PERTH, Australia — A late cameo by
Charith Asalanka helped Sri Lanka to 157–6 after
Australia’s bowlers struck with regular wickets in a key Super 12 match at the
Twenty20 World Cup on Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
Defending
champions Australia elected to bowl first in Perth and replaced Covid-hit Adam
Zampa with Ashton Agar in the team, which lost their opener to New Zealand last
week.
Asian champions
Sri Lanka looked in trouble at 120–6 in the 18th over but the left-handed
Asalanka smashed an unbeaten 38 off 25 balls to put up a fighting total.
Pathum Nissanka
(40) and Dhananjaya de Silva, who made 26, put on 69 runs to lay the
foundations for the total but Sri Lanka slipped midway by losing wickets.
The quicks bowled
a tight line to start with and Pat Cummins struck in the second over of the
match to send
Kusal Mendis trudging back to the pavilion for five.
Nissanka, who
returned to the team after recovering from a groin strain, and De Silva kept
the score ticking and with occasional boundaries to steer the team to 63–1 in
10 overs.
Agar broke the
stand after getting De Silva out with David Warner taking a good running catch
at long-off.
Asalanka came out
and attacked Mitchell Marsh’s bowling to hit a six and four after Cummins
dropped Nissanka at deep mid-wicket.
But Nissanka soon
fell, run out after a mix-up with Asalanka.
Big-hitter Bhanuka
Rajapaksa smashed a boundary off Mitchell Starc but got out next ball and Sri
Lanka soon lost half their side when Glenn Maxwell sent back skipper Dasun
Shanaka, for three.
Sri Lanka lost
their sixth in
Wanindu Hasaranga, but Asalanka stood firm and put on an
unbeaten stand of 37 with Chamika Karunaratne, who made 14.
The pair smashed Cummins
for two fours and a six in a 20-run final over to finish with a flourish.
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