Inglis, Marsh fifties take Australia to five-wicket win over Sri Lanka

By Champika Fernando in Lucknow

When Dilshan Madushanka breathed fire on an unresponsive pitch early into Australia’s run chase with a two-wicket maiden, there was a false sense of belief that Australia might choke under pressure -- it was short-lived.

Adding to Sri Lanka’s batting debacle, their inexperienced bowling attack, barring left-arm seamer Madushanka, was nothing short of mediocre and Australia raced to victory, chasing a modest 210-run target at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow last night. It was their first win in three attempts at the ongoing World Cup.

Having put pressure on David Warner and Mitchell Marsh with a maiden first over, the 20-year-old seamer Madushanka found the pad of Warner with his first-ball of the next over. After a long deliberation, the on-field umpire ruled him out but Warner was quick to seek third umpire intervention as it did look like it had missed the leg-stump. The replays showed it hit him in front of leg and it was the umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. A fuming Warner returned to the dressing room.

Madushanka kept things tight and the watchful Steve Smith negotiated the first four balls cautiously. The bowler then rapped Smith in front of the middle stump with an absolute beauty to finish with two wickets for no run in two overs. It left Australia reeling at 24-2.

But Marsh launched a counter-attack and, together with Marnus Labuschagne, cruised smoothly before Sri Lanka inflicted a run-out to remove the flamboyant Marsh who was few feet away from the crease, attempting a second run. Kusal Mendis collected a good throw from Chamika Karunaratne from the deep and broke the stumps in a flash to end his chanceless 52 off 51 balls knock.

The tall right-hander played some beautiful cover-drives and cuts as he marched to his 50 off 39 balls with nine boundaries to put Australia’s chase on a bullet train. Things slowed down a bit with Marsh’s exit but Sri Lanka’s feeble bowling unit were never threatening enough to derail Australia’s run-chase.

Madushanka (3-38) returned to remove Labuschagne (40) to end the fourth wicket stand of 77 with Josh Inglis (58) but Australia had the chase under their control to keep their chances alive in the tournament. Spinner Dunith Wellalage had Inglis caught at point by Maheesh Theekshana but Glenn Maxwell (31 not out) and Marcus Stonis (20 not out) with quick-fire knocks did the last rites on Sri Lanka.

It was Sri Lanka’s batting that led them down badly in the match. A middle-order collapse after Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera had stitched a century stand for the opening wicket restricted Sri Lanka to 209 after electing to bat first.

From a position of strength at the halfway mark, where Sri Lanka were 152 for the loss of Pathum Nissanka, they lost three quick wickets for 14 runs (166 for 4) as Australia fought to bowl Sri Lanka out inside the 44th over.

When a brief spell of showers swept across the 50,000-capacity ground in the heart of Uttra Pradesh halting the match for 30 minutes, Sri Lanka were 178 for 4 in the 33rd over, with their lower-middle order having a daunting task of rebuilding the innings. But the Australian attack led by Adam Zampa (4-47), Pat Cummins (2-32) and Mitchell Starc (2-43) had different plans as they ripped through the innings with authority and Sri Lanka collapsed to a below par total.

Perera and Nissanka shared 125 for the first wicket, frustrating the Australian bowling attack which looked helpless on an unresponsive pitch to challenge the Sri Lankan batters. Their performances were worthy of praise, being crisp and punishing in equal measure, giving Sri Lanka a perfect foundation. But the wickets went tumbling as Sri Lanka handed the advantage back on a platter to the Australians who are also looking for their maiden win in the tournament.

Australia, who had dropped six catches in their 134-run defeat to South Africa -- their second loss in the tournament -- were excellent in the field, holding on to two brilliant catches to trigger Sri Lanka’s collapse. There were hardly any misfields. Pat Cummins’s direct hit from mid-off found a diving Wellalage, who was trying to steal a run off Mitchell Starc, short.
Earlier, Maxwell had trapped Perera leg-before wicket when he was on 24 but did not get a decision in his favour despite a loud appeal from the bowler. With a single review remaining after they wasted one in the very first ball of the innings, they were hesitant to use it. Had they done so, Perera would have been back in the pavilion as TV replays showed it was going to hit the stump. This was a costly miss as Perera, who has been struggling for form, made the best use of the opportunity by hitting 78 runs.

Nissanka was dropped on 43 by Labuschange at mid-wicket when the ball burst off his hands while he was trying to grab a head high pull shot off Stoinis. Sri Lanka reached 100 runs in 106 balls. 

Perera raced to his first half-century since his 73 against England in 2021 with a powerful drive over Stoinis’ head. 

Soon afterwards, Perera reached his half century — the 16th of his career — while Nissanka flicked Maxwell to square-leg to reach his own half century. It was his second, in a row, and the 11th of his career. 

He managed to add 11 more runs to his score before an attempted hook off Pat Cummins was snagged by Warner tearing across to his left from the deep square leg boundary. It was short but Nissanka failed to nail it as he had done in the previous ball and Warner completed a stunning catch to make the first breakthrough.

Perera was not fluent initially but showed his class as he got the measure of the wicket. He was threatening to go big when the Australian captain rattled Perera’s stump with a fuller delivery that angled in, giving little room for the batsman to punch it across the line. That ended Perera’s 82-ball vigil which included 12 boundaries.

Mendis, Sri Lanka’s new skipper, has been enjoying a dream run of form in the tournament, having hit 76 and 122 before this game. But his innings was cut short by another Warner masterclass in the field. 

Running to his left from deep mid-wicket, Warner completed a diving catch after Mendis sliced a sweep of Adam Zampa. Sri Lanka lost their third wicket on 165. Sadeera Samarawickrema, who smashed his maiden century against Pakistan in the previous game, was trapped leg-before out by Zampa with the score on 166. 

Samarawickrema had hoped the ball would miss the leg-stump and took the review but the replays showed it was clipping the leg-stumps and the umpire’s call came into play.  
Dhananjaya de Silva, Wellalage and Karunaratne followed soon as Sri Lanka slumped to 196 for 7, leaving Charith Asalanka with the daunting task of surviving through the innings.  
Asalanka(25) hit Sri Lanka’s only six before he was finally caught off at mid-on by Labuschange of Maxwell to end Sri Lanka’s innings. A dust storm swept across the ground around 5.45 p.m. with some of the advertising hoardings that hung from the roof crashing down to the spectator stands.