The venue was the Galle International Stadium which was hosting its first ODI since 2000 and Zimbabwe made it a memorable one for them as they swept to an emphatic six wickets win with 14 balls to spare to go one-up in the five-match series yesterday.

Sikhander Raza rejoices a famous victory for Zimbabwe after making the winning hit – a six. AFP

Yesterday also happened to be chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya’s 48th birthday and what an anti-climactic birthday present he received from the team he selected.

The foundation for Zimbabwe’s dramatic win was laid by opener Solomon Mire who scored his maiden ODI century and Sean Williams (65). They shared a record third wicket stand of 161 off 133 balls to set Zimbabwe on course for this famous win in their rather chequered history.

Although both batsmen were dismissed 11 balls of each other by the golden arm of Asela Gunaratne, Zimbabwe who bat deep till number 10 didn’t lose any more wickets as Sikhander Raza (67 n.o.) and Malcolm Waller (40 n.o.) carried them to a win with an unbroken partnership of 102 off 80 balls.

Overall it was Zimbabwe’s eighth win against Sri Lanka in 51 ODIs.

Sri Lanka had only themselves to blame for the defeat as they spilled as many three catches – a malady which they are finding pretty hard to get rid of.

Mire and Williams were both missed and how costly it proved as Sri Lanka was to realize when the partnership between the two grew into ominous proportions. Centurion Mire was dropped twice at 17 by wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella off Amila Aponso and at 94 by Lasith Malinga at deep fine leg off Gunaratne. Williams was put down on 13 by Danushka Gunathilaka at point off Lahiru Madushanka. Had those chances been accepted Sri Lanka would have romped home quite comfortably but it was not to be their day. The lapses on the field hurt Sri Lanka deeply as Zimbabwe made capital out of them.

It was not only their fielding that let Sri Lanka down but also their bowling which was rather sub standard the way they bowled for an international side.

The chances of a defeat wouldn’t have entered their minds when Sri Lanka ended their innings at 316-5 after electing to bat first.

Two youngsters Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis laid the platform for that total with a 117-run stand. Both looked good to get hundreds but they perished playing some injudicious shots. Gunathilaka was out playing the reverse sweep and Mendis got a leading edge attempting to work the ball towards leg. Mendis made 86 off 80 balls and Gunathilaka 60 off 77. Mendis in the process became the second fastest Sri Lankan to reach 1000 runs in ODIs (28 innings) after Roy Dias (27 innings).

Upul Tharanga returning to the side after serving a two-match suspension for slow over rate held the innings for the rest of the overs to remain 79 not out forging two useful half-century partnerships with Angelo Mathews (49) and Gunaratne (28).

However all that effort was lost when Sri Lanka took the field for the Zimbabwe innings.

Mire was named Man of the Match.

The second ODI will be played at the same venue on Sunday.

An extraordinary victory for Pakistan in the end. Mickey Arthur is elated on the balcony, as he should be. Pumped by India in the opener, his side are through to the final four. And make no mistake, they were cooked here at 162-for-7. But then, the twist: a stand of 75 for the eighth wicket, which never came.

They were helped along the way by Sri Lanka, who dropped Sarfraz twice off Malinga; the chance grassed by Thisara one he’ll never forget. The skipper finished with an unbeaten 61. It was frantic, he should have been run out a couple more times, but he is the man of the match.

“I can’t believe it,” he said at the presentation, lumping ample praise on his big quick Mohhammad Amir who showed poise and class with 28 unbeaten runs of his own from 43 deliveries.

For their efforts here they now stay in Cardiff to play England in the first semi final of Champions Trophy 2017 on Wednesday. The other final four contest is between India and Bangladesh on Thursday at Edgbaston. The decider: The Oval on Sunday.

Of course, you won’t miss a moment on the OBO. Thanks for your company today. It’s been quite the afternoon. Long live 50-over cricket. Until next time.

