#1 – James Faulkner against Sri Lanka, 2016
Having been whitewashed in the Test series, Australia turned towards their limited-overs specialists for rejuvenation. Although the likes of Aaron Finch and George Bailey assisted skipper Steve Smith in the tricky chase, James Faulkner was chiefly responsible for their victory in the first ODI with his knack for picking up wickets.
He was at it again in the second match on the same venue (Colombo RPS). With conditions suitable for his style of bowling, the left-arm seamer stifled Sri Lanka in the death overs by resorting to multiple variations of the slower delivery.
After seeing a well-set Kusal Perera attempting a wild reverse scoop, Faulkner targeted the stumps and found his boot on the line off the last ball. He began the next over by taking the pace off and forcing Angelo Mathews to mistime one into the sky who could only find long-off’s hands.
With the dangerous Thisara Perera returning on strike, the 26-year old kept it simple and castled the stumps by holding his length back slightly. Despite Faulkner’s display, the damage had been done earlier as Sri Lanka’s total of 288 proved to be more than enough on a deteriorating surface.
However, the all-rounder earned himself another rare record by also claiming the first ODI hat-trick without dismissing any batsman for a duck.
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