WC 2023: Australia claim first win, bounce back after twin losses with 5-wicket victory over Sri Lanka

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis hit fluent half-centuries, and leg-spinner Adam Zampa took 4 for 47 to help Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets to register their first win of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at Lucknow's Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Set 210 for victory, Australia got off to a nightmarish start as Dilshan Madushanka delivered a double blow by dismissing both David Warner and Steven Smith, both adjudged leg-before-wicket. Marnus Labuschagne experienced a narrow escape when he survived a leg-side strangle, thanks to a review that forced umpire Chris Gaffaney to overturn his initial decision of an out. This brought a sigh of relief to the Australian camp. Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh played a blistering innings, aggressively punishing the Sri Lankan bowlers and reaching a spectacular half-century.

Marsh and Labuschagne partnered effectively, amassing 57 runs for the third wicket. However, in the 15th over, Marsh's overestimation of a second run resulted in a runout, and he departed with a personal score of 52 off 51 balls.

Labuschagne and Josh Inglis showcased impressive batting skills, forming a partnership of 77 runs for the fourth wicket, effectively extinguishing the Sri Lankan Lions' hopes. Inglis, in particular, shone with his first-ever World Cup fifty, accumulating 58 runs from 59 deliveries. Both Labuschagne (40 off 60) and Inglis eventually succumbed to the Sri Lankan bowlers in the latter stages of the run chase.

Nevertheless, Glenn Maxwell (31* off 21) and Marcus Stoinis (20* off 10) left no room for the Sri Lankans to stage a



comeback. The Australians successfully chased down the target with 5 wickets and a significant 14.4 overs to spare.

Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a strong start as the opening pair of Kushal Perera and Pathum Nissanka put up a partnership of 125 runs for the first wicket, defying the Australian bowling attack.

Pathum Nissanka contributed 61 runs from just 67 deliveries before he was dismissed by Pat Cummins, who took a catching opportunity provided by Nissanka off David Warner's bowling. Cummins continued to trouble Sri Lanka by getting rid of Kushal Perera, who scored 78 runs from 82 deliveries.

Australian spinner Adam Zampa played a crucial role in the match, taking the wickets of skipper Mendis for just 7 runs and Sadeera Samarawickrama, who managed to score 8 runs from as many deliveries.

Mitchell Starc created quite a stir by issuing a double Mankad warning to Perera in the initial five overs of the match instead of knocking the bails off. He eventually claimed his first of two wickets by clean-bowling Dananjaya de Silva, who managed to score only 7 runs. Shortly after, Dunith Wellalage was dismissed via a runout.

Adam Zampa also made an impact, securing the wicket of Chamika Karunaratne by trapping him plumb in front of the stumps. He continued to add to his wicket count that evening by dismissing Maheesh Theekshana for a duck, bringing his tally to 4 wickets for the match. Mitchell Starc took the final wicket, breaching Lahiru Thirumana's defense to conclude Sri Lanka's innings at a total of 209.