AUS vs SL: Australia secure 1st victory in ODI World Cup 2023, rise to 8th spot

Australia climbed to the 8th spot on the points table, while Sri Lanka now occupies a spot below them in the 9th position.

Australia vs Sri Lanka

Australia secured their first victory in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, defeating Sri Lanka by 5 wickets with 14 overs to spare in the 14th match of the tournament. Both teams, having lost consecutive games, were in desperate need of a win. With this convincing win, Australia climbed to the 8th spot on the points table, while Sri Lanka now occupies a spot below them in the 9th position.

While chasing a target of 210 runs, Australia encountered early trouble as Dilshan Madushanka, in red-hot form, took a double-wicket maiden in the fourth over having dismissed David Warner (11) and Steve Smith (0). However, Mitchell Marsh provided a flying start, scoring 52 runs off 51 balls, marking the team's first half-century in the 2023 tournament. He partnered with Marnus Labuschagne, who contributed 40 runs.

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Josh Inglis also made a significant contribution with 58 runs, while Glenn Maxwell (31) and Marcus Stoinis (14) remained steady to lead Australia to victory.

In the first innings, Adam Zampa was the star for Australia, claiming four wickets to help dismiss Sri Lanka for 209 in 43.3 overs. Sri Lanka, having won the toss and elected to bat, made a strong start as the opening pair of Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka put on 125 runs in 21.4 overs. The first breakthrough came from Pat Cummins, who removed Nissanka for 61 (67), and soon after, Perera was bowled out for 78 (82).

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Zampa further compounded Sri Lanka's troubles by dismissing Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama for single-digit scores, swinging the momentum in Australia's favour. There was a brief rain and wind storm delay during the innings, but Australian bowlers continued to dominate. In addition to Zampa, Mitchell Starc claimed two wickets, while Glenn Maxwell took one.

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