Post match presentation:

Kusal Mendis is Player of the Match:

I am very happy today. First couple of overs we had to play the new ball and Nishan (Madushka) batted well and supported me. I played well at the death. This track was a little slow and turned, we batted well, myself and Charith and Nishan batted well and handed the pitch well. Charith (Asalanka) batted well after the 30th over. I enjoyed his batting!”

Steve Smith, Australia captain:

We have been outplayed in these last two games. We keep moving forward, all credit to Sri Lanka. They played well on these surfaces and I thought their bowlers did exceptionally well. These wickets skidded more than the Test wickets. It has been a fun time here in Sri Lanka, some great memories made in the last few weeks.”

Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka captain:

There is no mantra. I just wanted to score big totals and get three-four wickets from each man. Clearly the pitch had lower bounce today than the last game and no seam movement. But it was a good pitch. Kusal Mendis and Nishan Madushka set the platform for us. Australia also bowled well but today is our day.

When I go out to bat, I don’t think about captaincy. I am a No. 5 batter for the team. It is disappointing to miss out on the Champions Trophy but we don’t need to look back and think too much, we should not repeat the mistakes and look forward.”

So Australia lose the series 2-0 and head to Pakistan with bruised egos and plenty of things to ponder. They are missing some big name players and looked very vulnerable against spin.

Arf!

Fantastic bowling from Sri Lanka. Seamer Asitha Fernando got the early wickets of Head, Short and Fraser-McGurk to pick up figures of 3-23 before Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage combined to spin out the rest of Australia’s batting card in emphatic fashion. Picking up 7-58 between them.

Sri Lanka win by 174 runs!

24th over: Australia 105-9 (Zampa 6, Sangha 5) Asitha Fernando should also get plenty of credit for his three wickets at the top of the order. He laid the foundation for the collapse with his clever use of cutters and pace off deliveries.

23rd over: Australia 101-9 (Zampa 5, Sangha 2) Wellalage can’t find the coup de grace so on we go. Sangha nudges a single.

22nd over: Australia 100-9 (Zampa 5, Sangha 1) Zampa heaves across the line to pick up four runs. Australia were 79-3 when the collapse started. They now bring up their hundred… nine wickets down.

21st over: Australia 94-9 (Zampa 0, Sangha 0) Tanveer Sangha is Australia’s last batter. The visitors have been obliterated in this run chase.

WICKET! Dwarshuis c Malinga b Wellalage 9 (Australia 94-9)

20th over: Australia 86-8 (Dwarshuis 1, Zampa 0) Adam Zampa is in to play the innings of his life…Hasaranga tries to sneak to googly through but his fellow leggie defends stoutly to see out the over. Another wicket maiden. The Aussies are scorched earth in Colombo.

WICKET! Abbott lbw b Hasaranga (Australia 86-8)

19th over: Australia 86-7 (Abbott 2, Dwarshuis 1) Wellalage with his dander well and truly up – he nearly gets Abbott with a top spinner that gets big on Abbott, the cut shot falling short of backward point.

18th over: Australia 83-7 (Abbott 0, Dwarshuis 0) Ben Dwarshuis defends the hat-trick ball – a googly from Hasaranga. What a passage of spin bowling this has been from the home side.

Sri Lanka take four wickets in 16 balls to reduce Australia to batting fumes.

WICKET! Smith lbw b Hasaranga 29 (Australia 83-7)

17th over: Australia 80-6 (Smith 29, Abbott 0) Crikey! Wellalage nearly gets Sean Abbott first ball with one that skids on. Sri Lanka going for the kill in Colombo.

WICKET! Maxwell b Wellalage 1 (Australia 83-6)

16th over: Australia 80-5 (Smith 27, Maxwell 0) Here’s Glenn Maxwell. Stand by your beds! That was a sharp catch by Kamindu to get rid of Hardie. Sri Lanka have been very impressive in this bowling innings.

WICKET! Hardie c Kamindu Mendis b Hasaranga 0 (Australia 80-5)

15th over: Australia 79-4 (Smith 26, Hardie 0) Aaron Hardie is the new batter, a lot of pressure on Smith to anchor now. Australia still have Maxwell to come but are still over 200 adrift.

WICKET! Inglis b Wellalage 22 (Australia 79-4)

14th over: Australia 72-3 (Smith 23, Inglis 18) Sri Lanka can’t believe they haven’t got Inglis there and rightly so, that is a huge moment in this game with the partnership building between Smith and Inglis. With every further replay It looks like his foot was on the line but with nothing behind it.

