Charith Asalanka Goes Past Jayawardene And Dilshan After Valiant 127 Vs Australia

Charith Asalanka celebrating his century [Source: @OfficialSLC/x]

Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka led his team from the front against Australia in the first ODI at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium. Batting at number five and arriving to the crease at 30-3 within the first six overs of the match, Asalanka went on to hold Sri Lanka’s faltering innings together with a majestic century, the fourth of his ODI career.

Through the course of his fighting knock, the 27-year-old also scaled a significant batting record, joining a gallery of some great names in Sri Lankan cricket.

Asalanka records one of highest no. 5 scores for SL

Charith Asalanka composed 127 runs out of Sri Lanka’s dismal 214-run total after he won the toss and opted to bat first. Batting at number five, the cricketer faced 126 deliveries and dispatched 14 of them for regal boundaries and five for huge sixes.

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Notably, Charith Asalanka’s knock now marks the second highest individual score by any Sri Lankan cricketer in ODIs while batting at number five. He fell just 12 runs behind Angelo Mathews, who belted 139* from just 116 balls against India in Ranchi back in November 2014. Here is a look at five of the highest individual scores by Sri Lankan batters in ODIs at number five position:

Charith Asalanka’s knock marked the fourth ODI century of his career and helped Sri Lanka push to 214 after falling to 55-5 at one stage of the match. He shared 67 fighting runs for the sixth wicket with Dunith Wellalage, and another 79 runs for the ninth wicket with Maheesh Theekshana, during which the tailender faced just 11 deliveries to contribute with two runs.

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