David Warner topped a splendid profit to shape for home soil with a third progressive 50 years to fire Australia to a seven-wicket triumph and a 3-0 arrangement clear of Sri Lanka in Melbourne on Friday. Having had a hopeless Ashes in England, the hard-hitting lefthander proceeded with his spring-time renaissance with an unbeaten 57 as Australia traveled past Sri Lanka’s unassuming aggregate of 142 for six in 17.4 overs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It was David Warner’s third unbeaten thump of the uneven arrangement, having scored 100 in the opener in Adelaide and 60 at the Gabba on Wednesday.
Openers Finch and David Warner were both dropped early in the run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and they made the visitors pay, putting on 69 for the first wicket.
Finch hit three big sixes before falling for 37, caught by Shehan Jayasuriya off Lahiru Kumara.
That brought Steve Smith to the crease, but he only lasted nine balls, caught in the deep for 13.
David Warner, who scored an unbeaten 100 and 60 not out in the opening two games, was heard on the pitch microphone saying he was struggling with his rhythm.
But he still produced the goods, bringing up his 50 off 44 balls to end the match unbeaten on 57, aided by Ashton Turner who chipped in with 22 as Australia reached 145 for three with 14 balls to spare.
Australia have set a target of being the number one T20 side by the time the World Cup is played on home soil in a year’s time, and their whitewash of Sri Lanka is set to propel them above South Africa and into third place.
An even bigger test starts on Sunday, when they face top-ranked Pakistan in the first of three T20s.
“We haven’t been up to our standards. We haven’t performed at our best and if we don’t, we will end up like this,” said Sri Lanka opener Niroshan Dickwella. “We learnt a lot in this series, but we couldn’t even compete properly.”
Finch won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat and it didn’t start well for the visitors.
Dickwella, elevated to opener after Danushka Gunathilaka was dropped, was out first ball.
Kusal Mendis and Perera showed some aggression, slapping a handful of boundaries, before Kane Richardson tempted Mendis into another big shot and he was caught at deep square for 13.
David Warner whipped Nuwan Pradeep off his cushions for four to raise the triumphant runs, a fitting completion to his first global arrangement at home since serving a year boycott for ball-altering.
“On an individual front, it’s great to turn out over here and produce a few runs,” Warner said in the wake of getting both the player-of-the-match and player-of-the-arrangement grants.
“It’s great to get out in the center and hit some out of the center. Ideally I can keep proceeding with this structure over summer.”
David Warner completed the arrangement with 217 runs at a stratospheric normal of 147.00 and now heads into the following three-coordinate T20 competition against Pakistan in inauspicious structure.
Kept to insignificant sums of 99 and 117 in the opening two matches, Sri Lanka’s batsmen had a somewhat better appearing in Melbourne, with Kusal Perera overseeing 57 off 45 balls.
In any case, with lead Mitchell Starc back in the home side in the wake of missing the Gabba match to go to a family wedding, Australia’s pacemen were again prevailing.
Starc and individual quicks Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson got two wickets each and bowled tight lines all through to keep the Sri Lankan batsmen repressed.
Sri Lanka completed the arrangement with just six wickets from the three matches.
Sri Lanka’s quick bowling chief Lasith Malinga neglected to go up to the post-coordinate introduction, raising theory of damage.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella went to the introduction in his place and played down his nonattendance.
“I suspect as much, I might suspect he should be in the changing area,” Dickwella said when asked whether Malinga was okay.
“From the game one we didn’t perform to our best, so we end up like this …. Certainly we took in a great deal in this arrangement.”
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