Australia secured their first victory in the World Cup campaign with a dominant performance against Sri Lanka on Monday.
The Australian bowling lineup set the tone for the game, and their batters maintained their composure to achieve a convincing five-wicket victory.
Australia faced an early setback in the innings when David Warner, who is participating in his last ODI World Cup, was dismissed for just 11 runs. Dilshan Madushanka trapped Warner in front of the stumps in the fourth over. Soon after, Steve Smith was sent back to the pavilion without scoring a run.
Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne then took charge of the innings, preventing a potential collapse. Marsh went on to score 52 runs but was run out due to excellent fielding by Karunaratne. Kusal Mendis executed a precise stumping to dismiss Marsh before he could make it to the crease.
Josh Inglis joined Labuschagne, and Madushanka claimed his third wicket of the night by sending Labuschagne back for 40 runs in the 29th over. Dunith Wellalage contributed by taking the wicket of Inglis, who scored a crucial 58 off 59 balls.
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis guided Australia to victory with scores of 31* and 20*, respectively.
Earlier in the match, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 209 runs in 43.3 overs. Opting to bat first, Sri Lankan openers Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka got off to a strong start, targeting Australia’s pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc during the powerplay.
At the end of 10 overs, Sri Lanka reached 51/0, with Perera (24*) and Nissanka (22*) at the crease. The duo continued to build the partnership, and Sri Lanka reached the 100-run mark in just 17.5 overs.
Perera reached his fifty in 57 balls with eight fours, while Nissanka reached his 16th ODI fifty in 58 balls with six fours. However, skipper Cummins broke their partnership by dismissing Nissanka for 61 runs off 67 balls.
In-form Kusal Mendis joined Perera, but Cummins once again struck, removing Perera for 78 off 82 balls. After that, spinner Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc took control, with Zampa claiming four crucial wickets.
Sri Lanka was reduced to 199/8 in 39.2 overs. Starc continued his impressive form by taking another wicket. Sri Lanka eventually reached the 200-run mark but lost all their wickets for 209 runs in 43.4 overs.
Zampa was the standout bowler for Australia, finishing with figures of 4/47, while Starc and Cummins took two wickets each, and Maxwell claimed one.
With this victory, Australia moved up to the eighth spot in the team standings.
Brief Score: Sri Lanka 209 (Kusal Perera 78, Pathum Nissanka 61; Adam Zampa 4-47) vs Australia 215-5 (Josh Inglis 58, Mitchell Marsh 52; Dilshan Madushanka 3-3).
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