Sri Lanka (Overs 41-50)
Dan Christian’s medium pace with a modicum of swing and seam had singularly failed to impress the Lankan top and middle order – Chandimal in particular showing what he thought of the bowler’s tame offerings by whacking him back over his head for a straight six at the start of Christian’s first spell. But what was fodder for top batsmen proved lethal for the lower middle order, with Christian pulling off a hat trick in the...
more Sri Lanka (Overs 41-50)
Dan Christian’s medium pace with a modicum of swing and seam had singularly failed to impress the Lankan top and middle order – Chandimal in particular showing what he thought of the bowler’s tame offerings by whacking him back over his head for a straight six at the start of Christian’s first spell. But what was fodder for top batsmen proved lethal for the lower middle order, with Christian pulling off a hat trick in the 44th over that put paid to Lanka’s hopes of a late charge.
It started with Michael Hussey pulling off the kind of catch top international teams practice these days: he settled nicely under a towering hit by Thisara Perera, caught it clean, tossed it up, stepped across the line and back in again to complete the catch. The full length and late swing accounted for the next two wickets – both Sachithra Senanayake and Nuwan Kulasekara making the mistake of trying to play across their pads to lengths too full, and getting nailed in front.
At the start of that over, Lanka was 204/5 and everything was possible; at the end of the 44th, the batting side was 206 for 8 and the wheels had come fully off the wagon.
Christian, still over the moon, then wrote the perfect end to his personal script when with the final ball of the innings he bowled Malinga with another straight, full ball that the batsman attempted to play across the line to. Lanka ended with a sub-par 238 – sub-par on what is a good batting track.
less 
vs. 
SAENG
vs. 
AUSSL
NZENG
