'We could have attacked the ball more,' Australia captain Aaron Finch reflects on loss to Sri Lanka

Australia`s captain Aaron Finch runs during the second one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia.. Pic/AFP

Having lost the first ODI, Sri Lanka bounced back in the second game by dealing a shock loss to Australia. The hosts won the match by 26 runs via the D/L method, leveling the series 1-1 with 3 games to go.

The match seemed to be in the visitors favor after restricting the home side to 220/5. However, a strong combined bowling effort from Sri Lanka, saw the Aussies get bowled out for 189 at the Pallekele International Stadium.

Reflecting on the loss, the Australian captain Aaron Finch said, "We were poor in the field. The guys got starts and didn't convert and that was the difference. It was unfortunate. This isn't the most perfect outfield, but we could have attacked the ball more. Chasing in these conditions where the wicket is slow and spinning is something we need to keep improving on."

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Finch, who was the first Australian wicket to fall with the team score at 39, added, "It is a part of the game we could be better at, but today's game showed we were off it. We can't do much about the injuries, but lucky that the A team is in Hambantota and we could have a replacement. Thanks to the crowd for coming in and supporting both teams."

Much like the Australians, the Sri Lankan batters got off to good starts but none were converted into significant scores. After a rain delay reduced the target to 216 from 43 overs, the visitors would have been quite pleased.

However, the Australian batters fared worse than their Sri Lankan counterparts, with only David Warner and Glenn Maxwell getting past the 30 run mark.

The next game is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 19th, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

(With inputs from ANI)