The match was neatly poised in the chase with 71 needed off last seven overs. Mumbai had just recovered from a mini wobble where they had lost Nitish Rana and Jos Buttler (26) in quick succession. With concerns mounting over Rohit Sharma’s form, this was his chance to guide the team home. Rohit played a sensible innings of an unbeaten 29-ball 40 while Pollard smashed his way to 39 off 23 to create an easy passage to the win.

Lions had been put under pressure throughout the game but did well to absorb it and fight their way through. However, Mumbai Indians bossed the last seven overs to snatch the win.

Nitish Rana has been the find of the IPL 2017 so far. Two half-centuries in the tournament has helped him become the highest run-getter after 16 games this season. After the failure against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rana gave Mumbai the perfect platform to launch an assault in the end.

Rana walked in in the very first over after Praveen Kumar dismissed Parthiv Patel for a duck. He was dropped by Jason Roy, when on 9, off the bowling of Basil Thampi. The score was 11 for 1 at that stage. By the time Rana was dismissed in the 10th over, the score had swelled to 85, with Rana contributing to 53 off those.

On a dry Wankhede surface, Lions had lost Dwayne Smith early after being asked to bat. Both Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina found it hard to get going as Mumbai made a good start with the ball. That’s when McCullum’s resilience came to the fore. While Raina continued to chug along, McCullum collected the crucial boundaries to take the score to 46 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. It was then that the former New Zealand captain gave the inning the much-needed impetus even as he lost Raina from the other end.

He took on Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga while Ishan Kishan, who walked in at No. 4, struggled against some quality bowling. McCullum stroked a 44-ball 64 before he was bowled by Lasith Malinga in the 14th over.

The scorecard at that stage read 99 for 3 and there was plenty of work left to be done considering the chasing capabilities of Mumbai. Dinesh Karthik has been exceptional for the franchise so far and carried on with his good form, smashing an unbeaten 26-ball 48. What stood out from Karthik was that he was able to take runs off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and Malinga, propelling the team to a very competitive total.

Malinga conceded 51 runs, the most he has given away in any IPL game, from his four overs for his one wicket while Bumrah leaked 45 runs from his four overs. That’s 96 runs from eight overs from bowlers who are accustomed to bowling at the death and have done it considerably well. This also highlights how crucial Karthik’s effort was as he helped the team collect 41 runs in the last three overs.

Lions will return to home comforts after the loss and will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 18 in an evening clash. Mumbai, on the other hand, will travel to Indore to take on Kings XI Punjab on April 20. – TOI

ADELAIDE, Wednesday: Leg-spinner Adam Zampa claimed three wickets to bowl Australia to victory and avoid a Twenty20 series wipeout against Sri Lanka in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Man-of-the-match Zampa, who was left out of the previous match as the Sri Lankans won to clinch the three-match series, captured three for 25 at a crucial stage as Australia went on to win by 41 runs.

“It is always nice to bowl the middle overs and it is very easy when you have a start like that,” Zampa said.

“Sri Lanka have very fearless players, sometimes it can be tough to bowl at them.”

Openers Aaron Finch and Michael Klinger hit half-centuries as the Australians, with their leading stars in India for this week’s Test series, set Sri Lanka 188 runs to win.

But the Sri Lankans could not reproduce another of their blazing late innings comebacks where they won the first two T20 games off the last ball.

“I thought we played some fantastic cricket tonight. A complete performance like this makes the last match even more heart-breaking,” skipper Finch said.

“When you have Klinger at the other end, he lets you play your shots. We have been guilty of not converting starts. Today we had two fifties and Dunk and Head chipping in.”

Sri Lanka’s chase was given early impetus by Dilshan Munaweera, who smacked 37 from 25 balls, but from 41 without loss in the fourth over the tourists lost traction and slid to 76 for four in the 10th over.

Zampa claimed the vital wicket of man of the series Asela Gunaratne, leg before wicket for four in the 10th over and the tourists were unable to arouse another of their sensational finishes to beat Australia’s total.

Gunaratne slammed a pulse-racing 84 to power Sri Lanka to a last-ball victory against Australia on Sunday after clubbing 52 off 37 balls in the opening win in Melbourne.

