Sydney: Ben McDermott smacked 53 to top score as Australia put on 149 for nine in the opening Twenty20 clash against Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday, with leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga taking three wickets. Sri Lanka captain Dusan Shanaka won the toss and sent Australia into bat, with lively pace and bounce restricting the home team to just 21 off the opening four overs. McDermott, in the side for David Warner who is being rested ahead of Australia’s upcoming tour to Pakistan, started to wind up in the fifth over, smacking the first six of the day off Hasaranga. But the world’s number one T20 bowler worked his magic four balls later with a googly to break the opening partnership and bowl Aaron Finch for eight.
Debutant Josh Inglis joined McDermott and they began to up the ante before light rain forced a 29-minute delay. No overs were lost and when they returned McDermott, the Big Bash league’s top-scorer this season, blasted a huge six off Shanaka to pass his previous high-score of 35 in his 18th international. They reached the half-way mark at 75 for one before Sri Lanka got back in the game. Inglis (23) departed to Chamika Karunaratne and Glenn Maxwell only lasted five balls, caught for seven at deep square leg to Hasaranga going for a big hit. McDermott brought up his maiden 50 off 38 balls before the dangerous Hasaranga struck again, removing Steve Smith for nine. Karunaratne then trapped McDermott lbw for 53, with three wickets tumbling for just 17 runs.
Big-hitting Marcus Stoinis slogged an entertaining 30 off 17 balls before the impressive Binura Fernando removed him and Matthew Wade in successive balls. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins also fell cheaply as Australia lost their last eight wickets for 69 runs.