ICC Champions Trophy: Sri Lanka vs Australia highlights, as it happened

Defending champions Australia fought till the end with a last-wicket stand but Sri Lankans bowlers kept the nerve to secure a 20-run win at the Oval on Monday. All the highlights from the match, as they happened: (Scorecard)

Scorecard | Schedule | Stats | Points Table | Teams and Squads

 

01:01 (IST): And Dilshan does it, with a spectacular return catch to get rid of Clint McKay (30) to seal Sri Lanka's date with India in the semis on June 20 in Cardiff. Australia end agonising 20 runs short from securing a win in the last edition of the ICC Champions Trophy.

 

00:47 (IST): The last-wicket pair has frustrated the Lankans with a 52-ball 33-run stand so far. Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty are still making a fight of this. Australia may be out of the tournament, but they would like a win on the board in 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Can the Lankan tailenders hold their nerve?

00:05 (IST): So defending champions Australia are knocked out and their era of dominance in ODI cricket (3 World Cups, 2 Champions Trophies) has deserted them big time. Adam Voges the ninth wicket to fall, for a workmanlike 49 off 62 balls.

 

23:45 (IST): Eighth Wicket - Sri Lanka closing in on win here as Australia are losing wickets in search of quick win inside 29.1 overs. Latest to go is Mitchell Johnson, who skies an Eranga delivery to Kulasekara at mid-off. With Australia scoring more than 164, Sri Lanka will not top table if they win this match, which means England, with four points, will top Group A and go on to play No.2 team from Group B - South Africa.

 

23:40 (IST): Seventh Wicket - James Faulkner out caught behind by Kumar Sangakkara off Rangana Herath. Faulkner was hitting the gaps and his 17 came off 14 balls.

 

23:15 (IST): Sixth Wicket - Matthew Wade, who was looking to take the attack to the opposition, has been dismissed. Guess by whom? Nuwan Kulasekara. Wade tried to clear the shorter straight boundary at the Oval but found T Dilshan at the long off fence. The Lankans are jubilant as they would feel they have done half their job in this run chase. Australia by the way availed the batting powerplay from overs 17-21.

 

22:45 (IST): Fifth Wicket - It seems Sri Lanka can do no wrong today. Their skipper Angelo Mathews strikes to remove all-rounder Mitchell Marsh cheaply for 4.

 

22:31 (IST): Fourth Wicket - Skipper George Bailey departs thanks to some brilliant work in the field once again by Kulasekara. Bailey was ambling across to the other end to complete a single, not looking at the fielder who aimed at the non-striker's end and found Bailey short of his crease when the stumps were rattled via a direct hit.

 

22:20 (IST): Third Wicket - Malinga you beauty! the Slinga gets rid of dangerous looking Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell was shuffling a lot inside his crease and Malinga aimed for the stumps and Maxwell missed, Malinga hit timber. Maxwell's 32 came in just 20 balls and was punched with 5 fours and a six.

 

22:12 (IST): Second Wicket - It's Kulasekara again and Phil Hughes falls. Hughes tries to nudge Kulasekara past the wicket-keeper but gets a thick edge instead and Sangakkara completes a safe catch.

 

22:06 (IST): Glenn Maxwell reveling as a pinch hitter. He has hit three fours and a six already to keep Australia on track in the rapid chase.

 

If Sri Lanka win today, they are through to the next round. If Lanka restrict Australia to 164 or less, they will top the table.

 

During their 434/4 in 50 overs vs South Africa at Johannesburg, 12-3-2006 Australia scored at a run rate of 8.68. Today, to qualify they need to score at 8.71 per over.

 

FACTOID: Birthday boy Shane Watson's wicket was the 150th ODI wicket for Nuwan Kulasekara. He is the seventh Sri Lankan to reach the milestone.

 

21: 52 (IST): First Wicket - Did we speak too soon regarding Watson? The dangerman is out bowled to Nuwan Kulasekara on the second ball of the second over. This is a huge dent in the Australian run-chase. Glenn Maxwell has been promoted to number three to get on a move straight away.

 

21:49 (IST): Australia mean business! What a start to the run chase as Shane Watson drives Shaminda Eranga for four past extra covers on the first ball of the innings. Plus, Phil Hughes gets a streaky four past the wicket-keeper on the last ball of the first over. Australia desperately need Watson to fire if they are to entertain thoughts of reaching this target inside 29.1 overs.

 

21:13 (IST): Mahela Jayawardene comes up with yet another marathon knock to take Sri Lanka to a more than a fighting total at the Kennington Oval. The more important fact is that Australia now need to get 254 in 29.1 overs to reach the semis. If they reach the target later than that, New Zealand will scrape through to final-4.

