Leg-spinner Adam Zampa on Monday played through pain to return figures of 4-47 and help Australia down Sri Lanka by five wickets for their first win of the Cricket World Cup.
The five-time winners bundled out Sri Lanka for 209, a total they overhauled in 35.2 overs at a windswept Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, India.
Zampa was named man of the match in Australia’s first win in three matches, but the 31-year-old said it had been tough coming into the match.
Photo: AFP
“To be honest, I wasn’t feeling great, because I had a bit of a back spasm,” Zampa said. “I was playing through it the last couple of days. Today I felt better, bowled better.”
Former champions Sri Lanka slipped to a third loss in as many games.
The drama on the field may have been limited, but that was not the case in the stands.
After rain interrupted Sri Lanka’s batting, strong winds brought scaffolding and hoardings crashing down onto the seats below. With only about 3,000 people inside the 50,000-capacity ground, spectators managed to escape injury.
However, Australia’s reply was delayed when the umpires felt it unsafe to restart the match with high winds still a danger.
Once the game resumed, opener Mitchell Marsh smashed 52 and wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis made 58.
Marsh led the chase after Australia lost two early wickets — David Warner for 11 and Steve Smith for a duck — to slip to 24-2.
Marsh reached his first 50 in a World Cup off 39 balls, but was soon run out after attempting a second run with Marnus Labuschagne, who hit 40.
Labuschagne and Inglis put on a key stand of 77 to deny the thin crowd of any late drama.
Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka broke the partnership to send back Labuschagne for his third wicket and spinner Dunith Wellalage got Inglis.
But Glenn Maxwell, who hit a 21-ball 31, took the team home with Marcus Stoinis, who made 20, for company.
Pat Cummins was under attack for his captaincy in the opening two losses.
“Outside noise doesn’t bother us too much,” Cummins said. “All parts of the game came together at the end. We’re underway in the tournament and hope we keep it up.”
Earlier, Sri Lanka elected to bat first and started with a 125-run opening stand between Pathum Nissanka (61) and Kusal Perera (78), before the opposition bowlers hit back to end the innings in 43.3 overs.
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