That’s it from me today, thanks for your company. We’ll be back early tomorrow UK time for England’s clash against Ireland and then again on Friday for the big one between England and Australia at the MCG. Until then, goodbye!
Marcus Stoinis is Player of the Match for his batting ballistics:
To be honest I was really nervous today being at home in Perth with lots of family and friends here. Mentally I was nice and fresh having some time off with this side strain, but I felt good. We played here the other day against England and it was a beautiful wicket. It’s a beautiful ground, probably the best ground in Australia if not the world. We’ve wrapped this game up and look forward to playing England at the MCG. They’re obviously a very good team so we’ll do our homework again, rest up, get on our flight tomorrow and then go from there.”
Finch speaks:
Kudos to Australia’s captain – he’s out there talking to the tv folks.
Obviously my innings was unusual. It was poor. I just couldn’t hit the ball. But I thought the way that we approached it with the bat was fine. We knew the first four or five overs with the ball, especially with Kumara nipping it around - it was seaming a long way there - so if we could get through that none or one down then it was going to be really important to set up the back end of the innings. It would’ve been nice if I could’ve kicked on earlier and made the chase a bit easier but all in all it was pretty clinical.
Australia get over the line in style then, boosting their net run rate and setting things up nicely for Friday’s clash with England.
The form of their captain will be a concern though.
Aaron Finch having a long chat with Darren Sammy, someone who knows all about not being at his best personally in a #T20WorldCup & yet managing to lead his team to the title #AusvSL pic.twitter.com/5tvcnL3as7
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) October 25, 2022
When Marcus Stoinis came in, Australia needed nine an over and Sri Lanka were surging.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 25, 2022
In 17 balls of carnage, he's turned the game decisively his side's way👏 #AUSvSL #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/gV8eZXYqLx
Australia win by 7 wickets (with 21 balls remaining)
Job done! Stoinis pongoes his sixth six into the crowd to leave Aaron Finch with two to get to secure the win. Finch, fittingly, mistimes a booming drive but gets enough bat on it to see it land over the infield and the batters run the two needed for victory.
16th over: Australia 146-3 (Finch 28, Stoinis 53) This match will henceforth be known as the Marcus Stoinis game. He spanks three more sixes off Theekshana to go to the fastest T20I fifty for Australia! He has 53 from just 17 balls. Australia owe this (near certain) victory to him. Finch’s innings at the other end has been a marked contrast but that’s for another day. Australia will take the points and move on. Their run rate will improve significantly thanks to Stoinis too.
15th over: Australia 126-3 (Finch 27, Stoinis 34) Absolutely Brutal batting from Marcus Stoinis! The big fella - shoulders wider than a chest-freezer - obliterates Hasaranga for 6,4,6! Majestic hitting. Incredible power. Stoinis roars with adrenaline and probably some relief. The pressure eases on Australia. This never happens to Hasaranga either, he’s gone for some serious tap today – 53 runs from just three overs.
14th over: Australia 107-3 (Finch 26, Stoinis 16) Back to back boundaries for Stoinis off Shanaka, both edges that squirt away past the keeper. Very handy for Australia.
13th over: Australia 97-3 (Finch 25, Stoinis 7) Stoinis joins his captain at the crease and plays a clever ramp wide of the keeper for four to keep Australia ticking. Sri Lanka need to keep taking wickets. Finch is still there too.
WICKET! Maxwell ct Sub (Bandara) b Karunaratne 23 (Australia 89-3)
WOW. wow. Wow. Sri Lanka’s sub fielder Bandara goes from zero to hero in a matter of seconds… first he juggles a catch off Maxwell, spilling a tough chance at the fourth attempt. Maxwell then smears a length ball into the deep and seems to hold the pose – certain it is going for six. That man Bandara leaps to take the catch and then pulls of a landing inches from the rope that Olga Korbut would’ve been happy with. What a catch. Maxwell is dismayed but has to go.
How about that for balance on the boundary rope!? 👌
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 25, 2022
Maxwell is GONE ❌ #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/gSBrqlKIBW
12th over: Australia 88-3 (Finch 23, Maxwell 23) Kumara back into the attack and he’s cranking up the speedometer. Maxwell looks troubled by the short ball, Kumara wraps him on the gloves with a lifter. OUCH! Maxwell is hit. A nasty blow that seemed to ricochet off his shoulder and into the side of his helmet. He stumbles away and removes his lid. The ground holds its breath. Ah, thankfully he seems to be ok. The medics check him over and he’s going to continue. Just two runs off the over.
11th over: Australia 86-2 (Finch 23, Maxwell 22) Sri Lanka fight back in quiet fashion, Theekshana sends down dot after dot. Just one off the over from a leg side wide. Australia need 72 from 54.
Photograph: Trevor Collens/AFP/Getty Images
10th over: Australia 85-2 (Finch 23, Maxwell 22) A huge over for Australia! NINETEEN runs blitzed from it! Maxwell nails Hasaranga straight for a six down the ground and then plays his version of a reverse-hit to pick up four more behind square. Six more! Maxwell is turning it on in Perth, Hasaranga is getting some serious tap. Game on!