 

FACTOID: Jayawardene completed 11,000 runs in ODI cricket today, becoming the eighth player in the game's history to do so and the third Sri Lankan. Sri Lanka are the only nation to have three players in the 11,000 ODI run-list - Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene.

 

20:57 (IST): Seventh Wicket - No heroics this time from Nuwan Kulasekara. The handy lower-order contributor is run out, while trying to steal a second run in the 48th over.

 

20:50 (IST): Sixth Wicket - Dinesh Chandimal's cameo ends! Chandimal saw the opportunity was there to get a boundary and tried to go over the mid-on fieldsman but failed in attempt. Phil Hughes took a well-judged catch and Mitchell Johnson scalped his 3rd wicket. Chandimal's 32-ball 31 was part of 65-run stand with Mahela Jayawardene.

 

20:26 (IST): Mahela rises to the occasion, scores a responsible half century. He has so far scored five fours in his 69th career fifty in ODI cricket. He needs to bat till the end so that Sri Lanka reach a challenging score.

 

20:10 (IST): Fifth Wicket - Angelo Mathews gets bowled. Funnily, James Faulkner was appealing for caught behind and did not realise till very late that the ball had clipped the off stump on way to wicket-keeper Matthew Wade. Vice captain Dinesh Chandimal comes on to the crease now, giving veteran Mahela Jayawardene company.

 

19:38 (IST): Fourth Wicket - Mitchell Johnson strikes and Thirimanne has to depart. The left hander goes for a pull but finds Shane Watson at mid wicket. Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews is the new man in. Plenty of batting still to come for Lanka with Dinesh Chandimal and the half-centurion of the last game Nuwan Kulasekara still in the hut.

 

19:20 (IST): Left-handed Lahiru Thirimanne reaches a well-deserved half century - his fifth in ODI cricket. Thirimanne and Mahela Jayawardene have taken Sri Lanka past the 100-run mark.

 

FACTOID: Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are the most capped cricketers in ICC Champions Trophy. Both have appeared in 21 Champions Trophy games each for Sri Lanka.

 

19:08 (IST): Third Wicket - Xavier Doherty removes Dilshan. Doherty bowled on middle and leg and got it to turn just enough to get Dilshan's outside edge. Shane Watson took a sharp, low-diving one-handed catch. Dilshan scored 34 in 58 balls (1 four) and was struggling to hit the gaps as often as his partner.

 

18:35 (IST) - Lahiru Thirimanne and Tilakaratne Dilshan have started the rebuilding job well for Sri Lanka. They have made sure no further inroads were made by Australia. The surface looks a good one to bat on and both the batsmen will eye big scores.

 

17:50 (IST): Second wicket - Kumar Sangakkara is out for 3. Clint McKay invites the in-form left-hander into drive and Sangakkara obliges, looping the ball to Glenn Maxwell at backward point. The former Lankan skipper had made a match-winning 134* against England in the previous encounter.

 

FACTOID - Clint McKay is the best ranked Australian bowler in the latest ICC ODI rankings. The right-hand seamer from Victoria is ranked 6th in the bowling rankings. Interestingly, no other Australian is in the top-10 ODI bowlers' list.

 

17:41 (IST): First wicket - Kusal Perera departs after hitting a four on the first ball of the match. Quite an eventful start to the game as second ball went for four leg byes past fine leg and on the third ball, Mitchell Johnson got Perera out lbw. The left-hander consulted for a long time with his non-striking opening partner T Dilshan and after much deliberation decided against going for a review. An early break for Australia means in-form Kumar Sangakkara comes to the crease.

 

17.00 (IST): Australia opt to bowl against Sri Lanka at The Oval in London. George Bailey still leading the side as Michael Clarke sits out yet again due to his back injury.

 

Australian Team: Shane Watson, Matthew Wade, Phil Hughes, George Bailey, Adam Voges, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty

 

Sri Lankan Team: Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Lasith Malinga

 

Sri Lanka's recent success against Australia will provide a psychological edge to them -- in the last 10 ODIs played between the two sides, Sri Lanka have won six while they drew the ODI series 2-2 earlier this year in Australia.

Australia have just one point from two games, starting their campaign with a defeat to England and then having their game against New Zealand washed out.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka were skittled out for a paltry 138 against New Zealand in their tournament-opener but a superb bowling show by slinger Lasith Malinga saw them very nearly defend the total before losing by one wicket.

Sri Lankan batsmen, however, gave a better account of themselves in their stunning run chase against England to romp home against the hosts. Led by Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten 134, they chased down the 294-run victory target with relative ease to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

For Australia, it would not just be about tackling the threat posed by in-form pacer Malinga but also to regroup in after Warner's altercation with England batsman Joe Root in the early hours of last Sunday morning.