Key events
3rd over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Nissanka 4, Madushka 4) Dwarshuis lopes in to Nissanka, with two slips waiting for any edge. There is a bit of swing but nothing too extravagant, and Nissanka feels secure to punch a drive that is well stopped by the sprawling Maxwell at mid-off. A maiden.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Nissanka 4, Madushka 4) Aaron Hardie, who bowled very well in the first ODI, shares the new ball. Madushka slams a cut into the ground and past backward point for four to get off the mark. Sri Lanka are dealing exclusively in boundaries for now.
The commentators, Russel Arnold and Simon Katich, think the pitch looks similar to the one for the ODI, maybe slightly more cracked. Australia won’t want to chase much more than 220.
1st over: Sri Lanka 4-0 (Nissanka 4, Madushka 0) Dwarshuis, playing his second ODI, gets some encouraging early inswing. Nissanka times the fourth ball sweetly through extra cover for the first boundary. That’s the lot.
Time for the action. Ben Dwarshuis, LFM, will open the bowling to Pathum Nissanka.
Team news: Dwarshuis and Sangha among five changes
I thought Australia would pick their provisional XI for the Champions Trophy but Andrew McDonald has decided to rest some likely starters. In all there are five changes from the first ODI: Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis and Tanveer Sangha replace Cooper Connolly, Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson.
Sri Lanka bring in Nishan Madushka for Avishka Fernando.
Sri Lanka Nissanka, Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Asalanka (c), Liyanage, Wellalage, Hasaranga, Theekshana, Malinga, Asitha Fernando.
Australia Short, Head, Fraser-McGurk, Smith (c), Inglis (wk), Maxwell, Hardie, Abbott, Dwarshuis, Zampa, Sangha.
Sri Lanka win the toss and bat
Australia will be chasing, as in the first ODI, possibly on a similarly awkward pitch
Preamble
Rob Smyth
Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the second and final ODI between Sri Lanka and Australia in Colombo.
Less than three weeks ago it looked like 10 of Australia’s World Cup-winning XI would be off to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, with David Warner the only man missing. Now there are six men standing: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and the Mitches, Starc and Marsh, have all been ruled out, and Australia find themselves having to rebuild a great team on the hoof.
This is their last official ODI before the Champions Trophy opener against England a week tomorrow. At the moment no warm-ups are scheduled, so Australia are likely to pick what Andrew McDonald thinks is their provisional XI going into the tournament.
That should mean a return for Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis, though it’s the composition of the bowling attack that is more intriguing. Adam Zampa is a sure thing; the other three or four places are up for grabs.
The bowling ability of Maxwell and Head, as well as Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Short, plus the stellar batting form of Alex Carey, gives them plenty of options both in terms of personnel and the balance of the side.
Today’s match should give us a pretty good idea of their thinking, and whether this rejigged team has the potential to add the Champions Trophy to Australia’s bulging cabinet.
