Live Cricket Score of Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st T20I at Pallekele

Live Score Updates

Australia 263/3 (20.0 Ovs)

Maxwell 145 (65)

Lakmal 4-0-51-0

Innings Break

Maxwell, who was left out of the ODI squad, has made a stunning comeback into the Australian set-up by smacking a 49-ball hundred. He played shots in a 360-degree arc to leave the opposition bruised and battered. He even used a stream of reverse sweeps against both seamers and spinners alike to put the opposition under immense pressure. Can he break Aaron Finch's record of highest individual score in T20Is? With four overs to go, he has a chance.

'The Big Show' touches great heights

It continued to rain fours and sixes from Maxwell's bat. Anything that was slightly fuller in length, the 'Big Show' just tonked it for sixes. He did offer a couple of chances to the boundary rider at mid wicket, but the fielder couldn't balance himself and get the ball back into play. Khawaja, though, in an attempt to up the ante, lost his wicket to Pathirana. This turned out to be Pathirana's first scalp in T20Is.

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Maxwell smacks entertaining fifty

Just when it felt as if Glenn Maxwell was looking to rotate the strike with a diet of singles and twos, the power-packed batsman reached his fifty in style with a couple of sixes. The way he made room to clobber a slower ball from Rajitha to compose a belligerent fifty just left everyone gasping for breath.

Wicket: Senanayake nails Warner

After sharing an enterprising stand of 57 for the first wicket, Warner fell to Senanayake. The left-handed opener looked in prime form as he flared briefly by cracking five boundaries. However, just in the nick of time, Senanayake beat him in flight and castled the aggressive opener. Maxwell, at the other end, continued to crack a volley of shots. The way he manufactured room and opened the bat face to collect a boundary off a yorker length ball from Thisara Perera, capsulised his ability to innovate.

Openers make flying start

The duo of Warner and Maxwell made a steady star before the latter manufactured room and thwacked Suranga Lakmal through the cover-region for a boundary. It is interesting to note that Maxwell has been sent up the order to open the batting. Warner then thumped Kasun Rajitha for four boundaries in the third over. The pitch looks flat and the tourists will fancy getting a substantial total.

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Sri Lanka win toss; opt to field

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field. The visitors picked Usman Khawaja and George Bailey, while Sri Lanka made six changes from their last ODI.

Teams:

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner(c), Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill(w), James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Scott Boland

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Sachith Pathirana, Chamara Kapugedera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha

"Brand new wicket. Been 17 T20I games here. SL have won 9. Not much grass. Few cracks. Dry. Not much movement here, gonna be hard and pacy. New ball will skid on under lights. Should be a fantastic wicket for both sides," a very comprehensive pitch

Sri Lanka look for fresh start

After being whitewashed 3-0 in the Test series, Australia showed self belief and tenacity to win the ODI series 4-1. Now, the focus shifts to the T20 format. It has to be noted that in the shortest format of the game, the visitors have struggled for consistency. To compound matters, the likes of Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn and Shaun are missing from action due to injuries.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, would look for a fresh start in the short two-match T20I series. The hosts are coming off a four-match T20I losing streak. Sri Lanka will miss the services of Angelo Mathews, as he was ruled out of both T20Is with a calf strain. Dinesh Chandimal will captain the side in his place.

In fact, Chandimal, Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva will be expected to shore up a rather inexperienced batting line-up. The two-match series also provides an opportunity for the likes of Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka and Kasun Rajitha to prove their worth. Tillakaratne Dilshan, the diligent servant of Sri Lanka cricket for close two decades, will be walk into retirement life after the two T20Is. The doughty opener will aim to leave the big stage with memorable performances. Toss and teams coming up in a few minutes time...