Australia Restrict Sri Lanka to 117 in 2nd T20

Brisbane, Oct 30 (AFP) Kusal Perera top-scored with 27 as tight bowling from Australia restricted Sri Lanka to just 117 off 19 overs Wednesday in the second Twenty20 in Brisbane.

The home team emphatically won the first of the three-match series in Adelaide on Sunday, thrashing the visitors by 134 runs, with David Warner smashing a century.

It was Australia's biggest-ever win in the format and Sri Lanka's heaviest T20 defeat, with skipper Lasith Malinga urging his team to show character at the Gabba and bounce back.

But two wickets from the towering Billy Stanlake, in for Mitchell Starc who was attending his brother's wedding, and a brace each for Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins kept them in check.

Australia got an early breakthrough in the second over when Kusal Mendis was run out after a mix-up with Danushka Gunathilaka, who called for a run after hitting the ball then didn't move.

He attempted to make amends by opening his bat, clubbing a huge six off Stanlake, before his luck ran out and he was clean-bowled by the lanky paceman for 21. Spinner Agar then enticed rising star Avishka Fernando into a big hit when on 17 and he skied it straight to Cummins, who took a difficult catch.

When Niroshan Dickwella fell to Cummins for five, Sri Lanka began to crumble. Perera chopped onto his stumps on 27 and Dasun Shanaka went for just one, feathering a catch to wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Stanlake.

It left them in deep trouble at 75 for six after 11.2 overs and the wickets kept tumbling as Australia tightened the screws.

Defeat in Adelaide was a tough pill to swallow for Sri Lanka, who arrived in Australia on the back of a 3-0 series win with a second-string side against Pakistan. After Brisbane, Australia face Sri Lanka in Melbourne on Friday before Pakistan arrive for T20s in Sydney, Canberra and Perth. AFP

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