Matthew Wade top-scored for the touring side with a fighting 76 but Sri Lanka’s biggest win over Australia in terms of runs means the teams move to Dambulla for Sunday’s third one-dayer with the five-match series level at 1-1. Australia needed a strong start to chase down such a big total but Thisara Perera (3-33) dismissed openers David Warner and Aaron Finch to reduce the tourists to 16 for two.

Skipper Steve Smith (30) rekindled Australia’s hopes of a fightback and Wade showed tremendous grit down the order but it was not enough to complete what would have been a record chase at the ground. Left-arm spinner Amila Aponso was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowler, claiming 4-18 in his second one-day international.

Sri Lanka posted 288 before being all out in the 49th over, losing their last five wickets for 27 runs. After opting to bat, Sri Lanka lost openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Tillakaratne Dilshan off successive deliveries inside the first 19 balls. Kusal Mendis (69) and Dinesh Chandimal (48) revived the hosts with a 125-run stand.

Mendis cruised to his second successive fifty but Adam Zampa (3-42) dismissed both batsmen. Kusal Perera (54) added 103 runs with skipper Mathews (57) to consolidate Sri Lanka’s position but Faulkner and Mitchell Starc (3-53) ripped out the lower order.

Faulkner trapped Perera lbw with the final delivery of his eighth over. The all-rounder dismissed Mathews with the first ball of his next over, caught at long-off, and bowled Thisara Perera with his next to become the sixth Australian cricketer to claim a one-day hat-trick.

Former Test opener Chris Rogers has applauded measures taking helmet choice out of the hands of players.

Cricketers in England, where Rogers is currently captaining county team Somerset, have been directed to use the safer England and Wales Cricket Board-approved helmets this season – bringing them in line with decisions made by Cricket Australia last year.

The decision was met with reluctance from some players, with England captain Alastair Cook and batsman Jonathan Trott initially continuing to use the lids they had worn throughout their careers, before being persuaded to make the switch to the newer models.

Rogers has suffered several blows to the head in recent seasons before his international retirement after last year’s Ashes in England.

Quick single: Starc a ‘different animal': Donald

He credits the Masuri helmet he was wearing with limiting the damage when he was struck – and left dazed – by a delivery during the Lord’s Test last year.
WATCH: Rogers cops a nasty blow at Lord’s

The 38-year-old is more than happy to bat with a stem guard helmet for Somerset, saying it took just one or two days of net sessions to get used to the different model.

Cricket Australia will reportedly soon hand down the results of an inquiry into player safety commissioned in the wake of Phillip Hughes’s death, and Rogers insists safety standard cannot be compromised.

“I think if you have standards they probably need to be met,” Rogers told AAP.

“They do all the testing and I know you can argue that batsmen want to have comfort and be able to see the ball well, but if there’s a rule there it’s to be followed as all the other rules are.

“It’s a tough one. Some guys feel comfortable in a certain helmet but I think the need to get the protection right is paramount.

“If that means you have to wear a certain helmet then I’m a big believer that you have to.”

Quick single: Khawaja called up for IPL stint

Cricket Australia introduced new standards for helmets last year, requiring all Australian and State contracted players to wear a helmet compliant with their ‘State Equipment and Apparel Regulations’.
WATCH: Why Rogers attacked his Baggy Green with scissors

“I know there’s a comfort level to it, but things like that if it’s available and it’s protecting that area, and obviously with what we’ve seen, it’s a very dangerous area,” Rogers added.

“If it’s available, why not wear it.”

West Indies were 20-1 when rain stopped play on Saturday, and the covers remained on the field throughout the following day at the P. Sara Oval. The umpires finally cancelled play at 2:45pm local time (0915 GMT) following an inspection of the rain-soaked pitch.

Shai Hope was on 17 when rain stopped played on Saturday, leaving the visitors a target of 244 to win the second Test and level the two-match series. Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by an innings.

The West Indies have not won any of their 10 previous Tests played in Sri Lanka since their first in 1993.

The greatest all-rounder in world cricket, made these observations during a felicitation ceremony organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and held at the Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo yesterday.

“The Twenty20 format has taken a heavy toll on the West Indies cricket as well as some of the other teams in the world and because of this some top players have even forgotten their own country” revealed Sobers.

“I don’t think that Twenty 20 cricket will run away but I think Test cricket is the ultimate for any player. If you are a cricketer that is the kind of cricket you would like to play. There is a lot of money involved in world cricket today. But I have always played for the West Indies team. It was such a pleasure and joy to be able to do what I did. Records make nothing. The team was more important for me. But I don’t think we have that today” added Sobers.

Sobers further noted that he was amazed with the kind of improvement the Sri Lanka cricket team has achieved during the last few years in all formats of the game.

Sobers who had the opportunity of coaching the Sri Lanka team for the 1983 World Cup in England, believed that that the team had the potential to go the distance and 13 years later they were able to emerge as World Champions.

I was really proud when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 and and I was pleased with the kind of performance of the players spearheaded by Arjuna Ranatunga who for me was a player with a great amount of talent and potential.

Sri Lanka batting first, were all out for 239 runs in 49.4 overs.

The Pakistani Under 19 team were 92 for 4 in 49.4 overs when rain stopped play.
Sri Lanka Under 19 : 239 in 49.4 overs (Charith Asalanka 65, Sammu Ashan 103, Sameen Gul 2/31, Arfan Liaquat 2/40)
Pakistan Under 19 : 92/4 in 29.3 overs (Kamran Afzal 15, Jehan Daniel 5-2-08-2).

Homesters batting first were all out for 159 runs with Tharanga Sampath claiming 5 for 32 and in reply Asoka Vidyala were all out for 211 with Shehan Priyamal scoring 55 runs and in their second essay Siri Piyarathne bounced back and declared at 220 for 7 leaving at target of 169 runs to win and when play stopped for bad light Asoka were reeling at 26 fro 6.

Siri Piyarathne 159 (Poorna Sandaruwan 41, indi Navoid 32, Tharanga Samapth 5/32, and 220/7 dec Prabath Maduranga 43, Dilshan madushanka 39, Dimuth Wijesuriya 4, Hashan Jayasinghe 46, Kavindu Nimesh 32, Ravindu Chaturnga 2/61).

Asoka Vidyalaya 211 – (Sehan Priyamal 55, Dilshan Fernando 26, Lakshan Silva 25, Dimuth Wijesuriya 4/32, Indi Navoid 4/61 and 26/6 Dimuth Wijesuriya 3/5, Indu Navodi 2/19).