Sri Lanka vs Australia Live Score, 1st ODI

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, A yard fuller than a good length, around off, Cooper Connolly plays it on the rise and punches it wide of cover for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, Going across off on a length, Cooper Connolly watches it closely and lets it through.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, A late inswinger on the stumps, full in length. Cooper Connolly goes for a drive but inside edges it onto the back pad to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, Full and on the pads, Cooper Connolly misses the tickle and wears it on the pads.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, This goes the other way, on a good length, pushed across the left-hander, Cooper Connolly goes chasing at the delivery and fails to connect.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, FIVE WIDES! Asitha Fernando goes full in search of swing but sprays it down leg, Cooper Connolly tries to help it away but misses. The keeper Kusal Mendis dives to his right but only manages to get fingertips to it as the ball races away for a boundary.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, Fuller in length, on off, Cooper Connolly presses forward and pushes it to mid off.

Eshan Malinga to Steven Smith, Short of a length, on off, Steven Smith stays low with the bounce and defends it out on the off side.

Eshan Malinga to Steven Smith, Beaten! In the channel on off, on a good length, Steven Smith hangs back to keep it out with a straight bat. Gets beaten on the outside edge as the ball goes away off the deck.

Eshan Malinga to Steven Smith, Lands it on a hard length, on off, Steven Smith gets on top of it and blocks it out.

Eshan Malinga to Steven Smith, FOUR! Streaky! Short and wide on off, Steven Smith reaches out for the cut but the ball stays low and catches the under edge. Beats the keeper to his left for a boundary.

Eshan Malinga to Cooper Connolly, On a back of a length, around off, Cooper Connolly steers it down to deep third for a single.

Eshan Malinga to Cooper Connolly, Going across the batter, on a nagging length, Cooper Connolly slashes but misses.

Asitha Fernando to Steven Smith, Shaping away, in the channel on off, on a good length, Steven Smith shoulders arms.

Asitha Fernando to Steven Smith, Pitched up, full and on off, Steven Smith eases the drive to cover.

Skipper Steven Smith strides out to the middle with Australia in a bit of an early trouble.

Asitha Fernando to Jake Fraser-McGurk, OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Sharp return catch from Asitha and this is an ideal start for Sri Lanka! On a short of a good length, on middle, Jake Fraser-McGurk is on the charge again and tries to adjust to the length and line of the ball. Closes the bat's face and tries to turn it away on the leg side. The ball seams away off the deck to catch the leading edge and it goes back towards the bowler. Asitha reacts quickly as he slides forward to grab it near his knees.

Asitha Fernando to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Fuller and outside off, at 136 kph, Jake Fraser-McGurk takes a step down the track and flays at the delivery but misses.

Asitha Fernando to Jake Fraser-McGurk, On a back of a length, on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk dabs it towards point.

Asitha Fernando to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Edged but it falls short! Just around the off stump line, on a good length, Jake Fraser-McGurk tries to hit on the up from the crease but the ball nips away to catch the outside edge. It drops short of the diving second slip fielder.

Eshan Malinga to Cooper Connolly, FOUR LEG BYES! Malinga slips onto the pads, on the fuller side, Cooper Connolly tries to help it away but misses. The ball brushes his pads and beats the diving keeper to his right for a boundary.

Eshan Malinga to Cooper Connolly, Hurls it on a back of a length, on off, Cooper Connolly stands tall to stab it down but the ball catches the inner half of the bat and rolls away in front of mid-wicket.

Eshan Malinga to Jake Fraser-McGurk, On a back of a length, on middle and leg, Jake Fraser-McGurk nudges it wide of mid-wicket for a single.

Eshan Malinga to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Bangs it in short on seeing the batter give him the charge, over off and middle, Jake Fraser-McGurk has a swing at it but misses.

Eshan Malinga to Jake Fraser-McGurk, This is on a hard length, on off, Jake Fraser-McGurk pats it to cover.

Eshan Malinga to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Swing and a miss! At 129 kph, on a nagging length, outside off, Jake Fraser-McGurk takes a couple of steps down the track and has a swing across the line but connects nothing.

Eshan Malinga to operate from the far end.

Asitha Fernando to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Attacking the stumps, on a length, Jake Fraser-McGurk walks across his stumps and tucks it wide of mid on for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, Almost chopped it back onto the stumps! On a good length, outside off, Cooper Connolly tries to force it through the off side and does not move his feet at all. The ball comes back in just enough to catch the inside edge and it sneaks past the stumps. It goes down to deep fine leg for a single. Cooper is underway as are Australia with this single!

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, Very full, outside off, Cooper Connolly digs it out on the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Cooper Connolly, Play and a miss! Asitha serves it fuller in length, around off, Cooper Connolly goes for the drive as he gets on the front foot but the ball nips back to cut him in half and beat him on the inside edge.

Out walks the 21-year-old Cooper Connolly at number 3.

Asitha Fernando to Matthew Short, OUT! A massive shout for LBW and the finger is raised! Matthew Short has a word with JFM and decides not to take the review. Sri Lanka have the early wicket they were after. Asitha lands it on a good length, on middle, Matthew Short looks to flick it away as the ball angles into him. It straightens after pitching and squares Short up. Goes past the outside edge and catches Short on the back pad. The height looked the most important factor there but the Ball Tracking shows that it would have turned out to be three reds with the ball crashing into the leg stump, so, a wise decision not to review but Australia lose Short for a duck.

