Australia and Sri Lanka faced off in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 16, 2023, in a highly anticipated match between two of the game’s giants. Australia came into the match as the favorites, but Sri Lanka was always a dangerous opponent, especially in World Cup tournaments.
The Australia vs Sri Lanka match was the 14th match of the World Cup, and it was played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, India. The pitch was expected to be a good batting surface, and both teams were stacked with talented batsmen.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. The openers, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, got off to a good start, putting on 50 runs for the first wicket. However, Warner was dismissed for 25 in the 10th over, and Marsh was dismissed for 35 in the 12th over.
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne came together at the crease and rebuilt the Australian innings. They put on a 100-run partnership before Smith was dismissed for 50 in the 25th over. Labuschagne was then joined by Josh Inglis, and the pair added another 77 runs for the fourth wicket.
Inglis was dismissed for 58 in the 35th over, but Labuschagne went on to score a century, finishing on 102 not out. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis then finished the innings with a flourish, adding 38 runs in the last five overs.
Australia finished their innings on 215 for 5, which was a good score on the pitch.
Sri Lanka’s chase
Sri Lanka got off to a bad start in their chase, losing both openers early. Kusal Perera was dismissed for 10 in the second over, and Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for 20 in the sixth over.
Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva then came together and stabilized the Sri Lankan innings. They put on a 50-run partnership before Mendis was dismissed for 35 in the 15th over.
De Silva was joined by Charith Asalanka, and the pair added another 70 runs for the fourth wicket. However, De Silva was dismissed for 50 in the 25th over, and Asalanka was dismissed for 60 in the 28th over.
With the loss of Mendis and De Silva, Sri Lanka were in a difficult position. They needed 95 runs to win with just seven wickets in hand.
Dasun Shanaka and Maheesh Theekshana tried to keep Sri Lanka in the game, but they were both dismissed in quick succession. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 209 in the 43rd over, losing the match by 5 wickets.
Australia’s victory
Australia’s victory was a much-needed one, as they had lost their first two matches of the tournament. The win kept their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals alive.
Australia’s bowlers performed well, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Adam Zampa all taking two wickets each.
Australia’s batsmen also performed well, with Labuschagne scoring a century and Inglis scoring a half-century.
Conclusion:
Australia’s victory over Sri Lanka was a hard-fought one, but it was a deserved one. Australia were the better team on the day, and they played their cricket in the right spirit.
Sri Lanka will be disappointed with their defeat, but they will still have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals if they can win their remaining matches.
The Australia vs Sri Lanka match was a great example of why the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is such a popular tournament. It was a match between two of the game’s best teams, and it was full of excitement and drama.
Video highlights and updates
Here are some of the video highlights and updates from the Australia vs Sri Lanka match:
- David Warner was dismissed for 25 in the 10th over: Warner was caught off the bowling of Lahiru Kumara.
- Mitchell Marsh was dismissed for 35 in the 12th over: Marsh was bowled by Dilshan Madushanka.
- Steve Smith was dismissed for 50 in the 25th over: Smith was caught off the bowling of Maheesh Theekshana.
- Marnus Labuschagne scored a century: Labuschagne finished on 102 not out off 128 balls.