After having a once in a lifetime Ashes series in England, Steve Smith commenced the Australian summer with a classy half-century, helping Australia to another dominating nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second T20I at the Gabba in Brisbane. He put on an unbeaten 117-run partnership with David Warner for the second wicket as Australia comfortably chased down the target set by the Lankans.
However, Smith was fortunate to not lose his wicket as Sri Lanka’s Lakshan Sandakan missed the opportunity him all but dismissed, barring one small mistake. In the 13th over, with Australia just six runs away from a series-clinching win, Warner tried to smash Sandakan down the ground. The southpaw opener, however, hit the ball too straight, sending it crashing into the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
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Smith had already started off for a run and was sent back by Warner. Sandakan was quick to pick up the ball, and with the bails already dislodged, he uprooted a stump with Smith still out of the crease, but with a different hand.
Sandakan had a golden opportunity to run out Smith! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/E7AsOwEjSJ
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 30, 2019
Sandakan thought he had his man, but he made a very small mistake. The rules dictate that the ball must come in contact with the stump that is being uprooted in such a case, but Smith had made his way back to the crease before the spinner could bring both his hands together.
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The match was nothing but over by the time the incident happened anyway, but it had left some of the players did bring about some laughs on the field. Ironically, Sandakan got dismissed in the same way during the first innings of Sri Lanka, with Pat Cummins taking a stump off the ground with Sandakan short of the crease. The only difference being Cummins had the ball in the same hand that he uprooted the stumps with.
Australia’s win has now has given them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. They had routed Sri Lanka in the first match as well, with David Warner’s maiden T20I ton powering Australia to a 134-run victory.
