Warner criticises Lankan pitches after series win

AFP,  DAMBULLA: Australian skipper David Warner criticised preparation of Sri Lanka's pitches following his side's series-clinching one-day international victory against the hosts, saying his batsmen were being prevented from scoring big totals.
Warner lauded his teammates for their six-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI on Wednesday, which handed the tourists an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Australia easily chased down their target of 213 in just 31 overs as Aaron Finch smashed 55 off 19 balls while George Bailey hit an unbeaten 90 after Sri Lanka struggled to 212 all out in their 50 overs. Warner, whose side suffered their first Test whitewash against the hosts last month, said the sluggish pitches were not ideal for ODI cricket.
“It's hard to gain momentum when the wickets prepared are like this,” Warner, who took over as captain after the second ODI while Steve Smith is rested, told reporters.
“It's a little bit disappointing from our point of view because it's not the way we like to play. We like to play an aggressive brand of cricket. We like to entertain the crowd.”
England recorded the highest ODI score in history on Tuesday -- 444 for 3 in 50 overs against Pakistan at Trent Bridge -- while Australia and Sri Lanka have struggled to get past 200 in their series.

Warner criticises Lankan pitches after series win

AFP, DAMBULLA: Australian skipper David Warner criticised preparation of Sri Lankas pitches following his sides series-clinching one-day international victory against the hosts, saying his batsmen were being prevented from scoring big totals. Warner lauded his teammates for their six-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI on Wednesday, which handed the tourists an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Australia easily chased down their target of 213 in just 31 overs as Aaron Finch smashed 55 off 19 balls while George Bailey hit an unbeaten 90 after Sri Lanka struggled to 212 all out in their 50 overs. Warner, whose side suffered their first Test whitewash against the hosts last month, said the sluggish pitches were not ideal for ODI cricket. Its hard to gain momentum when the wickets prepared are like this, Warner, who took over as captain after the second ODI while Steve Smith is rested, told reporters. Its a little bit disappointing from our point of view because its not the way we like to play. We like to play an aggressive brand of cricket. We like to entertain the crowd. England recorded the highest ODI score in history on Tuesday -- 444 for 3 in 50 overs against Pakistan at Trent Bridge -- while Australia and Sri Lanka have struggled to get past 200 in their series.