It took an apocalyptic mud storm and a freak bout of rain for Australia to get its World Cup marketing campaign again on observe with a five-wicket win in opposition to Sri Lanka on the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium right here on Monday.
While it wasn’t precisely the assertion win the Aussies had been eyeing after two successive defeats, the return of Mitchell Marsh (52, 51b, 9×4) to his hard-hitting greatest and Adam Zampa (4 for 47) to wicket-taking kind are positives they may accept.
Glenn Maxwell additionally discovered his mojo with an unbeaten 21-ball 31 as Australia rushed to the goal in 35.2 overs.
After David Warner and Steve Smith had been trapped leg-before by Dilshan Madushanka in the identical over, Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship with a 57-run stand. Marsh was harsh in opposition to tempo and spin as Australia ransacked 64 runs within the first PowerPlay, 45 of which got here off the blade of Marsh.
While Labuschagne picked the gaps and rotated strike, Josh Inglis (58, 59b, 5×4, 1×6) took on the position of the aggressor after Marsh was run out. The wicketkeeper-batter punished the brief stuff on his solution to a 46-ball half-century.
Both Labuschagne and Inglis couldn’t see Australia dwelling however their knocks had been sufficient to shut the door on Sri Lanka.
Earlier, after being requested to bowl, Australia’s desperation was in plain sight as Mitchell Starc frittered away a evaluation off the primary ball and issued a stern warning to Kusal Perera for backing up too far in the identical over. Barring Labuschagne’s spilt catch to reprieve Pathum Nissanka on 43, these two situations had been as shut as Australia got here to selecting a wicket within the first 21 overs.
It took Warner’s brilliance within the subject for Australia to style success as Nissanka miscued a brief ball from Pat Cummins. Earlier, Nissanka and Perera had blunted the tempo trio of Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins throughout a 125-run opening stand.
After Nissanka fell, Perera showcased his skill to learn lengths shortly by pulling Hazlewood behind square-leg after which in entrance of it for consecutive fours. Cummins had his second scalp when he hit the proper size and moved the ball into Perera.
Captain Kusal Mendis was the second sufferer of Warner’s acrobatics, that prompted the day’s loudest cheer from a sparse crowd. Zampa who had been flayed for 22 runs in his first three overs, redeemed himself with that dismissal.
The leg-spinner hastened the collapse with three extra wickets, trapping right-handers in entrance together with his googlies. Sri Lanka misplaced 9 wickets for 52 runs and its capitulation virtually matched the drama of an aberrant 30-minute spell of rain and winds that picked aside the match branding on the venue.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
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