SL vs AUS: We Were Bad At Fielding - Aaron Finch On Australia's Defeat In The Second ODI

Australia team captain Aaron Finch’s poor performance with the bat, which has plagued him since the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE, may have played an important role in the team’s defeat against Sri Lanka at Pallekele on Thursday night.

But Finch faulted mutual fielding and batting for the 26-run (DL) loss, which enables the hosts to level the series at 1-1.

Finch was the first Australian batter to be dismissed on 14, and David Warner was disappointed to lose his wicket on 37, trying to deny the visitors the start they would have preferred in the chase. Four Australian players fell in their 20s and 30s after optimistic starts, including Finch (14), Marnus Labuschagne (18), and batsmen Alex Carey (15).

Chamika Karunaratne took three wickets for Sri Lanka, including the important one of Glenn Maxwell, as the hosts won the rain-affected second one-day international by 26 runs on Thursday (June 17) to even the series.

‘ It was a disaster in the field‘: Aaron Finch

Finch, whose poor form persisted in the Indian Premier League, stated after the game that chasing is something his team will work on as the five-match ODI series advances.

“We were bad at fielding. Similar to the last game, players are obtaining starts but not playing. It was a disaster in the field. We could have gone for the ball more aggressively. We must continue to improve our chasing skills under these conditions. We were a little off the pace tonight,” Finch said.

Earlier, Australia decided to field and limited Sri Lanka to 220-9 in 47.4 overs when the game was called off due to rain. Kusal Mendis led the way for the visitors with 36, while Pat Cummins finished with 4-35. Sri Lanka beat Australia by 26 runs (DLS) in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on a rain-affected day to level the series at 1-1.

On Sunday, the third match of the five-match series will be played in Colombo.

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