Five-time World Cup winners Australia finally got off the mark with a comfortable five-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Monday (October 16). Chasing a below-par target of 210, Australia got there with 88 balls to spare, thereby registering a useful boost to their net run rate as well. Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis were the main stars with flamboyant fifties while Marnus Labuschagne also weighed in with a crucial knock before Glenn Maxwell did his thing to hasten the finish.
The chase wasn’t entirely flawless for Australia who lost David Warner and Steve Smith in the same over to be 24/2 after four overs. The former was on the wrong side of a very marginal LBW call against Dilshan Madushanka who then produced another sharp inswinger to get Smith trapped in front. All this after Australia had started with a bang by smashing 15 off the first over of the innings. A straight-smash from Marsh set the tone off the first ball while the over ended with an imperious pick-up shot for six over fine leg by Warner.
However, Madushanka’s twin strikes put Australia in a bit of bother but Marsh was unfazed as he kept playing his shots. Sri Lanka were also guilty of feeding him to his strengths and Marsh was severe on anything remotely wayward. His aggressive knock allowed Labuschagne to bide his time and the partnership put Australia back on track before a run out ended Marsh’s stay at the crease. It was as much a bad judgment of the second run as it was a brilliant throw from the deep from Chamika Karunaratne with Kusal Mendis doing the rest to leave Marsh stranded. Once again, Sri Lanka had a semblance of an opening to work with.
Inglis, though, quickly got into his act and reprised Marsh’s role of an aggressor, albeit through a different method. Labuschagne continued to drop anchor and it meant the game quickly slipped away from Sri Lanka who simply didn’t have enough runs to play with. As Australia surged towards the target, they also upped their gears to ensure that they finished the game as quickly as they could. Given the ongoing trend of the tournament, net run rate could be a massive factor and Australia did a fair job of boosting it after the two disappointing losses earlier on. Apart from Madushanka who had a great game, the other Lankan bowlers lacked the consistency to trouble the batters.
Sri Lanka would hugely regret their batting collapse earlier in the day after having been 125/0 at one stage. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera had set the perfect platform for the Lankans with fluid fifties to put Australia under the pump. Till they were together at the crease, the game had a very similar pattern to Australia’s previous game at the venue against South Africa. However, skipper Pat Cummins bowled an inspired second spell in which he got rid of both the openers. A smart short ball ploy accounted for Nissanka while Perera played on to a big slog across the line. These dismissals allowed Australia to sneak their way back into the game and they did with aplomb.
Since the South Africa series, Adam Zampa had been enduring a tough time, lacking the fizz that he’s been often associated with. It didn’t start well again today with Perera putting him under pressure. But once the opening stand was broken, the presence of two right-handers allowed Zampa to settle in and he steadily found his groove to slice through the Lankan middle order. Mitchell Starc complimented him at the other end as the Sri Lankan innings went into a freefall. The last nine wickets well for just 52 and the last six for just 30 with a rain break in between.
The stunning collapse meant that the result was virtually settled at the halfway mark itself. The total was at least 50-60 runs short of a par score and despite a few minor hiccups, Australia got the job done with minimal fuss.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 209 in 43.3 overs (Kusal Perera 78, Pathum Nissanka 61; Adam Zampa 4-47, Pat Cummins 2-32, Mitchell Starc 2-43) lost to Australia 215/5 in 35.2 overs (Josh Inglis 58, Mitchell Marsh 52; Dilshan Madushanka 3-38) by
