AUS vs SA: Madhushanka sends back David Warner, Steve Smith - are Australia losing 3rd World Cup game?

Is this the 'mighty' Australia fans expected in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023? Australia's shaky start in the second innings of the 14th match has raised questions among cricket pundits who had kept them as one of the Top 4 teams to look out for.

In the clash in Lucknow, both Australia and Sri Lanka, are grappling with two consecutive losses and are facing a crucial encounter. Despite Sri Lanka's promising start to their innings, Australia soon gained the upper hand, and wickets began to tumble, ultimately leading to the Asian Lions' dismissal for a total of 209 runs in 43.3 overs.

READ | AUS vs SL: WATCH Australia and Sri Lanka players face sun, rain, and wind storm in Lucknow

However, Dilshan Madushanka shifted the game's dynamics by dismissing David Warner and Steve Smith in a remarkable 2-wicket maiden over. First, he got Warner out for LBW, who walked off with 11 runs from 6 balls. Warner immediately reviewed the decision, as it appeared the ball was high and might be sliding down the leg side. Upon review, it was confirmed that there was no involvement of the bat, and the ball tracking showed an "umpire's call" for hitting the stumps. The decision was upheld, leading to Warner's departure who walked away fuming in anger.

Then, it was Smith who was dismissed for a duck, marking his first-ever World Cup duck. The batter faced a delivery that appeared to be on target, and he immediately walked off the field. The ball hit a shuffling Smith in front of the middle stump, stayed low, and the height wasn't a concern. Smith briefly discussed the decision with his partner but eventually departed without scoring a run. 

Fans too took to X (formerly known as Twitter) asking why is Australia unable to bat under lights and why they are not looking like a strong unit.

As of writing this article, Australia has scored 45 runs and lost two wickets in 7 overs, with Mitchell Marsh (31*) leading the attack and trying to rebuild the partnership with Marnus Labuschagne (3*).