Dubai: In the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in a Group-1K match of the Super 12 stage. Kangaroos achieved the target of 155 runs for the win at the loss of 3 wickets. David Warner scored 65 runs in 42 balls for the team.
David Warner shared a 70-run partnership in 6.5 overs with captain Aaron Finch for the first wicket with 10 brilliant fours in his 42-ball innings. Finch hit 5 fours and 2 sixes during his innings of 37 runs in 23 balls. Warner also made a half-century partnership for the third wicket with former captain Steve Smith (28 not out off 26 balls).
Australia achieved the target of 155 runs by Sri Lanka at the loss of 3 wickets with 18 balls to spare. This is Australia’s second win in two matches. The Kangaroo team is second only to England in the group points table. Sri Lanka is at the fourth position with one win and one loss in the same number of matches.
After Kusal Perera and Charith Aslanka’s 35-35 innings, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (33 not out) scored 154 for six in the last over with the aggressive batting of Bhanuka Rajapaksa (33 not out). Perera hit 25 balls while Aslanka hit 4 fours and a six in his 27-ball innings. Rajapaksa also hit four fours and a six in his unbeaten innings of 26 balls.
Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc took two wickets each for Australia. Zampa was very economical in this. Man of the match Zampa spent only 12 runs in 4 overs. Chasing the target, Warner and Finch gave Australia a very quick start. Finch hit 2 fours in the first over of Chamika Karunaratne, while Warner hit a four against Mahish. Both scored 20 runs from the third over of Lahiru Kumara’s innings. It included Finch’s six and four while Warner’s two fours were included.
Aaron Finch then hit a six and then a four against Dushmanta Chamira in the first two balls of the fifth over. On the fourth ball of the same over, wicketkeeper Kusal Perera dropped his easy catch. Australia scored 63 for no loss in the powerplay
David Warner hit a four off Wanindu Hasranga’s delivery in the seventh over, but this team’s most successful bowler for some time showed the way to the pavilion to Finch and then to Glenn Maxwell in his next over, his ball taking the inner edge of Finch’s bat on the wickets. Started going Maxwell was caught by Avishka Fernando in the pursuit of hitting a big shot, he scored 5 runs
Wanindu Hasaranga took 2 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. Australia, meanwhile, completed 100 runs in the 11th over, while Warner completed his half-century in 31 balls with a four on the first ball of the 12th over and a run in the third ball. He increased the run-rate by hitting two consecutive fours against Chamira in the 14th over, but in the 15th over, captain Dasun Shanaka was caught by Bhanuka Rajapaksa on the last ball.
Australia now needed 25 runs in the last five overs. Smith and Marcus Stoinis took some big shots to give the team victory in the 17th over itself. Stoinis remained unbeaten on 16 runs in seven balls with the help of two fours and a six.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Pat Cummins gave the first blow to Sri Lanka by getting Pathum Nisanka (seven) caught by David Warner in the third over for Australia. Charith Aslanka, who was running in great rhythm, after hitting two consecutive fours in this over as soon as he stepped on the crease, welcomed Maxwell with a six in the next over. He then hit another boundary. Sri Lanka scored 16 runs from Maxwell’s over.
Sri Lankan opener Kusal Perera hit a four against Cummins, taking Sri Lanka’s score to 53 for one in the power play. Perera tried to increase the run-rate by hitting two consecutive fours against Marcus Stoinis in the 9th over but Adam Zampa caught Aslanka in his spin in the 10th over. Aslanka gave an easy catch to Steve Smith in an attempt to sweep . He shared a 63-run partnership with Perera for the second wicket.
Captain Finch gave the ball to Mitchell Starc in the 11th over and Perera hit a lofty six off his second ball but was bowled on the next ball. Zampa gave Sri Lanka the fourth and fifth blow in the 12th over by Avishka Fernando (four) and Cummins running Hasaranga (four) in the 13th over.
Sri Lanka’s run-rate was curtailed after losing four wickets in 16 runs but Rajapaksa made 17 runs in the 17th over against Stoinis, hitting two consecutive fours and then sixes. In the next over, captain Dasun Shanaka hit a four against Pat Cummins but was caught by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade in the process of playing another big shot. He scored 12 runs in 19 balls. The Sri Lankan team managed to make a competitive score by collecting 19 runs even after hitting just two fours in the last two overs.