WICKET! Marsh ct Rajapaksa b Dhananjaya 18
Aaron Finch smashes a six off Dhananjaya, that’s the first one he’s hit that made a nice sound from his blade. That’ll make him feel a bit better too. A single brings Marsh on strike and he is OUT! A big heave doesn’t have the legs and is snaffled in the deep by Rajapaksa.
Glenn Maxwell is the new man at the crease and he ain’t messing about, clearing his front leg and hoiking a four off his first ball.
9th over: Australia 66-2 (Finch 21, Maxwell 5)
8th over: Australia 53-1 (Finch 13, Marsh 18)Here we are and here we are and here we go. Hasaranga comes into the attack. This is the game right here. Australia counter attack, Marsh gets Australia’s FIRST boundary off the bat – rocking back and pulling Hasaranga through mid-wicket. SIX! Marsh then plays a thumping lofted drive that thunks into the sight screen for a maximum. The over goes for fifteen runs, not what Sri Lanka ordered from their star man.
Updated
7th over: Australia 38-1 (Finch 11, Marsh 5) DROP! Dhananjaya lures Mitch Marsh into a big heave-ho and the ball skews off his bat but is shelled by Hasaranga as he ran back to take the catch. Could be costly. Eeesh! Marsh tries another giant yahoo and fails to connect properly again, this time the ball lands safe, just plooping over the infield. Five off the over, the pressure cooker turns up a notch on the Aussies. The required rate creeps up to nine an over.
6th over: Australia 33-1 (Finch 9, Marsh 2) Karunaratne serves up a juicy full bunger to Finch who drives in the gap but doesn’t time it, he’ll be grateful to pick up three runs and get off strike. Marsh gets a single to bring his cap’n back on strike. A HUGE appeal as the ball seems to smash into Finch’s back leg… NOT OUT. The review shows it going over the top. Finch again appearing to be beaten for pace though, this has been a real struggle for him so far. Powerplay done.
Aaron Finch to Richard Illingworth over stump mic: "Happy to take any ideas if you know how to hit that"
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) October 25, 2022
WICKET! Warner ct Shanaka b Theekshana 11 (Australia 26-1)
Warner goes! Caught smartly in the covers by Shanaka off Theekshana’s first delivery. Warner throws back his head and howls in anguish. An Australian Werewolf in… Perth.
Theekshana looks very tidy, picking up a wicket and going for just two runs in his first over. Mitch Marsh is the new man.
5th over: Australia 26-1 (Finch 5, Marsh 1)
4th over: Australia 26-0 (Warner 11, Finch 4) No boundaries in the first three overs for Australia and quite a few alarms, mainly for Finch who it has to be said looks woefully out of nick. Kumara rips deliveries through him, one of which runs away for four byes and another thuds into his torso.
The ever-neutral Colum Fordham gets in touch on the emails:
“Hi Jim,
Sri Lanka are putting up quite a good fight of it and for us England-supporting “neutrals”, it would be wonderful if they could set a decent total that seriously challenges the hosts. But I think (fear) that Australia, despite their mixed body Language, will come good after their shambolic outing against the Kiwis.”
Time will tell Colum. I’m not so sure.
3rd over: Australia 22-0 (Warner 8, Finch 4) Karunaratne into the attack, he spears one into Finch’s pads and goes up for the lbw but the ball was sliding down. Decent wheels though. A wild wide is followed by another in-ducker that Finch chops down past his stumps, looks like the Aussie captain is being beaten for pace. Warner picks up two with a jab to leg. In other news, I’ve just been delivered a cornish pasty from my beloved, it’s the size of a house brick! Nevertheless a good OBO friendly snack. Chomp and type.
2nd over: Australia 12-0 (Warner 4, Finch 2) Lahiru Kumara is going to bring the pace from the other end. He starts by slamming down five wides down leg. Gah. Kumara soon has Aaron Finch in all sorts of bother though, cutting the ball back sharply three balls in a row to leave the Aussie skipper hopping and looking uncomfortable. Finch manages to get a spawny inside edge past the stumps to get off strike. A probing over. Sri Lanka are well up for this.
1st over: Australia 6-1 (Warner 4, Finch 1) Oh no! Fernando pulls up after his fifth ball, grimaces and walks straight from the field. Dhananjaya comes on to finish the over and fires down a dot. Only six from the first but a disastrous start for Sri Lanka.
Here we go…
This could be a tricky and nervy chase for Aus after they were unable to blast out SL. They gave it a red hot crack chasing England in Perth a few weeks back but that wasn’t a case of #T20WorldCup survival. Interesting match! #AUSvSL
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) October 25, 2022
Australia need 158 runs to win
Don’t go anywhere…
Australia will chase a target of 158 against Sri Lanka as they bid for their first win of the Super 12 stage. Join @Jimbo_Cricket for updates #T20WorldCup https://t.co/VV557xnrIC
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) October 25, 2022
Updated
20th over: Sri Lanka 157-6 (Asalanka 38, Karunaratne 14) Sri Lanka get TWENTY off the final over! Cummins gets the double-teapot out as he can’t quite believe what is happening out there. Asalanka pulled him for four to square-leg before slotting a half volley for a majestic SIX! Stand and deliver stuff! A bye and a wide raises the mercury further before the final ball is toe-ended through the covers only for Captain Finch to dive over the ball, turning to see it trickle away for four more! Finch smacks the pitch with anger. Sri Lanka are in this and there’s pressure on the home side here. A tricky target against Sri Lanka’s slippery spinners.
