In less than 48 hours, Sri Lanka suffered their second defeat, leaving their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread. Australia began their T20 World Cup defense with a six-wicket victory, restricting Sri Lanka to under 100 runs and successfully chasing down the target in just 15 overs. However, their scoring rate wasn’t sufficient to place them at the top of the group, as they trail New Zealand on net run rate (NRR)—a detail that could prove crucial in a pool that has already seen two upsets.
Australia would be the first to admit that they were not at their clinical best, Even though it was relatively straightforward for them. Their bowlers sent down five no-balls and two wides, and the 13 extras were the fourth-highest contributor on a sorry Sri Lanka scorecard. That continues a trend of Australia conceding the most number of extras since the start of last year and is a discipline they would want to tighten up on.
Overlooking tiny details, Megan Schutt, a medium-paced bowler, finished with the best figures of all the bowlers on a wicket that was favorable to spinners, giving Australia the early advantage. Spinners Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, and Ash Gardner bowled 12 overs together which cost only 55 runs while they shared four wickets.
Sri Lanka's main resistance came from a 31-run partnership between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshika Silva, the only batters to score over 20 runs. While Sri Lanka ended up well short of a competitive total, they initially put up a spirited effort in defense. They had Australia at 35 for 3 and were fielding impressively, but ultimately, they lacked the runs needed to mount a serious challenge.
Any doubts about Australia would be anything less than their absolute best as their tournament got underway, but that was swiftly dismissed as they got off to the perfect start. Schutt started proceedings with the tournament's second maiden over, and Gardner followed up with a second, which immediately raised questions about Chamari Athapaththu's decision to bat first.
She connected in the third over when she guided Schutt past backward point for two, but the over ended badly when Vishmi Gunaratne was given out lbw off the last ball, and reviewed to no avail. Schutt got the ball to tail in from outside off and pin Gunaratne on the back pad in front of the middle and leg stump. Ball tracking confirmed her dismissal.
Things took a turn for the worse just two balls later, as Gardner beat Athapaththu's sweep shot and asked for a review after the on-field decision seemed to suggest it was sliding down leg. But ball-tracking judged it to be hitting leg, and Athapaththu had to depart for a second single-figure score to start the World Cup. Sri Lanka were 6 for 2 in the fourth over.
Sri Lanka's batters can’t be faulted for trying to make something happen in their quest for runs, but their attacking efforts fell short as they struggled to clear the boundary. Samarawickrama, who fought hard to score 23 off 35 balls, was the first to play a poor shot, swinging at a full, wide delivery from Molineux without conviction and offering a simple return catch to the bowler.
Hasini Perera faced just four balls for her 2 runs before receiving a gift from Wareham, who bowled a wayward full toss that Perera swiped toward Gardner, who took a good catch over her right shoulder. In the final over, with runs needed to set a respectable total, Anushka Sanjeewani attempted to lap Schutt but ended up scooping the ball directly to Wareham at short fine leg.
Sri Lanka found themselves under pressure after conceding eight runs off the first three legal deliveries of Australia’s innings, but Udeshika Prabodhani had the perfect response. Her fourth ball was on a length and angled in; Alyssa Healy attempted a leg-side flick, but the ball held its line and beat her entirely, hitting off stump. Prabodhani closed out the over without conceding another run, and suddenly, Sri Lanka was back in the contest.
Beth Takes Charge
When Wareham was run out in the third over and Ellyse Perry was bowled, the match hung in the balance. But then came Beth Mooney. Often regarded as the best chaser in women’s cricket, she took her time at the start and found her first boundary after the powerplay when Inoshi Priyadarshani bowled a full delivery down leg, which Mooney deftly paddled fine for four runs.
Quickly settling in, she sent Sugandika Kumari’s delivery over mid-on for another four, bringing the target under 50. In her typically composed fashion, Mooney remained unbeaten on 43 at the end, sealing the victory with the winning run in the 15th over.