“Beating Australia in home conditions is a tough thing to do. The guys did a good job,” skipper Upul Tharanga said.

“The innings Asela Gunaratne played in the second game in Geelong was amazing.”

James Faulkner also took three wickets with his clever changes of pace to maintain Australia’s advantage.

It was Sri Lanka’s first defeat in six T20 internationals in Australia.

Skipper Finch was dropped by Munaweera before he had scored on the fifth ball of the Australian innings and went on to cash in with 53 off 32 balls with three sixes and five fours.

Klinger proved the mainstay of the innings with 62 from 43 deliveries with six fours and a six.

The opening pair put on 79 runs for the first wicket.

Ben Dunk (28 from 21 balls) and Travis Head (30 from 16) contributed useful knocks to get to 179 for two before a late flurry of wickets cost Australia a chance to top a 200 total. Sri Lanka claimed four wickets for eight off the final 11 deliveries with Lasith Malinga taking two for 35 and Chamara Kapugedera taking three catches in the deep.

Australia’s first aim on Wednesday (February 22) would be to salvage some pride, having already conceded the series with last-ball losses in both earlier games.

Aaron Finch, Australia’s captain for the series, didn’t mince words when he said after losing the first match that his country had underperformed in the format ‘since forever’.

In the absence of several big names including Steve Smith, the regular captain, David Warner and Mitchell Starc, the batsmen of Big Bash League fame have done a fairly good job. Michael Klinger has been steady at the top while Travis Head, Ben Dunk and Moises Henriques have quick runs against their name.

The inexperience, though, is telling in the bowling department as Australia has allowed Sri Lanka to twice chase down competitive totals despite having it in bother at various points. The likes of Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake have not stepped up, giving the opponent an opening it has barged through. It has also left too much to do for the likes of James Faulkner and Pat Cummins.

Credit, however, should also go to the visitor. Sri Lanka came into the series having been whitewashed 5-0 by South Africa in the one-dayers, but was still high on confidence as it had won the preceding T20I series 2-1.

Sri Lanka now seems to have identified a brand of cricket that’s working wonders for it in the shortest format. What’s most refreshing about its turnaround is the freedom with which its batsmen have operated; irrespective of the situation, Sri Lanka’s batting mantra seems to be attack.

The onslaught in both games has been led by Asela Gunaratne, the latest hero. The right-hand middle-order batsman has twice helped Sri Lanka to victories in tough chases with half-centuries. The second game in particular was an absolute heist, as he helped his side hunt down 174 from 40 for 5 with a stunning, unbeaten 46-ball 84. Now with a maiden Indian Premier League contract in hand, Gunaratne will once look to re-establish his capabilities.

But Sri Lanka hasn’t been a one-man team as Dilshan Munaweera and Chamara Kapugedera have made vital contributions with the bat. It will, however, miss Niroshan Dickwella at the top, the wicketkeeper-batsman having been suspended on Tuesday for two limited-overs matches after showing dissent at the umpire’s decision in the previous game which pushed his cumulative demerit points beyond the minimum four.

The bowling too has been bolstered by Lasith Malinga’s return. Despite not playing for a year, Malinga has showed no signs of rustiness, sending down his famed yorkers with precision. Nuwan Kulasekara too will be on a high, having picked up four wickets in the second T20I.

Australia swept Sri Lanka 2-0 when they faced off in the T20Is in the island nation last year. On Wednesday, Sri Lanka will have an opportunity to return the favour, and even go one better.

Teams (from):

Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), Pat Cummins, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Michael Klinger, Tim Paine (wk), Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga (capt), Vikum Sanjaya, Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dilshan Munaweera, Sachith Pathirana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardana, Isuru Udana.

It required just two good knocks – both of them top drawer stuff against the Aussies to catch the attention of the cricket world… and unknown Asela Gunaratne is suddenly the most sought after cricketer today.

