SL vs AUS | Their is a weakness in our batting order: Wanindu Hasaranga

Sri Lankan wrist-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has admitted that his side needs to bring their batting and bowling to the same level after the home team dished out yet another disappointing performance with the bat in the 2nd T20I to concede the series to the Aussies.

Hasaranga claimed 4/33 to reduce Australia to 7-99, but the total of 124 was not enough as Matthew Wade's unbeaten run-a-ball 26 guided the tourists home.

Sri Lankan batters struggling in T20I cricket are nothing new. The former T20 champions have exciting talents like Dasun Shanaka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Charith Asalanka, but as this series has shown, they have flattered to deceive more than often.

In the 1st T20I, Lanka lost their last nine wickets for 28 runs to get bowled out for 128, while in Wednesday's encounter, they slipped from 2-73 in the 12th over to crawl to 9-124 in 20.

Speaking to the reporters after the game, Hasaranga accepted that some middle-order batters aren't in great form now.

However, with so many matches yet to be played before Australia's T20 World Cup qualifiers, Hasaranga is confident that the batting unit will pull up their socks in due course.

"There's a weakness in our lower middle order and lower order. Right now, they are a little bit out of form, and we have to accept that. Our target is the World Cup. If we can add 10% more on the batting side in the next match and the series coming up, we'll be in a much better place. In these two games, our batting had a few small mistakes," said Hasaranga.

The wrist-spinner pointed out that despite scoring just 124, the home side was able to make a match out of it, and he believes that if the batting can improve by 10%, they can give Australia a run for their money in the final match.

"In the series to come, we have to bring our batting and bowling up to the same level. On the bowling front, we're doing pretty well. If we can make a close match out of a match like this when they were just chasing 125, that means our bowling is in good shape. I think by October [when the World Cup starts], we will get better as we play more and more matches,"

Hasaranga was smashed for 27 in two overs by David Warner and Aaron Finch in the 1st T20I.

They tried to do the same in the following game before the wrist-spinner came back brilliantly to take four wickets, including the scalp of Finch.

Hasaranga said he relishes it when the batters are going hard at him as it opens up wicket-taking opportunities.

"When I bowled yesterday, they hit 27 runs off my two overs

When you're chasing a small total, any team has less pressure on them. The pressure is on us. So they attack. But then a team like this will anyway try to attack me in the first two overs because if they push me out of the game early on, they gain the high ground. That's what I feel," he said.

"But then I like it when they attack me. Rather than batters closing up and defending, I can get wickets when they attack. I can put the team in a better position that way," he concluded.

On Saturday, Sri Lanka will look to win the final T20I and salvage some lost pride in Pallekele.