Dasun Shanaka thanks teams and fans for Sri Lanka's comeback win over Australia

Sri Lanka white-ball skipper Dasun Shanaka said that the win in the last T20I game set the tone for the ODIs after winning the five-match ODI series by 3-2

The visitors bowled out the hosts for 160, courtesy of a fighting knock of Chamika Karunaratne, which proved to be a  potentially tricky total on a spin-friendly Colombo pitch which the tourists overhauled with 10.3 overs to spare. Alex Carey was the architect of the win with an unbeaten 45-run inning.

In the post-match presentation, the Sri Lankan captain said he was disappointed not to win the final ODI. However, Shanka felt that his side took the momentum from the final T20I of the three-match T20I series in which Shanaka was named the player of the match.

“It (today’s loss) is disappointing, but we need to keep pushing the boundaries; glad about the way the guys performed in the series. We took the momentum from the last T20 game, which set the tone. I think we could have won the first ODI as well. But, our batters kept performing, and our bowlers also delivered,” said Dasun Shanaka in a post-match presentation.

Shanaka was happy with the way his teammates took the responsibility, and he was delighted to see the player of the series- Kusal Mendis getting his form back. In the end, the Lankan all-rounder thanked the crowd for their support and the board and ground staff for their services in conducting the series.

“Everyone took the responsibility; good to see (Kusal) Mendis back in form. Also, the other players, it is a team effort. We need to keep playing like this. The crowd has been amazing, and it has been a full house; they were always behind us. They kept believing in us, and we must deliver more in the future. I would like to thank the cricket boards and the ground staff as well,” he added.

Australia settled for a consolation win in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka, recording a four-wicket win at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday. Chasing a target of 161 in the dead rubber, the tourists made life difficult for themselves before getting home with 63 deliveries to spare. 

Sri Lanka fought well, having reduced Australia to 50 for four, but wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey with an unbeaten 45, helped his team over the line. The left-handed batter added 61 runs for the fifth wicket with Marnus Labuschagne and then finished it off, adding a further 43 runs for the seventh wicket with all-rounder Cameron Green, who remained unbeaten on 25.