Australia easily defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in
Lucknow by chasing down their meagre 209 total, reviving their World Cup
campaign. With three losses in a row as a result, Sri Lanka now ranks
second-to-last on the table and effectively needs wins going forward to have a
hope of making it to the semifinals.
Australia was successful thanks to persistent bowling,
which was followed by a chase that stood out for its thoughtfulness.
On a surface that substitute Sri Lanka skipper Kusal
Mendis had described as a “280-300” track, Sri Lanka won the toss and
decided to bat first. The opening duo scored 125 runs, giving Sri Lanka the
perfect start.
The greatest collapse in World Cups since 2011 and Sri
Lanka’s worst collapse since their first World Cup game, however, saw them lose
ten wickets for just 84 runs as they were bowled out for 209.
With stats of 4 for 47, Adam Zampa was the standout
bowler, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both took home two wickets. The
dismissals of Pathum Nissanka and Mendis by David Warner, however, deserve
special recognition because they in many ways served as the catalyst for Sri
Lanka’s demise. In addition, Australia’s fielding performance was a nice improvement
after some surprisingly shoddy catches contributed to their initial losses to
South Africa and India.
Sri Lanka, and particularly Dilshan Madushanka, got
off to a strong start in defending their total. Twelve of Madushanka’s first
pitches, including a double-wicket maiden, resulted in 0 runs and two wickets.
The dangerous Warner and Steven Smith were removed by those two wickets, but
Mitchell Marsh at the other end gave Sri Lanka no relief.
It took a beautiful throw from Chamika Karunaratne from
deep to reject Marsh as he searched for a tight second, but the game was
already in the bag by that point with a third of the chase already scratched
off. Then, with a stand of 77 off 86, Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne put
the outcome beyond question. Though both fell before the finish line, Inglis
recorded a half-century. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, who entered the fray
to turbo-power an already easy chase and romp home, added the final touches.