Summary
- Sri Lanka won the 4th ODI on June 21 by 4 runs
- This win helped Sri Lanka win the ODI series
- Australia will look to bounce back in the 5th ODI
Australia ended up winning the three match T20 series in Sri Lanka and it looked like the Aussies were going to have an easy series in the small island nation that is going through turbulent financial times.
Australia also started the 5 match ODI series on a positive note after winning the first ODI. Sri Lanka surprised their fans as they bounced back in the second ODI with a little assistance from the weather gods and evened the series 1-1.
The Lankans picked up confidence from their win and won the third ODI more impressively as they registered a 6 wicket win. Australia had to win the 4th ODI on June 21 to keep the series alive but failed to do so as the Lankans fought hard and won by 4 runs to secure the ODI series 3-1. The fifth and final ODI is set to take place on June 24 and will be a dead rubber.
However it will be an important match for both sides as Sri Lanka will want to keep its winning momentum going and finish the series 4-1. The Aussies will want to salvage some pride and get a win over Lanka as it will get them in the right frame of mind as they enter a 2 match test series against Sri Lanka right after the ODI series is over.
Sri Lankan cricket has suffered over the last few years because they have struggled to click as a team. Politics, injuries and a number of senior players retiring left a big hole in Sri Lankan cricket that made them very beatable in all formats of the game.
Sri Lanka have showed in the ODI series against Australia that they are finally starting to play as a team and not rely just on individual performances. Some of the players that have put their hands up during the ODI series include Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva and Chamika Karunaratne.
Once the ODI series is finished, both teams will not have a lot of time to rest as the first test will start on June 29.
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