in the end.
Things did not start well for Sri Lanka as they lost the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the very first over of the match for just four. Dilshan, after scoring a boundary off the previous over, went across the line to a straight delivery, missed tit and the ball crashed into the middle stump, to give Mitchell Starc his first wicket.
Only Chamara Kapugedara walked in at No. 7 and immediately had to hit the boundaries. He did just that as he smashed Maxwell over the fence. Chandimal then followed it up with a sweetly timed shot for a boundary.
Boland struck again in the 16th over, this time removing Sachith Pathirana for just two. Sri Lanka at this stage needed 122 from 24 deliveries, with an asking arte of over 30. Kapugedara was still out there, but it was too much to expect off him.
Starc, who removed Dilshan in the first over of the innings was called on to wrap things up in the 17th over.
Earlier, most of the pain for the home side came from the bat of Maxwell who crashed a stunning 145 not out -- second highest individual score in T20I -- including nine sixes, as the visitors passed the world record of 6-260 set by Sri Lanka in 2007 against Kenya.
Australia's opening partnership of David Warner and Maxwell set the tone, and the latter brought up the 50 partnership with a reverse sweep for six in the fifth over.
Warner soon fell for 28 but Maxwell continued the onslaught and Australia passed 100 from 9.3 overs.
Maxwell reached 50 off 27 deliveries, doing so with trademark flourish by thrashing a massive 90-metre six down the ground.
Maxwell passed his previous best of 75 and earned a reprieve one run later when he was caught on the boundary, only for Chamara Kapugedera to touch the boundary with his foot -- resulting in another six.
Australia put on 97 for the second wicket before Usman Khawaja fell for 36 off 22.
Maxwell continued his onslaught bringing up his ton off 49 balls, just four off world-record pace.
The Victorian hit three consecutive sixes in the 17th over and briefly looked set to overhaul Aaron Finch's world record of 156.
Travis Head helped Australia pass the world record of 6-260 set in 2007, before being out off the last ball of the innings for 45 in just 18 deliveries.
Brief scores:
Australia - 263 for 3 (Maxwell 145*, Head 45, Khawaja 36)
Sri Lanka - 178 for 9 (Chandimal 58, Kapugedara 43* Starc 3-26, Boland 3-26)
Result - Australia won by 85 runs
