In a Group B clash at Pallekelle, Sri Lanka won the toss and put Australia into bat first on a good evening and good pitch as well. Australia have welcomed back captain Mitchell Marsh as he opened the batting with Travis Head. Australia are off to a fantastic start as Sri Lanka are being taken to the cleaners. What’s worse for the Lankan lions is Matheesha Pathirana has injured his left hamstring and is now out of the game as well. Sri Lanka looks under the pump.
Australia Gets off to a Rampaging Start.Â
Put into bat first on a good track, captain Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head opened the batting for Australia while Dushmantha Chameera opened the bowling for Sri Lanka. Marsh was off and running in the second ball of the match as he got width and got on top of the bounce to punch it sweetly past deep backward point for the boundary. Head came on strike and flicked it away over midwicket for a boundary.
Marsh then took on Chameera and pumped it down the ground over long-on for the maximum straight as an arrow. Maheesh Theekshana came into the attack next. Head got a streaky boundary as he got down on one knee and went for the big slog sweep which beat short third man for a boundary. Head went again as he pressed forward and creamed it through the covers for a boundary.
Matheesha Pathirana came into the attack next. He bowled 4 decent balls and then injured his left hamstring and was down on the ground and the physios helped him take off the field and this could be the end of him for the tournament definitely this match. Captain Dasun Shanaka came out to complete the over as Head welcomed him with a boundary with the cut shot past backward point for a boundary.
Theekshana continued as Head slogged the ball into the gap past the left of mid-on for a boundary. Theekshana bowled a good over. Shanaka continued and was smashed by Head as the short of a length delivery was pulled away over deep forward square leg for the maximum. Head once again punished Shanaka as he backed away for room and slapped it through the covers for a boundary. With this, Australia brought up their fifty and of the partnership in 5 overs i..e. 30 balls and were 50/0 in 5 overs.
Maheesh Theekshana came to bowl the last over of powerplay as Marsh gave himself room and drove it through the covers for a boundary. Marsh was not done yet as he hung back and opened the bat face to punch it past the left of extra cover for a boundary. Marsh completed a hat-trick of boundaries by pressing forward and opened the bat face and carved it away over top of extra cover for a boundary.
Marsh made it 4 in a row as he got down on one knee and swept it past the left of diving backward square leg for a boundary and then drove a beautiful extra cover drive through mid-off for a boundary. Australia got 20 off this over and after the powerplay of 6 overs they were 70/0 like a rampaging river with Head unbeaten on 35 off 20 balls and Marsh unbeaten on 34 off 16 balls.
What Lies Ahead.Â
Australia are on top at the end of the powerplay and will look to press it on from here. Sri Lanka with all to do and with Pathirana out, they have a ,mountain to climb. 200-220 is on the cards now. Can Sri Lanka fight back? Only time will tell.
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