Angelo Mathews

Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga put up a brilliant 132 run partnership to fire Sri Lanka to a breath-taking victory against hosts Australia on Wednesday. The pair not only gave their side a good victory but also created history by breaking the one day international 9th wicket partnership which was previously held by Kapil Dev & Syed Kirmani who put up 126 runs against Zimbabwe.

“I am still catching my breath, it was awesome, and all credit should go to Lasith (Malinga). It was very easy batting with him” an exhausted Mathews expressed. Mathews knock was very crucial as the top order collapsed for hundred odd runs. The Sri Lankan team depends hugely on the talented all rounder who scored an unbeaten 77 in a high pressure situation.

Australia put 239 runs in 50 overs, thanks to a responsible knock of 71 runs by Mike Hussey. Thisara Perera took 5 wickets and troubled the Australian batsmen through the innings in their own backyard. The Lankan innings started with solidity but the batting order collapsed miserably due to excellent spin bowling by debutant Xavier Doherty who bagged four wickets and caused a stunning run out. The Lankans who were chasing 240 runs looked down and out as they lost 8 wickets for only 107 runs on the board.

The Aussie attack wanted to finish the match as soon as possible but Matthews and Malinga had other intensions. Both of them played sensible cricket and didn’t lose composure in mounting pressure. The Lankan innings started with a good run rate which allowed the pair to strive on one’s and two’s. They took calculated risks and attacked only bad deliveries. Both reached half centuries as they inched closer to the target.

The record partnership was broken when Lasith Malinga was run out with scores level at 239. He tried to snatch a quick single for the victory but was not fast enough to make his ground. Muttiah Muralitharan, the last batsman, was left alone to face the music but he dealt well with the pressure and scored a boundary to secure a win for his side. It was now a very good team effort by the Lankans but the positives out of the match were that the youngsters were not overwhelmed by the conditions and performed well for the victory. Australia will come out all guns blazing in the second match.

Tags: Angelo Mathews, Australia, Cricket, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, ODI Cricket, ODI Series, Sri Lanka