LUCKNOW: Having started their tournament with two losses on the trot, five-time champions Australia bounced with to register their first win of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup.
The Pat Cummins-led side bagged a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka to collect their first points in the ongoing edition of the marquee tournament. After bowling Sri Lanka out for 209, the team from Down Under chased it down with 88 balls to spare.
Needing 210 to win, Australian openers Mitchell Marsh and David Warner took Lahiru Kumara to the cleaners to take 15 runs off the opening over of the chase. But Dilshan Madushanka had other plans as Australia lost two early wickets. After starting with a maiden over, Madushanka struck in his very next over to remove Warner. The opener failed to capitalize on the positive start as he fell for just 11 off 6. Steve Smith too departed in the same over as the early blows rocked Australia’s chase. Smith departed for a duck as Australia was reduced to 24/2 in four overs.
Mitchell Marsh kept the board ticking as he brought up his half-century. But a runout cost Australia their third wicket as Marsh fell for 52 off 51.
Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis built a partnership to put Australia’s chase back on track.
Earlier, leg-spinner Adam Zampa roared back to form with a four-wicket haul as Australia bowled out Sri Lanka for 209 in 43.3 overs. An out-of-form Kusal Perera (78) got some much-needed runs while Pathum Nissanka struck 61 for his second consecutive fifty.
Looking on course for a 300-plus score, the 1996 winners faced a bizarre batting collapse and went from 125 for no loss to 209 all out. Apart from the openers and Charith Asalanka's 25, no other Sri Lankan batter reached double digits. Agencies
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