Asitha Fernando to Matthew Short, Beats the bat straight away! Bangs it on a hard length from over the wicket, Matthew Short tries to stand and deliver off the back foot but the ball does not rise as much as he expected it to. Goes under the bat on its way to the keeper.

Welcome back for Australia's response with the bat! The umpires and players are out to the middle. Sri Lankan players spread out to their respective fielding positions. Out walks the Australian opening pair of Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Asitha Fernando has the new ball and will kickoff the Sri Lankan defence with a couple of slips in place. Short to face and off we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Well then, we have seen some remarkable resistance from Sri Lanka's skipper when the rest of the batters faltered. But now, it is time for the bowlers to step up and perform. Since it is a day game, the pitch will slow down further and that's where the Sri Lankan spinners could come handy. But if Sri Lanka are to win this game, they will have to snag all ten wickets of this potent Australian batting unit that bats deep. Stick around, as the run chase is up next shortly.

Nathan Ellis is up for a quick chat and says that he is feeling good and went in not knowing what the wicket would be like. Adds that it is a good performance nonetheless. Says that a lot of boys came in from the Big Bash League into these hot conditions, so adapting was key. Mentions that at the start if you said 214 on the board, they would have taken it with both hands. Adds that the ball nipped around in the first 10 overs. Hopefully, the boys will go out there and do the job. When asked about spin, he said that it is not sure how much of a role spin will play and concludes by saying that Short and Adam Zampa bowled well.

Asalanka, proved to be a crisis man for Sri Lanka. He first faced the dual responsibility of scoring runs and guiding the tailenders. With partners falling around him, Asalanka stood firm, ensuring his side surpassed a significant milestone and also reached a century of his own. Eshan Malinga's modest contribution proved a valuable foil to his captain. In order to avoid the risk of being bowled out before the allotted overs, Asalanka protected the tail and consistently found boundaries once he had settled in. But once he fell, Australia went for the kill, but not before Sri Lanka crossed over the 200-run mark.

Amidst a challenging situation, Charith Asalanka's experience shone through as he strategically found boundaries while keeping the score moving. Dunith Wellalage offered valuable support, skillfully maneuvering the ball to sustain their partnership. Just as Asalanka and Wellalage found their rhythm, adeptly handling the spinners through the middle overs, the innings faced further setbacks. Wickets fell consistently at the other end, but Asalanka remained steadfast.

Sri Lanka's technical frailties proved contagious, with static feet leading to a procession of edges - batters repeatedly fishing outside off with their feet stuck in crease. It was a dream day for Australia's makeshift pace attack. Despite missing their frontline pacers to injury, the understudies stepped up brilliantly. Abbott and Ellis, though relatively experienced, also looked right at home with accurate lines and lengths. 

After the early carnage, Asalanka and Liyanage shouldered the rescue mission, but runs came at a crawl against Australia's stranglehold. Steven Smith kept the pressure cooker on with tight fields, forcing the Lankan pair to scrap for every run. Just when their partnership threatened to shift momentum, Sean Abbott shattered the resistance, leaving Sri Lanka back at square one.

On a bone-dry surface that promised little, Australia's pacers crafted a masterclass in new ball bowling. Spencer Johnson and Aaron Hardie exploited whatever movement was on offer, while Sri Lanka's batters struggled with their footwork. By the time the dust settled, the scoreboard read a worrying 39/4 inside the first Powerplay. The decimation of the top order, including key men Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, left Sri Lanka staring down the barrel early in the piece.

From losing half of their side on a meager score of 55, Sri Lanka have ended their innings with a total of 214 on the board. Yes, they will be disappointed that they couldn't bat for the allotted overs, but this innings potentially could've been wrapped up way before had Charith Asalanka not stepped up and mounted a strong resistance with the bat. Also, as per the on-air commentators, Sri Lanka might feel they left 15-20 runs than the par score here and could have gone past that had they played the remaining overs.

Sean Abbott to Asitha Fernando, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Two in the over for Sean Abbott as Australia finally wrap up the innings! Bowls it on a back of a length, on off and middle, Asitha Fernando stays leg side of the ball and does not get behind the line of the ball. Opts to defend it down with a straight bat but the ball moves away just enough to catch the outside edge. The keeper Alex Carey snaffles it to his right. Sri Lanka have been bowled out for 214!

Sean Abbott to Asitha Fernando, In the channel on off, on a good length, Asitha Fernando lets it be.

Sean Abbott to Asitha Fernando, Leg-cutter, on a back of a length, deviating away from the right-hander, Asitha Fernando looks to dab it down but misses.

Asitha Fernando is the last man.

Sean Abbott to Charith Asalanka, OUT! IN THE AIR AND CAUGHT! Finally, finally Australia get the better of Charith Asalanka! But he has played a gem of a knock for his country, scoring more than half of the runs in the total. A good gesture from all the Aussie players as they run towards the Sri Lankan skipper to appreciate his inning under immense pressure. Sean Abbott bowls it from around the stumps and dishes out a low full toss on off, Charith Asalanka bends low and tries to aerially flick it behind deep mid-wicket. But the bat turns in his hands at the point of contact and hence, he doesn't get the requisite distance. The ball sails straight down the throat of Jake Fraser-McGurk stationed at deep mid-wicket. Charith Asalanka departs for a fabulous 127 (126).

Sean Abbott to Charith Asalanka, On the pads, full in length, flicked down to widish long on. No single taken.