Australia v Sri Lanka: second Twenty20 international – live!

2nd over: Australia 15-1 (Warner 5, Smith 10) Target 118 Nice punch from Warner off Pradeep’s first ball, grabbing three from it. Smith later in the over plays a perfect square drive that goes all the way for four. They cut to him on the television from a pre-game interview where the former captain says there are some nights during a Test Match when he doesn’t sleep at all, most of the time getting two or three hours. Goodness me. He makes it two fours on the trot with a clip through the air that Hasaranga can’t quite keep him before his roof hits the rope. Yup, he’s away.

1st over: Australia 1-1 (Warner 1, Smith 1) Target 118 Another first in the Smith comeback: his first innings in Australia since the sandpaper farrago. He defends that initial delivery back down the track before ducks an accurate short one, then can’t beat midwicket with a flick. Never write off Lasith Malinga.

Whoa, Finch bags a golden duck! Not much of a delivery from Malinga, comfortably down the legside, but he’s tickled it into the gloves of Dickwella.

The players are back on the field. Some more news from Cricket Australia to report as Warner and Finch make their way: Andrew McDonald has been appointed as Australia’s new senior assistant coach. He will be allowed to continue his his IPL and Hundred gigs at the same time to help afford him. Clever or conflicted? We’ll see.

“Evening Adam.” Hello, Jake Santa Maria. “With two Dutch cricketers living with me I must shout out to Netherlands for qualifying for the WC next year but would love to know your thoughts on PNG getting there especially being their first ever tournament relatively close to home.”

Fantastic, isn’t it? Some want to present this as emerging teams getting worse (take Ireland’s troubles in this competition), but the more compelling argument is that more nations than ever are seriously competitive in these qualification tournaments. Yet, sadly, the ODI World Cup remains at ten teams. We shouldn’t forget this.

Sharp work from Cummins to finish his spell and the Sri Lankan innings. Sandakan did well enough throughout the over to add seven, Pradeep smashing the final ball back dead straight, hitting the stumps at the non-strikers’ end. The big quick reacted quickly to the deflection, realising Sandakan was well down the track, managing to pull the stump out of the ground to execute the run out. You don’t see that happen too often. Australia require 118 to win the series.

18th over: Sri Lanka 110-9 (Sandakan 5, Pradeep 1) My guy Pradeep gets off the mark with a biiig top edge, which Zampa tries to snaffle running back with the flight at extra cover but his dive doesn’t quick stick. His four overs are now done, claiming 2/20. Lovely bowling.

Zampa’s slower leggie strikes again, in very similar circumstanes to how he picked up his earlier wicket. This time, he draws Malinga down the track, Carey taking the bails. The ball before the Sri Lankan skipper was given out lbw but had it turned around on review, bouncing over the top – but the spinner has his measure.

17th over: Sri Lanka 107-8 (Sandakan 3, Malinga 9) Malinga knows the drill trying to rehabilitate a sketchy innings, making room to twice pop Richardson above the ring at cover for a couple of timely boundaries to start the over. That gets the band singing. Sandakan’s turn but he can’t make the same sort of contact. Still, it moves the visitors beyond 100 and within striking distance of, say, 130?

16th over: Sri Lanka 97-8 (Sandakan 2, Malinga 0) Sandakan wants nothing to do with the faster shorter one but is able to slice over backward point for a couple to finish yet another successful over for the home side. Once again it is just four runs and a wicket.

This is grim for Sri Lanka, but take nothing away from the classy Australian bowlers. Cummins nails his shorter, slower off-cutter, prompting a hack across the line from Udana landing in the hands of Richardson on the deep backward square rope.

15th over: Sri Lanka 93-7 (Udana 8, Sandakan 0) Sandakan is happy enough keeping Zampa’s wrong’un out rather than trying to score from it. Just four runs and the wicket from the spinners’ over.

Breaking news: England’s women have a new coach.

Classic leg-spinners’ wicket, bringing the right-hander forward with a bit of extra flight, beating the edge and leaving him stranded. Carey does the rest. All of Australia’s bowlers have been tip-top tonight.

14th over: Sri Lanka 89-6 (Hasaranga 9, Udana 5) Agar finishes with 2/27, getting through another without a boundary. Indeed, that makes two T20Is in a row where he’s achieved that. Thrilled to see he’s back in national colours and ticking over nicely. Lovely fella.

13th over: Sri Lanka 82-6 (Hasaranga 5, Udana 2) The life has been sucked out of the Sri Lankan innings through these middle overs, especially since Perera fell. Just five singles from Zampa here.

12th over: Sri Lanka 77-6 (Hasaranga 1, Udana 1) Stanlake’s four overs have netted him 2/23. He was a big part of Australia’s success in the format in 2018 – twice coming within a fration of a point of overtaking Pakistan as the No1 ranked team.

Stanlake bounces Shanaka out on the hook! The deflection is so slight that Carey barely appeals when the ball lands in his gloves, but the decision goes the way of the bowler. No review – that’s out.

Perera chops the straight one on. They’re in big strife now.

11th over: Sri Lanka 75-5 (Hasaranga 0, Shanaka 1) Shane Warne is trying to get Maxwell to talk about the nicknames of Agar and Cummins. Thankfully, he realises this isn’t a good idea.

