PLAYING XI
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Kusal Perera(w), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Pradeep.
Australia: Aaron Finch(c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson and Jason Behrendorff.
Australia vs Sri Lanka Toss: Dimuth Karunaratne won the Toss and opted to bowl.
That brings us to the end of our live match coverage from this game. Join us again tomorrow for the match cricket fans all over will be waiting for as India and Pakistan clash at Old Trafford. The Toss is scheduled for 2.30 PM IST with the match starting at 3.00 PM. Till then it's goodbye!
(Australian captain): I thought we were a touch short with the new ball. You want to bowl top of off, but when we were getting hit we had to change our plan. It was nice to see Maxwell bowl well. We have been improving each game. The way we dragged it in the middle overs was impressive. Starc is doing the business again in an ICC tournament. We have played some really good cricket in patches and there are some areas to improve It's a real positive.
(Sri Lanka captain):It was a good wicket. There was some seam movement, but it was still a good batting track. We bowled well in the first 25 overs. Then, Finch and Smith batted really well, but we came back strongly at the death. We got a good start with the bat. We couldn't capitalise and when the middle-order came in, they couldn't capitalize either and really couldn't handle the pressure. The Australians are top-class bowlers, but we have faced them before, and we were missing a game plan against them to be honest. We lost a couple of matches because of the rain. We need to win a couple of matches, and if we can do it, we can definitely be in the top 4. We have got to get to the semi-finals and then take it step by step until the final.
(Man of the Match):It was nice to get a couple of drives away. If my balance is on and get a few drives, that's the key to my batting. A nice wicket. I've been working on keeping my balance from Ball 1 - not losing my balance. We lost a few wickets on the verge of taking the game on too much, but a couple of partnerships took us deep. Smith is really good at finding the gap and rotating the strike - looked up at the scorecard and saw he was on 25 - thought he was on 5. He just hits the ball in the gap, and that's a great skill, especially in the beginning of the innings. It's amazing when Maxi has a free rein like that, he can just go all out. Credit to SL, they executed really well under pressure, otherwise I thought we were definitely getting to 350.
That brings an end to the Lankan run-chase. It started in spirited fashion with a brilliant 115-run partnership but in the end they just ran out of gas against a formidable Australian unit. The Aussies are looking very strong at the moment and what's astonishing is that they still aren't at full strength. The injury to Marcus Stoinis has just disturbed the balance of the squad but Finch has manned his troops brilliantly making full use of the resources at hand.
Cummins brings an end to proceedings as he sends down a short delivery into the body and Pradeep backs away looking to slog but edges it back to the keeper.
Sri Lanka are barely hanging on at the moment but it doesn’t look like this resistance will last long. Malinga is the only player to lose his wicket in the last five overs as he picks out Khawaja in the field.
Mitchell Starc conceded just 1 run in his final over but will be a tad disappointed to not complete his five-wicket haul. Richardson has been hungry for his fourth wicket but it just doesn’t come.
Richardson sends down a short delivery outside off and de Silva looks to paddle the ball over the keeper but ends up sending it just beyond the reach of Behrendorff at short fine leg.
Richardson sends down a brilliantly disguised slower delivery and Malinga backs away but ends up chipping it straight to cover where Khawaja takes the easiest of catches.
Sri Lanka just collapse in this run of play losing five quick wickets and the main man behind that is Mitchell Starc who now sits pretty at the top of the wicket-takers charts.
Cummins sparks the collapse as he gets rid of Mathews in the 36th over. Mathews departing in horrible fashion getting strangled down leg. Starc then opens the floodgates as he sends back Siriwardana and Perera in a single over. He then sends back Mendis off the first in the 39th over.
Richardson only piles on the misery getting rid of Udana in the 40th over. Difficult to see Sri Lanka fighting their way out of this situation now. They still require 99 from 60 balls to win.
Ricahrdson bangs the last ball of the over short and Udanalooks to slap it straight down the ground but doesn't get enough on it as Finch takes a good catch while back peddling to the boundary line.
Richardson starts with a short delivery outside off and Udana cuts it over point sending the ball racing to the boundary.
Starclooks to end with a full delivery but de Silva drives it beautifully past mid-off.
