HOBART, (Reuters) – Phil Hughes returned to form with a century before Xavier Doherty and Moises Henriques took three wickets each to lead Australia to a series-levelling 32-run win over Sri Lanka in the final one-day cricket international today.
Hughes struck 138 not out at Bellerive Oval but Sri Lanka were on course to overhaul Australia’s 247-5 until Doherty exploited spin-friendly conditions to dismiss three of the tourists’ top four batsmen.
Pressure from Doherty reduced Sri Lanka from 50-0 at the 10-over mark to 85-4 from 25 and the tourists never fully recovered, stumbling to 215 all out and a 2-2 draw in the five-match series.
Australia still have batting concerns despite Hughes’s second ton of the series, with David Hussey’s 34 the next highest score, but the team showed spirit in the absence of injured captain Michael Clarke.
