INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Sri Lanka Vs. Australia T20 Cricket: Tillakaratne Dilshan Takes Final Bow As Lankans Look To End With Win

By Jonathan Vankin
Published on: 15:14 PST, Sep 8, 2016

Sri Lanka says a final goodbye to legendary batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan, as the second T20 International against Australia will be the 39-year-old cricket superstar’s final match for his home country. It is a match that will stream live Friday, just over a month before Dilshan’s 40th birthday.

But Sri Lanka apparently will have a lot of work to do in order to send Dilshan out on a high note. After losing four of the five One Day International matches in the recently completed series on the Australia tour of Sri Lanka, the visitors opened the two-game T20 International series by posting an all-time T20I record of 263 — including an astonishing 145 not out by Glenn Maxwell making his return to the Australia side — on their way to an easy 85-run victory.

Dilshan will be looking forward to another chance to end his storied, 17-year career in inspiring fashion. He opened the first T20 International on Tuesday by scoring only four runs before Australia pacer Mitchell Starc unceremoniously bowled him on the fourth ball of the first over.

Maxwell, on the other hand, after being left out of both the Test and ODI squads for the Sri Lanka tour, came back with a point to prove, needing only 65 balls to compile his 145, which included nine sixes.

“At the top of the order you have a little bit more freedom to get yourself into the game and play pretty normal shots without taking too many risks,” said Maxwell, who was batting at the top only because of the injury to Aaron Finch — who still holds the record for an individual score in a T20I with 156.

Watch full highlights of the first Australia vs. Sri Lanka T20 International in the video below.

To find out how to watch a live stream of the second and final T20I match between Sri Lanka and Australia, see the links at the bottom of this article. First ball is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sri Lanka Standard Time at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Friday, September 9.

Fans in the United States can catch the live stream at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 6:30 a.m. Pacific. In Australia, the start times will be 11:30 p.m. Australian Eastern Time, 9:30 p.m. Western.

With Australia ending their Sri Lanka tour, they next head home for a single ODI against Ireland, and then to South African for a five-ODI set.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is now done with cricket until late December, when they open a tour of South Africa on the day after Christmas.

MORE CRICKET COVERAGE FROM THE INQUISITR:
Watch Cricket Highlights: West Indies Defeat England To Win T20 World Cup Final In Amazing Last Over
India Vs. West Indies Cricket Live Stream: Fourth Test, Day 4 After West Indies Lose Pair On Rain-Shortened Day
Mustafizur Rahman Sold In IPL Auction For $208K After Injury Keeps Him From PSL
Bangladesh T20 Team Reshuffles As Mustafizur, Mushfiq Ruled Out Of Zimbabwe Series
Bangladesh Cricket News: Mustafizur Rahman Makes History — Named To ICC Team Of Year
India Vs. Pakistan Cricket: Schedule Of Rivalry Matches Before End Of March As India Top T20 Rankings
Pakistan Vs. Bangladesh: Changing Of The Guard As Tigers Cruise To Historic Series Win

Can Sri Lanka bounce back from a crushing defeat in the first T20 to give the legendary Tillakaratne Dilshan a send-off to remember? Or will Australia, after setting a new world T20 International run-scoring record, continue their rampage and sweep the two-match T20 series to close out their tour of Sri Lanka. The best way to find out is to watch the Sri Lanka vs. Australia second and final T20 International cricket match from R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, live online in the United States via Willow TV Xtra, available via this YouTube link with a monthly subscription fee, as well as on Willow TV’s own site, accessible by clicking here.

There are also legal ways to watch Willow TV and Willow TV Xtra for free. Certain promotional offers make it possible to watch the all-cricket network, including the second and final T20I match of the Sri Lanka vs. Australia T20 cricket series, for a limited period of time, such as the offer at this link — or try the one-month free trial of Sling TV’s International Sports Package, which includes Willow TV and Willow TV Xtra, as well as the Sri Lanka vs. Australia second T20 International cricket match. Information on that deal can be found at this link. Another live stream link can be accessed by clicking here, and live text commentary on the second T20I match is available from Star Sports at this link.

Cricket fans in Australia can catch the live stream of their World Champion national cricket team’s final T20I against Sri Lanka for 2016, via the FoxTel Play service available at this link. The service, which normally costs a subscription fee of $50 (Australian) per month, now offers a two-week free trial, allowing fans to watch the last match of the Sri Lanka vs. Australia tour series at no charge.

[Photo By Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press]

Share this article: Sri Lanka Vs. Australia T20 Cricket: Tillakaratne Dilshan Takes Final Bow As Lankans Look To End With Win
More from Inquisitr