Australian skipper Aaron Finch was on Saturday adjudged Man of the Match after he struck a blistering knock of 153 runs to help his side hammer Sri Lanka by 87 runs in the 20th match of the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup clash at the Kennington Oval in London.
Put in to bat first, opener Finch not only brought up his 14th ODI ton off just 97 balls but also shared crucial partnerships of 80 and 173 runs with David Warner (26) and Steve Smith (73), respectively for the first and third wicket to help Australia post a good total of 334 for seven in their stipulated 50 overs. (Full Scorecard: ICC World Cup 2019, Australia vs Sri Lanka)
The Australian skipper finished with 153 runs off just 132 balls, including 15 boundaries and six sixes.
While picking up the Player of the Match award, Finch said that Australia were aiming to post 350-plus runs, but Sri Lanka executed superbly with the ball under pressure at the end of the innings.
“I was hitting some nice drives early, which is a good sign for my batting. It was a nice wicket. I’m working on trying to ensure my head doesn’t fall over. We thought we could get 350 plus, but Sri Lanka executed superbly under pressure at the end,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Finch as saying.
Chasing a target of 335 runs to win, openers Dimuth Karunaratne (97) and Kusal Perera (52) provided their side with a perfect start by sharing a 115-run stand for the opening wicket before the Australian bowlers produced a brilliant fightback in the second half of the innings to bundle Sri Lanka out for 247 in 45.5 overs.
Overall, Finch has notched up a total of 4,395 runs in 114 one-day internationals he played for Australia so far at an average of 40.7.
Source: Zee News