AUS vs SL Review: Australia open their World Cup account after a comfortable win

Sri Lanka faced Australia in the 14th match of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and it was the Kangaroos who tatsed first success in the tournament after two back-to-back losses.

\Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first and got off to a strong start with their openers, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera scoring fifties. They had a solid partnership and it seemed like Sri Lanka was on track for a big total. However, Australia made a comeback as Sri Lanka lost their last nine wickets for just 52 runs in a collapse of giant proportions. Pat Cummins played a crucial role in this turnaround, taking two wickets and breaking the opening partnership.

Australia’s bowlers, including Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc, kept picking up wickets and restricted Sri Lanka to a total of 209. Zampa was the standout bowler, taking four wickets for 47 runs, while Starc claimed two for 43.

Chasing the target, Australia lost two early wickets but Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne stabilized the innings with a solid partnership. They both hung around, with Marsh making 52 and Labuschagne contributing 40. Later, Josh Inglis played a crucial knock of 58 runs, and Glenn Maxwell finished off the game quickly with a quickfire 31. Australia won the match by five wickets and opened their account on the points table.

Top Performers of the Match

Kusal Perera (78 of 82)

Kusal Perera had been struggling with his batting form recently, but in this match, he turned things around and displayed his batting prowess by scoring a valuable 78. His innings was crucial in helping Sri Lanka post a good total, which unfortunately they were unable to achieve due to a collapse. Perera hit 12 boundaries during his knock.

Adam Zampa (4/47, 8 overs)

The best bowler of the match was Adam Zampa. He had faced heavy criticism for his poor performances in the first two matches as he failed to take important wickets in the middle overs. However, in this crucial game, Zampa showcased his bowling capabilities and took four crucial wickets in the middle, restricting the Sri Lankan team to a below-par total. His figures were 4/47 in eight overs, making him the standout bowler of the match.

What next?

Going ahead, Australia will play against Pakistan on October 20. While Sri Lanka will take on Netherlands on October 21.