The good news is that Gunaratne had become a hot “buy” at the IPL auction held yesterday and was quickly snapped up by Mumbai Indians for Indian Rupees 30 lakhs. Gunaratne will be in the company of Sri Lanka’s top one-day fast bowler Lasith Malinga who also represents the same franchise. The only other Sri Lanka cricketer who was successful at yesterday’s auction was national captain Angelo Mathews who was purchased by Delhi Daredevils for Indian Rupees 2 crore. The tenth edition of IPL is slated to commence on April 5 with eight franchises in the running for the title.

Gunaratne is not a name that comes to mind when someone talks about potential big signings the IPL is renowned for but he beat some of his celebrated colleagues like Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella and Thisara Perera who all went unsold at the auction. At 31 years of age and just 17 international games under his belt, Gunaratne is a cricketer who has been pretty late for the party but nevertheless as the saying goes “it’s never too late”.

The right-hander had scored two consecutive match-winning fifties in the two T20Is against Australia. While his 37-ball 52 paved the way for a thrilling five-wicket victory in the first T20I at Melbourne, Gunaratne’s unbeaten 46-ball 84 in the second T20I at Geelong helped Sri Lanka to seal the three-match series 2-0. It was his exploits in the second T20I that arguably made him a prized-possession for any IPL franchise.

Coming to the crease at 37-3, Gunaratne looked to attack from the outset, taking a particular liking to the bowling of debutant Jhye Richardson as he kept the tourists in the run-chase despite a regular fall of wickets at the other end.

It was starting to look like mission impossible for Sri Lanka when the equation was 48 runs needed off 18 balls, but Gunaratne launched at exactly the right moment, striking two boundaries off the 18th over before launching at Moises Henriques with the next, blasting 22 runs in the form of three sixes and a four. Suddenly, Sri Lanka needed just 14 off 6, and boy, did the soldier from the Sri Lanka Army polish it off in style, finishing the match with a cracking four off the last delivery.

Gunaratne smashed five sixes and six fours in his breath-taking innings. Thanks to his blitz, Sri Lanka secured their third successive T20 series win in Australia.

Gets picked by Mumbai Indians for his maiden IPL

THE POWER OF GUNARATNE

Gunaratne’s amazing scoring rate for his unbeaten 84 not out was as follows:

•24•11•211•11114212•16412•1•11••2111•666•446144.

He scored 47 off his first 37 balls and 37 off his last 11.

Praise From The Greats

Amongst the top cricketers showering praise on Gunaratne’s fairytale knock were former Sri Lanka skippers Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya and Michael Vaughan of England.

Here are their comments and of others that appeared on Twitter:

Mahela Jayawardene:

Wow… Asela Gunaratne. Take a bow! Amazing finish. Well done boys.

Kumar Sangakkara:

The best t20 ever played by Sri Lanka. What a win. Take a bow Asela. Probably the best knock under pressure. So proud.

Sanath Jayasuriya:

Congrats Upul & boys on a stunning victory & series win. what an absolute beauty of an inns from Asela. You boys made me so happy

Michael Vaughan:

That was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning ….. The Aussies being Walloped …. #AusvSL #Gunaratne is my new hero….

Dinesh Chandimal:

Very weldone team srilanka what a victory. Asela you beauty what an inning it was top class buddy

Thilan Samaraweera:

What a phenomenal innings!! Great knock Asela Gunarathna

Angelo Mathews:

What a knock !!absolute genius. One of the best knocks in t20. Asela u beauty. kapu played a good hand too. congratulations boys

Rangana Herath:

Very well played Asela, one of the great T20 innings, congratulations to the boys for winning the tournament

Farveez Maharoof:

What a win special mention to asela for the unbelievable knock.. congratulations all involved! Another series win in Australia

Dhammika Prasad:

Unbelievable knock from asela. Wat a game boys. Congrats. Wel done.

Mathews also bagged two other awards in a glittering ceremony graced by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera and Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram who was the chief guest – the All-rounder of the Year for both Test and One-Day Internationals.

The awards which featured the performances of Sri Lanka’s cricketers for 2015 saw Dilshan and fast bowler Lasith Malinga bag two awards apiece.

