Cricket: Aussie Bowlers Restrict Sri Lanka To 128/9

COLOMBO, Sept 9, (APP/AFP) - An inspired Australian bowling attack restricted Sri Lanka to 128 for nine despite a fighting half-century from Dhananjaya de Silva in the second and final Twenty20 international in Colombo on Tuesday.

The hosts, who are looking to give retiring batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan a winning farewell, suffered from a lack of partnerships after electing to bat first. Australian bowlers James Faulkner and Adam Zampa claimed three wickets each as John Hastings took two.

Medium-pacer Hastings struck first with the wicket of Dilshan who edged a wide delivery to give away a catch to Australian skipper David Warner at slip. He scored one off three balls. The 39-year-old Dilshan was given a standing ovation by a raucous home crowd as he bowed down near the edge of the boundary after his last innings in international cricket.

However, the inventer of the 'dilscoop', the cheeky paddle shot that Dilshan played over the wicketkeeper's head, did not have a chance to execute the audacious stroke in his 80th T20.

Kusal Perera and de Silva, who scored 62 off 50 balls, tried to counter the Aussie bowlers by hitting a few boundaries in the first six overs of powerplay with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.

The left-handed Perera, who scored an 18-ball 22, fell to Faulkner as Warner took a superb diving catch at mid-on to check the Lankan surge. Faulkner took another wicket in his second over to get Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal caught and bowled for four.

Zampa and Hastings soon took over to rattle the Sri Lankan middle-order as wickets fell at regular intervals at the R Premadasa Stadium. De Silva, whose defiant knock was laced with five boundaries, kept up the fight till the final over when he got out to Mitchell Starc.