Warner stars as Australia beat Sri Lanka by 134 runs in first T20I
Australia have beaten Sri Lanka by a mammoth 134 runs in the first match of the T20I series at Adelaide.
Batting first, Australia scored 233 as David Warner hit a sublime maiden hundred, with Glenn Maxwell and captain Aaron Finch scoring blistering fifties. In reply, Sri Lanka never got a grip of the game as they managed to score only 99 in their quota of 20 overs. This is Australia's biggest victory and Sri Lanka's biggest defeat in the shortest format.
Winning the toss, Sri Lankan skipper Lasith Malinga invited Australia to bat first. Finch and Warner took the Aussies to a sizzling start as they put up a 122-run stand within the 11th over before Finch was dismissed by Lakshan Sandakan. Coming in at No.3, Maxwell started from where his skipper left. Warner at the other end also continued to wreak havoc on the bowlers and picked up his hundred in the last delivery of the Aussie innings. Maxwell, before getting out to Dasun Shanaka in the last over, scored a scintillating 62 off 28 deliveries. Australia ended up on 233, setting a gigantic target for the touring Lankans.
In reply, the visitors never got a grip on the game as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Mitchell Starc picked up Kusal Mendis in the very first over before Pat Cummins struck twice in the fourth over to reduce Sri Lanka to 13-3. Kushal Perera and Oshada Fernando put up a partnership of 33 runs before Ashton Agar went through Fernando's defences in the 10th over. Starc picked up his second wicket in the next over as he clattered Kushal Perera's stumps. Adam Zampa then ran through the Sri Lankan lower order with three wickets, and the other wicket was of Wanindu Hasaranga who was run out. Sri Lanka managed to not get all out, but they also failed to reach 100.
David Warner was adjudged Man of the match for his century off 56 balls.
The next match between the two sides is on the 30th of October at Brisbane.