Josh Inglis gets away with one! Hasaranga slides one past him and Kusal Mendis whips off the bails. The side on replays show that the batter has his foot on the line and nothing behind it at the key moment but Chris Gaffaney sees it differently in the third umpire’s chair and decides it is NOT OUT. I don’t think that is the correct decision. Has Gaffaney pressed the wrong button there?

13th over: Australia 67-3 (Smith 22, Inglis 14) Inglis flicks wristily to get four off Malinga and then guides to deep third for a single. He’s timing them well. Mockers alert! Smith repeats the shot to keep strike for the next over.

12th over: Australia 61-3 (Smith 21, Inglis 9) Decent battle between the batters and Hasaranga! Inglis drives a full ball away for four but after a single is partner is beaten by a beauty on the final ball as Hasaranga turns one past the edge.

11th over: Australia 54-3 (Smith 19, Inglis 4) Malinga is bowling a mix of cross seam and off cutter deliveries – he nearly gets the wicket of Smith with one that sticks in the pitch that the Aussie captain nearly plinks to mid off. Malinga gets it wrong and tosses down a no ball above waist height, Smith gets down on one knee to lash the free hit away over the in-field for four. Fifty up for Australia.

10th over: Australia 48-3 (Smith 15, Inglis 3) Shot! Smith whips Wellalage through midwicket for four and then follows up with a SIX lofted down the ground, using his feet well to trot out of his crease and get under a length ball. The bowler responds with three dot balls to see out the over.

9th over: Australia 38-3 (Smith 5, Inglis 3) Eshan Malinga into the attack and the seamer continues the theme of varying the pace, three runs off his first over as Australia look to re-build their innings.

8th over: Australia 35-3 (Smith 4, Inglis 2) Bowling change for Sri Lanka as Dunith Wellalage comes into the attack. It’s a good one to start with by the left arm spinner, landing it on a postage stamp and just a single off the over to Inglis.

7th over: Australia 34-3 (Smith 4, Inglis 1) Josh Inglis joins Smith in the middle, he gets off the mark with a scampered single dropped into the off side.

WICKET! Head c sub (WIA Fernando) b AM Fernando 18 (Australia 33-3)

6th over: Australia 33-2 (Head 18, Smith 4) Head drives into the covers and takes a single. Theekshana floats down a full toss and Smith bunts it through cover for four to get off the mark. The bowler tightens up and targets the front pad, Smith defends cautiously.

5th over: Australia 28-2 (Head 17, Smith 0) Here comes Steve Smith.

WICKET! Fraser-McGurk c Asalanka b Asitha Fernando 9 (Australia 28-2)

4th over: Australia 24-1 (Head 17, Fraser-McGurk 5) Theekshana sends down a testing over that sees Fraser-McGurk get a thick outside edge playing away from his body, the edge is DROPPED by the keeper though. It was a tough chance stood up as the deviation was big. Head clips for three behind square and JFM collects a single down the ground.

3rd over: Australia 20-1 (Head 14, Fraser-McGurk 4) Fraser-McGurk joins Head in the middle. He could do with a score… and that’ll help – he times his first ball sweetly off his pads through square leg for four.

WICKET! Short lbw b AM Fernando 2 (Australia 16-1)

Short stands tall and crunches a drive but straight to mid off. He then attempts a gigantic moose across the line and misses – this looks very OUT! He’s reviewed because the umpire has raised the finger…

2nd over: Australia 16-0 (Head 14, Short 2) Maheesh Theekshana from the other end and the spinner launches into a huge appeal straight away as he thinks he’s pinned Head LBW! The umpire says not out and the bowler calls for a review immediately… am I missing something here? No. It pitched outside leg and Sri Lanka burn a review. That’s the Head fear factor creeping in I think. The home side know they have to pick him up cheaply.

1st over: Australia 14-0 (Head 13, Short 1) Travis Head and Matt Short open up for the Aussies. Asitha Fernando takes the new ball for Sri Lanka and has two slips in place. Will there be any movement early doors? Nope! It looks gun barrel straight out there and Travis Head looks in sparkling nick as he plunders three boundaries off the first over! A slap through point is followed by two meaty bunts down the ground. Australia off to a flier!