Sri Lanka's spin twins Wanindu Hasaranga (3/23), and Dunith Wellalage (4/35) put on a spinning masterclass on a sluggish Colombo surface against Australia to bundle the visitors out for just 107. On account of this thumping 174-run victory, the hosts whitewashed Australia 2-0. Chasing a steep target of 282, Australia's batters struggled to break free, as the duo of Hasaranga and Wellalage managed to pose enough threat, and shut the door on the visitors' batting order.
For visitors, only Travis Head (18), Steven Smith (29), and Josh Inglis (22) managed to get double-digit scores. Alas, the scorecard cut a sorry figure, as Australia could not even bat 25 overs of their allotted 50 overs. Chasing in Sri Lanka is pretty challenging, as India found seven months when they lost 27 wickets to spinners. This time, Australia learnt the lesson the hard way.
Chasing 282, Australia needed to get off to a good start, but alas, that was not to be as opener Matthew Short (2) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) departed inside the five overs. Skipper Smith and Head tried to resurrect the innings by showing brief resistance, but Hasaranga's introduction to the attack triggered a collapse of sorts, as Australia lost their last seven wickets for just 74 runs.
Australia struggles for form ahead of Champions Trophy
With two massive defeats in the last two ODI matches, the two-time CT winners, Australia are struggling for form. Batting has been a major letdown, with none of the experienced batters of Smith, Head, and Maxwell stepping up in the two run chases. The bowling has looked decent, with Sean Abbott and Aaron Hardie stepping nicely. Leg spinner's Adam Zampa's performance will worry Aussies as he managed to pick just one wicket across two games.
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