Australia wins nail-biting ODI series

As Australia's summer of cricket wraps up for the 2011/12 season, Australia capped off a successful Commonwealth Bank one-day series campaign with a win over Sri Lanka in the third and deciding final. After disposing of India throughout the regular rounds of the tournament, the tri-angular series moved into the finals phase with Australia and Sri Lanka to do battle in a best of 3, winner takes all competition. 


After leveling the final series one a piece in the previous match, and with Australia's captain (Michael Clarke) out due to injury, a fired up Sri Lankan outfit sent Australia in to bat on a flat Adelaide pitch. Australia got off to a slow but solid start with a tight bowling display by the tourists, who had put Australia under pressure early. 


As Australia looked to push forward from a strong batting platform, built by openers Warner (48) and Wade (49), disaster struck! In a dramatic turn of events, Sri Lanka's bowlers ripped through a frail Australian middle order taking 5/36 from 12 overs in a clinical bowling display.


With such a promising start the Australian innings never exploded and eventually the hosts were bowled out for a miserly 231, a score that seemed well below par on such a flat pitch. 


Knowing only that a loss would provide the Sri Lankans with a series win, the Australian unit had to re-group and take early wickets if they were any chance to snare a series victory and they did just that. As Lee and Mckay unleashed a fearsome bowling display that had the tourists 4/53 in the 10 over, it looked as if the game was all but over. But not for the first time in this series the Sri Lankans were able to show a dogged fighting quality that put them back in the match. 


With 6 overs to go, the tourists needed a run a ball with only 3 wickets in hand but as Mckay was introduced back into the attack, the hopes of the tourists faded as he snared the final 3 wickets to leave the Sri Lankans 16 runs short. Mckay finished the match with figures of 5/28 off 9.5 overs and a well deserved man of the match award.


In what was a memorable win for the Australian cricket team, it was also a fantastic way to end Australia's summer of cricket. The team fly out to the Caribbean in the following weeks for a series against old rivals, the West Indies, so stay posted for more news.