Maxwell blinder helps Australia scale tough chase

Glenn Maxwell's pyrotechnics (80 not out) helped Australia down Sri Lanka in a hard-fought contest by two wickets in the first ODI in Pallekele. The visitors chased down a rain-revised target of 282 in the 43rd over.

When the aggressive middle order batter came out to bat, the tourists were in a spot of bother at 189 for 5. However, Maxwell played with bravado and stitched crucial stands with Alex Carey, Ashton Agar and Jhye Richardson to steer the side past the target. Maxwell's game-breaking innings can be further encapsulated by the fact that he scored 80 of the 93 runs since he came at the fall of Marcus Stoinis' wicket.

He made his intentions clear in the 32nd over when he pulled Wanindu Hasaranga for a six. In the very next over, he was adjudged LBW off Chamika Karunaratne but he got the decision reversed via the review. He then once again decided to take on Sri Lanka's spearhead Hasaranga by cracking a four and a six. The leg-spinner, though, gave the hosts some hope by dismissing Carey and Cummins in a single over.

Meanwhile, Maxwell continued to deal in big shots as he thwacked Maheesh Theekshana for two boundaries and a six. Once Agar was dismissed in the 40th over, he decided to farm strike and finished the game in style by tonking Dusmantha Chameera a couple of times into the stands. The platform for Australia's victory was set-up by Aaron Finch (44) and Steve Smith (53). For the home side, Hasaranga turned out to be the chief wicket-taker, ending up with a four-for.

Earlier, Kusal Mendis had composed an undefeated 86 to pilot Sri Lanka to a formidable score of 300. Pathum Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka also played their parts, with the duo stitching a stand of 115. The pair started on a steady note before Nissanka smacked Pat Cummins for two boundaries and a six in the 10th over. The duo then took a heavy toll off Agar and Jhye Richardson to keep the scorecard ticking over.

Eventually, the stand was broken on the back of a run out. Agar then dented Sri Lanka further by taking the scalps of Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva. At that juncture, Mendis steadied Sri Lanka's innings. He also got an able ally in Charith Asalanka with the pair sharing an alliance of 77. Lower down the order, Hasaranga showcased his hitting prowess by tonking five boundaries in a single over off Richardson. Unfortunately for the hosts, the total didn't prove to be enough.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 300/7 in 50 overs (Kusal Mendis 86; Ashton Agar 2-49) lost to Australia 282/8 in 42.3 overs (Glenn Maxwell 80*; Wanindu Hasaranga 4-58) by two wickets via DLS Method