Australia will demand more runs at the top of the order and must find a way to combat Sri Lanka’s “damage-control” mantra in their must-win Twenty20 clash in Geelong on Sunday.The tourists have taken a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series after a stunning last-ball, five-wicket victory at the MCG on Friday night. Set 169 to win, Sri Lanka needed six off the final over bowled by paceman Andrew Tye. Scores were knotted after five balls, but Chamara Kapugedera was able to find a boundary through a congested infield on the final ball to secure victory.
While the Australians were aided by Sri Lanka’s sloppy fielding, their innings lacked a major burst, something injured power hitter Chris Lynn could have provided.
That skipper Aaron Finch (43 off 34 balls), fellow opener Michael Klinger (38 off 32) and No.3 Travis Head (31 off 25) were unable to go on and post a major score also contributed to the defeat.Klinger, making his international debut aged 36, looked at ease but admitted the top-order needed to deliver in game two.
“Certainly in Twenty20 cricket, your top three or or four batters, if you get 60, 70-plus runs, it goes a long way to winning the game,” he said.”
In that situation, myself and Finchy, who got starts, it certainly would have been nice if one of us got a big score but it didn’t happen.
The guys down the lower order chipped in. I thought the two biggest balls of the game (were) when Travis Head and Ashton Turner (18 off 13) got dismissed two balls in a row. I think they both hit the ball right out of the middle (of the bat) and just picked out the fielder both times. Sometimes on some grounds they (shots) are 10 rows back.
They were just unfortunate there are big square boundaries at the MCG.”
The dismissals of Head and debutant Turner on successive deliveries by super slinger Lasith Malinga in the 19th over were crucial, for the Australians had hoped for a late flourish of runs to push their score above 180.
Veteran Malinga, one of the cult heroes of world cricket, was back in international cricket for the first time in a year, having battled injuries.
While only West Indian Dwayne Bravo has more wickets combined in various T20 competitions than Malinga, the Sri Lankan has preached to teammates winning not only comes from bowling teams out.Sri Lankan coach Graham Ford said the tourists also had a “damage-control” mentality enforced when opposition batsmen look to go into overdrive.”I think the damage control was really good - it’s something they talk about a lot.
Malinga is brilliant at leading that discussion as to just how important it is,” he said.”I think at the end he was not necessarily searching for wickets, he was searching to control the run-rate - damage control.
We weren’t going to bowl them out but taking the wickets certainly slowed things down there, so pretty important.”
The best way for Australia to combat these “damage-control” plans is to avoid losing a cluster of wickets, although that can be difficult to do when chasing quick runs in the final overs.Malinga, not noted for his fielding, also took two catches, and Ford couldn’t have been happier with the return of the man who boasts arguably the most lethal yorker in the sport.
”He is a very proud man. He has done a lot of great things for the country in terms of cricket. He has had unfortunately a long lay-off but during that lay off, when you miss the game for that long, you get hungry and you want to get out there and play and do the things you used to do,” Ford said.”That is exactly where he is at now. He is playing the 20-over format with a view to building up, hopefully being able to play in the Champions Trophy later in the year.
We just hope everything goes well in terms of his body. He just makes such a different at controlling the end overs, is something that he does unbelievably well.”
Should Australia lose on Sunday, there is likely to be more agitation over a congested international schedule which has two Australian sides playing concurrently, with the Test squad in India preparing for this week’s series opener. Skipper Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitch Starc and Glenn Maxwell are among the first-choice T20 stars in India.
Australia claimed a 2-0 T20 series win in Sri Lanka last year when Warner, Maxwell and Starc were in the side.
While there has been player agitation over what some claim to be an erosion of the honour of international representation, that 42,511 supporters were on hand at the MCG - with another strong crowd expected in Geelong - was enough evidence to show they were not as concerned.
That Australia is ranked the fifth-best Twenty20 nation, and Sri Lanka the eighth by the International Cricket Council, was another reason Cricket Australia officials would have been delighted with the attendance at a time when AFL season is building momentum.