Sri Lanka pips Aussies in rain-marred thriller to win T20 series

Tuesday, 29 January 2013 00:47 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

(Reuters) - Sri Lanka prevailed in a rain-hit thriller to clinch the second and final Twenty20 international against Australia and seal the series 2-0 on Monday.

Glenn Maxwell hit two successive boundaries to bring Australia agonisingly close to their target but could not make contact with the last delivery sent down by Thisara Perera as Sri Lanka eked out a narrow victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Put into bat, Mahela Jayawardene (61 not out) featured in fifty-plus partnerships with Jeevan Mendis (25) and Perera (35 not out) to help Sri Lanka overcome a slow start and post 161-4 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia lost both their openers cheaply but captain George Bailey (45) and Shaun Marsh (47 not out) guided them to 60-2 in 10 overs before rain led to the loss of five overs’ play.

Australia were required to score 122 runs from 15 overs under the revised target and 18 runs from the last over from Perera, who removed Bailey with the second ball and followed it with a waist-high full toss which was adjudged a no-ball.

Marsh managed a single off the next delivery and watched from the other end as Maxwell hit two straight boundaries to raise hopes of a memorable victory before failing to put bat to the ball at the death.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.