Australia put World Cup marketing campaign on monitor after dire Sri Lankan batting collapse
Australia 215 for five (Inglis 58, Marsh 52, Labuschagne 40, Maxwell 31*, Stoinis 20*, Madushanka 3-38) beat Sri Lanka 209 (Perera 78, Nissanka 61, Zampa 4-47, Cummins 2-32, Starc 2-43) by 5 wickets
Australia chased down Sri Lanka’s sub-par 209 with some ease, cantering to a five-wicket win in Lucknow to revive their flagging World Cup marketing campaign. The end result leaves Sri Lanka second-last on the desk with three losses from three, and primarily needing solely wins from hereon to face an opportunity of constructing it to the semi-finals.
For Australia, it was a victory arrange by a tenacious bowling effort, after which capped off by a chase exemplified by its readability of thought.
Having received the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that stand-in Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis had deemed a “280-300” monitor, Sri Lanka bought off to the best begin with the opening pair racking up 125 runs.
But a collapse of astounding proportions noticed them lose ten wickets for simply 84 runs – the worst such collapse in World Cups since 2011, and Sri Lanka’s worst collapse since their inaugural World Cup sport – as they have been bundled for 209.
Adam Zampa was the choose of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 47, whereas Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc grabbed two apiece. Though particular point out ought to go to David Warner for 2 excellent catches within the deep to dismiss Pathum Nissanka and Mendis, wickets which in some ways catalysed Sri Lanka’s downfall. It was additionally a fielding effort that was a welcome change for Australia, after their opening defeats to India and South Africa had been marked by some uncharacteristically poor catching.
In defence of their complete, Sri Lanka, and significantly Dilshan Madushanka, began excellently. Madushanka’s first 12 deliveries went for zero runs and two wickets, together with a double-wicket maiden. While these two wickets would see the harmful Warner and Steven Smith despatched packing, Mitchell Marsh on the different finish provided Sri Lanka no respite.
Marsh lofted the primary ball of the chase, a fullish supply on off from Lahiru Kumara, again over mid-off and he did not look again. Maheesh Theekshana, introduced into the assault as early because the third over after Kumara had been hacked for 15 in his opening over, was taken for a pair of beautiful boundaries, and Marsh repeated the feat in Kumara’s subsequent over. The worst, although, was reserved for Dunith Wellalage, who was lashed for 3 of boundaries in his opening salvo.
It took a high-quality Chamika Karunaratne throw from the deep to dismiss Marsh as he seemed for a decent second, however by then a 3rd of the chase had been scratched off, and the sport was effectively in hand. Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne then put the end result past doubt with a stand of 77 off 86; although each fell earlier than the end line, Inglis notched a half-century. The ending touches have been added by Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, who entered the fray and turbo-power an already snug chase and romp residence ultimately.
But on a floor that Cummins had stated he would have favored to have batted first on, this was a sport received with the ball.
Sri Lanka’s partnerships inform the whole story. A considerable opening stand of 125, adopted by a short however industrious 32, after which… effectively, nothing. Indeed, past these two top-order efforts solely two others handed double-digits, and that too by the barest of margins. Contrast that to Australia, who put up stands of 24, 0, 57, 77, 34 and an unbroken 23 on their strategy to victory.
The collapse is a worrying theme for Sri Lanka, who’ve now thrown away a promising place for the second sport operating – the fourth time in 5 video games in the event you depend the warm-up video games. This sport additionally highlighted what might occur if Mendis fails to fireplace; regardless of the opening pair of Nissanka and Kusal Perera placing on 125, Sri Lanka’s center order didn’t capitalise on the platform, going from 157 for 1 to 209 all out.
Nissanka had bought runs in opposition to Pakistan however Perera was coming into this sport nursing a just lately recovered shoulder pressure, and never a lot latest type behind him. But a lacklustre begin from the Australia seamers meant that although the Lankan openers weren’t precisely proficient in rotating the strike, there have been sufficient boundary balls on supply to allay any strain being constructed.
Together, the pair placed on Sri Lanka’s greatest opening stand of the match, which might have had them eyeing a complete in extra of 300, however nobody might have predicted the extent of the collapse that adopted.
While the beginning of Sri Lanka’s slide will nominally be attributed to Cummins for selecting up each openers within the span of a pair overs, a big a part of the credit score ought to go to Warner whose catching offered the opening.
Either facet of Cummins nipping one again and castling Perera, Warner held on to 2 high-difficulty probabilities within the deep. The first was to do away with Nissanka, who mistimed a hook seemingly into the protection of the vacant midwicket area, solely to see the patrolling Warner dash throughout from deep square-leg and maintain on to it on the slide.
He grabbed a good higher one a few overs later, as soon as extra tearing to his left – from deep midwicket this time – making up an unbelievable quantity of floor to gobble up a miscued slog sweep off Mendis. He then needed to nurse some bruised kneecaps for his troubles as his ahead tumble took out lumps from the Lucknow outfield, however it was effectively price it because the Australians by no means seemed again from thereon.
Zampa was the beneficiary of that second second of Warner brilliance, and he struck as soon as extra an over later, trapping Sadeera Samarawickrama lbw with a slider proven to be barely clipping leg stump on umpire’s name. It was a marginal resolution that left Samarawickrama shaking his head, however Australia will really feel it evened out a not-out lbw name in opposition to Perera when he was on 24, which had they reviewed would have proven three reds.
It was round this time that the sport was halted by a short bathe, adopted by some heavy winds which blew off some scaffolding and adverstising hoardings from the stadium roof. When play continued, it was all Australia as Sri Lanka’s batters struggled to return to phrases with the additional little bit of zip within the floor following the rain.
Dhananjaya de Silva fell simply two balls after the restart, chopping one on from Starc, whereas a interval of concerted strain noticed Welllalage try an ill-advised single to mid-on, just for Cummins to throw down the stumps.
With the innings in freefall, a pair of Zampa googlies accounted for each Karunaratne and Theekshana, shortly earlier than Starc returned to take out Kumara with an inch-perfect yorker. Charith Asalanka was the final man out, slicing a slog sweep off Maxwell.