Ricky Ponting now holds the dubious distinction of losing most T20I matches as a captain as he suffered his 10th defeat.
Australia have now lost five matches in a row – their worst losing streak in this format of the game. Continue reading below
The defeat was 12th for Australia in this format – most matches lost by any side. They were earlier at level with New Zealand with 11 defeats.
Ponting was earlier at level with Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful with 9 defeats.
Kumar Sangakkara was leading Sri Lanka for the first time in a Twenty20 Internationals. He became third player to captain Sri Lanka in this format after Mahela Jayawardene (11) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (2).
Interestingly the other two Sri Lankan captains - Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan – both recorded a golden duck on their captaincy debut!
Sangakkara’s innings of 55 not out is the highest for Sri Lanka and fourth highest by any player on captaincy debut, after Australia’s Ricky Ponting (98 not out vs NZ, Auckland, 2004-05). England’s Paul Collingwood (79 v West Indies,The Oval, 2007) and South Africa’s Graeme Smith (61 v NZ, Johannesburg, 2005-06).
Ponting became the leading run-scorer among all the captains, taking his aggregate to 401, ahead of South Africa’s Graeme Smith’s tally of 398 runs.
Ajantha Mendis has now taken 14 wickets in just 4 games at an average of 5.35 and economy of 4.68. Among all bowlers who have taken 5 wickets or more, Mendis’ average is the best.
Tillakaratne Dilshan raced to his fifty off just 26 balls – the second fastest fifty by a Sri Lankan in this format of game after Mahela Jayawardene, who took 21 balls in completing his fifty against Kenya at Johannesburg in 2007-08.