10th over: Sri Lanka 65-4 (Perera 18) Perera unfurls his second booming drive, this time giving Cummins the treatment through cover. We shouldn’t be surprised, according to those who have crunched the data, he did play one of the best Test innings of all-time just eight months ago. Dickwella’s turn, who scoops for four! Stanlake could have stopped it but didn’t get his hand down in time. But Dickwella doesn’t get properly in, sending a gentle leading edge to Turner at point to finish the over. Nice change of pace from Cummins to earn his entry to the book.

Fine work from Agar, tempting Fernando with a slower one through the air, well wide of the off-stump. He takes the bait, top-edging high into the sky, taken nicely by Cummins running in from long-off.

9th over: Sri Lanka 54-3 (Perera 12, Dickwella 0)

8th over: Sri Lanka 49-2 (Avishka 15, Perera 9) Zampa now, with his wrist spin. His wrong’un is spot on from the outset, winning Avishka’s inside edge then beating Fernando on the outside of his bat. Avishka gets more of it next time he’s up, timing a forceful drive into the gap at extra cover for a boundary. They needed that.

6th over: Sri Lanka 36-2 (Avishka 7, Perera 4) Shoooot. Kusal Perera strokes a gorgeous off-drive to the rope first ball – on the up, thanks for coming. Shane Warne says Shane Warne things on TV in response, champing Billy Stanlake in the process. Fernando has a dash later in the over, lifting high out to midwicket, but Richardson does well with an athletic stop on the rope. Power play done.

Gunathilaka makes room but misses an attempted slap, Stanlake’s delivery clipping the very top of off-stump. That’ll do it.

5th over: Sri Lanka 28-1 (Gunathilaka 21, Avishka 4) Cummins is on and with his first ball he’s immediately on that nagging hip length to Avishka. Gunathilaka’s turn, who nails a cut shot but Maxwell is there at point, diving with one hand to stop a certain boundary. Superb. Warner is also into the act, racing around to stop more runs at mid-off. Nobody can stop four from the final ball though, a thick edge racing away to the rope; the left-hander into the 20s.

4th over: Sri Lanka 21-1 (Gunathilaka 16, Avishka 2) Gunathilaka backs out of a reverse something-or-another as Stanlake’s first ball arrives, deciding at the last minute to dab to third man. His execution improves dramatically as the over goes on, picking up a boundary over midwicket then scooping a SIX over the head of the ‘keeper. As you do when the quick is 6’10” and bowling 145kph.

3rd over: Sri Lanka 9-1 (Gunathilaka 4, Avishka 2) Another high-quality over from Richardson, beating Gunathilaka’s outside edge to begin, giving him very little thereafter. Avishka is off the mark from the final ball but he was lucky his hoick didn’t end up in the hands of the man at deep midwicket.

“Winning the toss and batting first was the only way Sri Lanka could make a comeback in this series today,” insists Abhijato Sensarma. “With no scoreboard pressure, presence of decent batsmen for flat pitches such as today’s, and an opportunity to cash in on the Starc-less death overs, it’s do or die for the islanders. It’s unbelievable Rajapaksa has been dropped after a great series versus Pakistan, but that’s just the way it is now. Hope they put aside the pessimism to revive their talent for unexpected heroics and make this series exciting again!” Yes, he sent this before the innings started.

2nd over: Sri Lanka 6-1 (Gunathilaka 3, Avishka 0) Gunathilaka is beaten by the final ball of the excellent Stanlake over. Earlier, he already sorted him out twice with sharp deliveries outside the off-stump. Between times, a spinkler came on at mid-off. Eventful.

Ugly cricket. Gunathilaka took off after pushing to point and Mendis was coming, but he was sent back far too late. Agar deflected cleverly at the bowlers’ end upon receiving the throw.

1st over: Sri Lanka 4-0 (Gunathilaka 2, Mendis 1) As Gunathilaka gets off the mark first all to third man, Shane Warne rolls out the favoured stat of most TV commentators: if you lose three wickets in a T20 power play, you lose three times in four. Richardson is right on the money to the right-handed Mendis, beating him with good’un. Warne is now talking about lasagne because it helped Stanlake, who will we will shortly, put on six kilograms. Smith drops Mendis to finish the first over, diving to his right at backward point with the right hand. It is a tough chance by normal-people standards, but they are the type that the former skipper makes a habit of snaffling.

Gunathilaka and Mendis are opening the batting. Richardson, of the Kane variety, has the new ball in his hand. PLAY!

The crowd numbers will be a talking point tonight. Men’s international cricket in Australia doesn’t come much more Off-Broadway than this. October, mid-week, pay TV coverage only – not a great combination. Anyway, the players are on the field so positive vibes only, as they say on the internet.

At the toss. Sri Lankan skipper Malinga said he wants them to “show character” today and believes batting first will take a bit of pressure off to begin. Finch was “a bit undecided” due to the dew, leaning towards batting. “But we’re not too disappointed bowling first.”

Three changes for Sri Lanka. Kasun Rajitha, Oshada Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaska are out. Coming in: Avishka Fernando (HOW WAS HE OUT TO BEGIN WITH?), Niroshan Dickwella and Isuru Udana. For Australia, just Stanlake for Starc.

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake.

Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga (c), Nuwan Pradeep.

While we wait for those teamsheets. I mentioned Mitch Starc’s brother. I really should have identified him as Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Brandon Starc. Handy family.

They are batting. Teams shortly.