Alex Carey led Australia’s charge with a stabilizing unbeaten 45, helping them beat Sri Lanka by four wickets on a spinning Colombo track in the fifth and final ODI on June 24.
Australia were rocked early in their run-chase of 161, being reduced to 19/3 by the sixth over, with Sri Lanka spinners Maheesh Theekshana and young Dunith wellalage posing great challenge on a track offering ample turn and bounce.
Skipper Aaron Finch edged one through to the slip while attempting a sweep off Theekshana, while David Warner was undone by a brilliant catch by Danushka Gunathilaka at mid-off off Wellalage. Theekshana then had Josh Inglis play a leg glance straight to the leg-slip.
Mitchell Marsh was uncharacteristically scratchy during his 50-ball 24 – an innings that ended with a wild, mistimed slice to the sweeper cover off debutant Pramod Madushan.
It was at this point that Carey joined Marnus Labuschagne, and the pair put on a crucial 51-run stand at a little less than four runs an over to get Australia on course. Wellalage dismissed Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession – both being undone by some sharp turn from the left-arm spinner – to revive Sri Lanka’s hopes of a fightback.
However, Carey continued to show great application on a challenging surface, using the conventional and reverse sweeps to great effect to keep the hosts at bay. Cameron Green played a fine supporting role with an unbeaten 25, which included a soaring winning hit over long off.
Earlier, the Lankan Lions recovered well from a precarious start to manage 160 by the time they were bundled out in the 44th over, thanks to Chamika Karunaratne’s run-a-ball 75.
The hosts didn’t have the best of starts, with Josh Hazlewood removing both openers Danushka Gunathilaka (8) and Pathum Nissanka (2) by the fifth over. Dinesh Chandimal chipped one straight to Finch at mid-on off Pat Cummins, leaving the side at 34/3 in the ninth over.
Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka somewhat staged a min-recovery in a 7.1-over quiet stand, but the latter was run-out in a terrible mix-up for 14. Things worsened for the hosts as Mendis was hit-wicket off the very next ball from Maxwell, while attempting a pull shot.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka and Wellalage fell to Kunhemann’s left-arm spin in the 17th over, while Jeffrey Vandersay was sent back by a direct-hit from Labuschagne, as 56/5 became 62/7, and subsequently 85/8 by the 25th over.
Karunaratne then added 58 runs for the ninth wicket with Madushan, striking some audacious hits on the way. Green had Madushan caught off his own bowling after a 52-ball resistance for 15, and Karunaratne struck successive sixes off Labuschagne soon after, before getting a top-edge through to the keeper off Cummins, marking the end of a fighting innings.
Karunaratne was named the Player of the Match, while Kusal Mendis, who finished the highest run-scorer of the series with 249 runs at 83, bagged the Player of the Series award.
Australia had won the first ODI by two wickets in a tense run-chase, before Sri Lanka took the next three to bag the series. The three-match T20I series preceding the ODI leg, was taken by the visitors with two games to one.
The teams will now face off in a two-match Test series in Galle, with the first to be played from Wednesday, June 29.
Brief scores
Sri Lanka 160 all-out in 43.1 overs (Karunaratne 75, Hazlewood 2/22, Cummins 2/22, Kunhemann 2/26) lose to Australia 164/6 in 39.3 overs (Carey 45*, Labuschagne 31, Wellalage 3/42, Theekshana 2/26) by four wickets.
