Sri Lanka, Australia make peace after on-field clash
There were angry exchanges between both teams at the end of the second T20I, as they walked off the pitch after Sri Lanka won by two runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.
The Australian and Sri Lankan players officially made peace following a fiery end to their second and final Twenty20 International won by Sri Lanka off the last ball, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday (January 29).
There were angry exchanges between both teams at the end of the second T20I, as they walked off the pitch after Sri Lanka won by two runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. Cricket Australia admitted the rain-hit match finished with "ugly scenes" but stressed that "both teams apologised".
Trouble erupted when Glenn Maxwell, the Australian all-rounder, needing four runs from the final ball to clinch victory for Australia, told the Sri Lankans, in no uncertain terms, to get on with it.
Mahela Jayawardene, who earlier hit an unbeaten 61, yelled back at Maxwell. After the last ball was finally delivered the pair jostled in an angry face-to-face exchange. Matthew Wade, the Australian wicketkeeper and George Bailey, the Australia captain, also bickered with Jayawardene and Thisara Perera during the on-field handshakes.
"I went into the Sri Lankan rooms after and they apologised for going over the top. All good," said Maxwell on Twitter. He also admitted on Tuesday that he too had been at fault.
"Just to clarify... I apologised to Mahela and SL players as well. I have a good friendship with Mahela, and it's gonna stay that way!"
George Bailey put the dispute down to "passion" and "heat of the moment".
"People care about the game and care about the way they play," he said. "I know we get along very well with this side. Even just the chats there coming off, I think it's all just heat-of-the-moment stuff. But I think what you're seeing is individuals and teams that are pretty keen to win."
Jayawardene agreed with Bailey, saying, "To be honest it was just the heat of the moment. Things happen and you exchange a few words. They play it hard and we play it hard. After the game you are friends."
Sri Lanka's win saw them clinch the T20I series 2-0, after they had won the first match by five wickets at the Sydney Olympic Stadium on Saturday night (January 26). The One-Day International series was drawn 2-2 after Australia took the Test series 3-0.