Australia Eyes Bounces Back in 2nd Twenty20

Pallekele: Cameron White and Australia must lift their game to contain Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka.

Australia went down by 35 runs in Saturday's first match in Pallekele.

Sri Lanka captain Dilshan was the architect of that downfall, bringing the innovative 'dil-scoop' out of hibernation on his way to an unbeaten 104.

The trademark shot, in which Dilshan flicks the ball directly over the wicketkeeper, yielded two of 12 boundaries from the opener, as the hosts posted 3-198 for their 20 overs in Kandy.

And Sri Lanka apparently have interim coach Rumesh Ratnayake to thank for the reintroduction of the stroke.

"I haven't practiced the 'dil-scoop' for the past one-and-a-half years but yesterday we had a chat with Rumesh and he asked why I wasn't playing it," Dilshan said.

I had the confidence to play it. It worked and I think after I played the 'dil-scoop' they changed the field and I feel more easy to score more runs in other areas.

Australia could only muster 163 in reply, with David Warner's 53 the top score by some distance.

In fact, only the counter-attacking of Mitchell Johnson and Steve O'Keefe spared Australia from an even heavier defeat.

The lower-order pair made 22 runs each, helping the tourists recover from 7-105 after the loss of Warner for the seventh wicket.

Cameron White's struggle for form continues, the captain made just seven in his third T20 in charge and will be looking for improvement from all quarters when the second and final match gets underway on Monday.

Australia picked up just three wickets, with Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson and veteran Brett Lee all claiming one apiece.

Spinners Steve O'Keefe and Steve Smith finished empty handed, but were only employed for three and two overs respectively by White, an unusual decision on what is traditionally a turning pitch.

The pair proved more economical than the seamers, with Johnson (1-75 from four overs) and John Hastings (0-34 from three overs) particularly expensive.

Sri Lanka meanwhile will be confident of securing a series-clinching victory - they are now unbeaten in their last four T20 internationals, stretching back to a win over New Zealand in May 2010.

Dilruwan Perera (3-26) and Rangana Herath (1-11) gave White a lesson in effective use of slow bowlers.

And while Dilshan's knock was the match winner, no Sri Lanka batsman failed to score less than 11.

Indeed, Kumar Sangakkara added a useful 30, and Jeevan Mendis finished unbeaten on 29.

It will be up to Australia to make life more difficult for Sri Lanka at the crease on Monday, while demanding an improved performance of their own with bat in hand.

Teams from

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dilruwan Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Suran Randiv, Ajanta Mendis, Thissara Parera, RMS Eranga, Chamara Silva.

Australia: Cameron White (capt), David Warner, Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Steve O'Keefe, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, James Pattinson, Aaron Finch, John Hastings.

Pitch and conditions
The surface for the first match confused the Australians somewhat by offering some bounce but also plenty of spin, a combination the Sri Lankans were far quicker to adjust to. Match two will be played on a similarly equal-opportunity surface.

Stats and trivia

• Tillakaratne Dilshan's century was the fifth in T20 internationals.
• Dinesh Chandimal was the fifth batsman to be out hit wicket in T20I matches.
• Sri Lanka had not previously won a T20I at home, losing their first four such fixtures.
• Dilruwan Perera achieved the rare feat of taking wickets in each of his first three overs in international cricket.

Match facts
Monday August 08, 2011 (day/night)
Start time 19:00 (13:30 GMT, 23:30 EST)