There was no rain , there were no interruptions instead there was excitement till the last over. The Sri Lankan Lions pulled off an amazing victory against the Aussies last night and booked their place in the CB series finals, dissing India who had to take an early flight home.
It was truly an amazing performance by the Lions who defended 238 runs with immense valor and spirit. Sanga and Chandimal played superbly to get the team back on track after two early losses. Chandiimal was simply brilliant and is a truly a legend in the making.Sanga was sedate at first but was awesome as usual . The late surge by Lahiru Thirimanne was also special and his part timers got rid of " Mr. Cricket" Micheal Hussey which started the road for victory.
Malinga woke up from his slumber and though he was a total disaster against the Indians in the previous game, he showed his worth in this one. That ball which got rid of Shane Watson was a total beauty and his 49th over where he flummoxed Xavier Doherty with a slower ball was simply brilliant. Kulasekera was super , so was the spinners Herath and Senanayaka. Captain Mahela led the team brilliantly and the fielding led by Dilshan was awesome. It was a clinical performance by the whole team and are deservedly in the finals much to the happiness of all Sri Lankans all over the World.
Looking Ahead to the Finals
So it is finals time and the first one will be played tomorrow (04th Match , Sunday ) at the Gabba in Brisbane. Sri Lanka have never beaten the Aussies at this ground which offers a bit of pace and bounce. Yet, the Lions did beat the Indians here last time out so our boys know how to win there. Winning the toss would be crucial since chasing at the Gabba has proved to be difficult. Yet , the Lions have beaten the Aussies 3 time out of 4 outings in this tournament; so the confidence should be sky high.
The bad news is that Thisara is not playing after getting injured in the last match. Yet, Maharoof is back and so is Mathews after an injury scare. It is a best of 3 finale and if we in Gabba, there is a great chance for us to win the series since the next matches will be at Adelaide which is not a bad ground for us.
Overall , it is definitely going to be super finale. The Aussies will surely be back with vengeance and will get Micheal Clarke back as captain after Watson led them in the final two group matches. Yet again, they will be playing the Lions who have been consistent all throughout the tournament and had just one blemish as a bowling unit during that horrendous Hobart night.
The confidence is back , the team spirit has always been there and the performance has never been better. Let us Wish our Sri Lankan Lions All the Best in the finals and hope they can win it all and win a ODI series in Australia for the first time in 9 attempts.
Go and Get them Boys !!
Cheers !!
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