Nuwanidu Fernando’s magnificent unbeaten century guided Sri Lanka A to a hard-fought draw against Australia A in the inaugural four-day encounter in Darwin, as both sides demonstrated overwhelming batting domination. Sri Lanka A batted through the last day, finishing their second innings with 3/280 from 81 overs.
Fernando stood tall with a controlled 104 not out, driving his team to safety with help from Pavan Rathnayake (56*) and Pasindu Sooriyabandara (56). Australia Liam Scott, an all-rounder, was very frugal, scoring 10 runs in 10 overs and taking one wicket in the second innings. Australia A had earlier scored a phenomenal 486 in their first innings, with runs flying throughout the top and middle orders.
Nathan McSweeney and Liam Scott each scored 94 points, while Josh Philippe (85), Mitchell Perry (61), and Jake Weatherald (54) contributed to the team’s dominance with the bat. Sri Lankan spinner Sonal Dinusha was the best of the bowlers with 4/97, followed by pacer Pramod Madushan (3/82).
In response, Sri Lanka A scored 272 in their first innings, thanks primarily to Dinusha’s valiant 105 not out. Liam Scott (2/27), and Henry Thornton (2/31) were the hosts’ most efficient bowlers. The second four-day match is set to start on Sunday at the same site. While the match ended in a draw, Sonal Dinusha was the standout performance, both with the bat and the ball. In the first innings, he scored 105 runs off 148 balls, including 10 boundaries and one six. He went on to take four wickets for 97 runs.
Australia A v Sri Lanka A series:
July 4: First one-dayer: Australia A won by 198 runs
July 6: Second one-dayer: Sri Lanka A won by 51 runs
July 9: Third one-dayer: Australia A won by seven wickets
July 13-16: First four-day match: Match drawn
July 20-23: Second four-day match, Marrara Cricket Ground, Darwin
India