Dilshan also won the T20 Batsman of the Year while Malinga picked up the Bowler of the Year award for both categories ODI and T20.

Wasim who played in 19 Tests and 59 ODIs against Sri Lanka between 1985 and 2002 recalled many memories of the matches between the two countries since his first visit to the country with Imran Khan’s Pakistan side in 1985.

“We had many major battles on and off the field, but lots of them off the field. Sri Lanka is a memorable place for me. It’s a ‘Heaven on Earth’ and we call it the Pearl Island,” said Wasim.

“What I like about the country is the positive energy that generates from the people. Everyone in Sri Lanka is happy and with a smile on their face. When I walk on the road I feel safe and it’s like my second home. People smile and say hello and some want to take selfies,” he said.

Wasim said his love for the country has made him an unofficial ambassador of Sri Lanka and wherever he went he always told people that Sri Lanka was one country they should not miss visiting.

Speaking of the country’s cricket Wasim said, “Sri Lanka played cricket in the real spirit. They are quite calm but deadly.”

Wasim praised the school system in Sri Lanka and said that it was “an unmatchable school cricket structure” that has helped the country produce so many great cricketers like Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Chaminda Vaas, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muthiah Muralitharan.

Wasim thanked Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala for inviting him to the awards presentation and said, “I am always available for Sri Lanka Cricket in any capacity. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are brotherly countries and one should help each other.”

Mathews was given the role ahead of the World Twenty20 this year when Lasith Malinga resigned from the role.

Mathews was notably disgruntled about it at the time, saying he was not prepared, and has never warmed to the task.

Mathews, on tour in the UK, said: “If I think there is a suitable captain and a better captain than me, I’ll talk to the selectors and step down.

“If somebody comes through the ranks and is doing really well and is up for the challenge, well, I’ll obviously give it to him.”

Mathews remained under an injury cloud and must undergo a fitness test before he can be cleared to play in the second ODI.

The Sri Lanka captain hobbled from the field suffering stiffness in his left hamstring after bowling six overs during Sri Lanka’s tie with England in the first ODI of the five-game Royal London series at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

The hamstring failed to improve overnight and Mathews saw a doctor in Birmingham on Wednesday to undergo further assessment.

His absence would be keenly felt by Sri Lanka on several levels; in the first ODI Mathews’ steadying innings of 73 was the highest of any batsman in his side and he then took 2 for 22 with the new ball before injury forced him from the field.

Sri Lanka may also have benefited from Mathews’ experience as captain as England chased down 286 to draw level with Sri Lanka – particularly in the final two overs when Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett plundered 30 runs, culminating in Plunkett’s six off Nuwan Pradeep’s final ball.

Sri Lanka’s pace attack has been gradually depleted since the start of the tour, with the loss of Dushmantha Chameera, Dhammika Prasad and Shaminda Eranga and, in the remainder of the squad, there is no like-for-like replacement for the all-rounder Mathews.

Sri Lanka’s team management said they were already preparing to draft a replacement for Eranga from the Sri Lanka A squad, which arrives in England ahead of a series of matches against Pakistan A and England Lions.

If Matthews fails to recover in time for Friday’s game, Sri Lanka may need to call in further reinforcements.

Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan de Silva said that the panel after examining all the MRI scans taken on his injured leg yesterday is of the opinion that with rest and proper management Malinga will be able to recover and return to play cricket again.

De Silva said that SLC has requested for a comprehensive report on Malinga’s injury from the panel and they expect it to be available to them sometime next week.

However it is learnt that Malinga will be out of action for at least six months and with proper management and rest he will be able resume his career.

Malinga 32 is suffering from a bone bruise which doctors say occurs as a result of sustaining forceful impacts while playing sports. In the case of a bowler like Malinga, his left knee supports his entire body weight during his delivery stride.

The medical panel comprises Prof Arjuna de Silva, Dr Harindu Wijesinghe, Dr Kithsiri and Dr Tharindu Wijesinghe.