19th over: Sri Lanka 137-6 (Asalanka 26, Karunaratne 10) Decent penultimate over for Sri Lanka a they eke their score upwards and frustrate the Aussies. Starc sends down five wides and a no ball and is picked off by the scampering batters. One over to go, 150 the target?
WICKET! Hasaranga ct Wade b Hazlewood 1
Hazlewood returns and goes for seven runs but picks up the wicket of Hasaranga – a toe edge is gobbled by Wade. Karunaratne arrives and immediately hooks Starc away fine for four. Two overs to go, what can Sri Lanka post that will make the Aussies sweat under lights?
18th over: Sri Lanka 126-6 (Asalanka 25, Karunaratne 4)
Updated
17th over: Sri Lanka 119-5 (Asalanka 25, Hasaranga 1) Hasaranga is the new man, he’s at the non strikers end as Asalanka smears Cummins through cover for four. The big man does not like that but Asalanka and Hasaranga are trying to smash runs off every ball now to get this Sri Lanka total to something competitive. Eight runs from the over.
Wicket! Shanaka c Wade b Maxwell 3
Another one gone! Shanaka skies a high catch off Maxwell that is grabbed, seemingly after an eternity, by Wade with the gloves. Australia on the squeeze here.
16th over: Sri Lanka 111-5 (Asalanka 18)
WICKET! Rajapaksa ct Cummins b Starc 7 (Sri Lanka 106-4)
Bhanuka Rajapaksa plays a fun little cameo, lofting Starc for a couple over his head and whipping a short ball away for four before skying a drive to Pat Cummins down at third. Dasun Shanaka is the new batter.
15th over: Sri Lanka 106-4 (Asalanka 14, Shanaka 0)
Photograph: Trevor Collens/AFP/Getty Images
14th over: Sri Lanka 99-3 (Asalanka 14, Rajapaksa 1)
Bhanuka Rajapaksa is the new batter, he taps Agar away for one off his first ball. Agar finishes his spell neatly to return figures of 4 overs, 1 for 25. Decent.
WICKET! Nissanka run out (Marsh/Wade) 40 (Sri Lanka 97-3)
Oh no! Asalanka sells Nissanka down the river, a late call and bail out leaves his partner well and truly goosed. Big loss for Sri Lanka!
13th over: Sri Lanka 92-2 (Nissanka 36, Asalanka 14) Asalanka smotes Marsh for a SIX down the ground and a four through mid-wicket! Sri Lanka on the charge.
Updated
12th over: Sri Lanka 78-2 (Nissanka 35, Asalanka 1) Charith Asalanka is the new batter, he’s off the mark with a flick to midwicket. Sri Lanka are looking to open the shoulders now, we’re getting down to brass tacks, an average total on this ground is about 160.
WICKET! de Silva ct Warner b Agar 26 (Sri Lanka 75-2)
The ellipsis of doom - that man Warner takes a fine catch at wide mid-off to get rid of Dhananjaya. Australia needed that wicket, fist pumps (and a bit of relief?) all round.
11th over: Sri Lanka 73-1 (Nissanka 33, de Silva 25) Stoinis continues and bangs a few down short. Australia seem a bit crabby, both with each other and at the opposition. A sign of nerves perhaps? That won’t help – Dhananjaya backs away and edges Stoinis wide of Wade for four. Oh and David Warner pulls off a spectacular catch/boundary save, swallow dive and flick back – you know the one? Fantastic athleticism…
Uh-oh…
Some drama at the end of that over. Mitchell Starc twice warning or at least remonstrating with Dhananjaya de Silva for leaving the crease too early at the non-striker’s end & the chat continued at the end of the over #T20WorldCup #AusvSL pic.twitter.com/ObUNyM01S5
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) October 25, 2022
Photograph: Richard Wainwright/EPA
10th over: Sri Lanka 63-1 (Nissanka 32, de Silva 17) Starc returns for his second but this pair have their eye in now and are looking to get on the front foot and score, bunting down the ground powerfully. Nissanka then plays a luvvleh glide down to third where Hazlewood does some nifty work on the boundary to save a couple. Halfway through the innings, bubbling up nicely.
9th over: Sri Lanka 58-1 (Nissanka 29, de Silva 15) Agar again, he’s varying his speeds effectively, sending down a mix of fizzers and flighters. Nissanka and de Silva effect some harum-scarum running but safely make their ground. Their partnership goes above fifty too. Eight runs stolen from the over.
8th over: Sri Lanka 50-1 (Nissanka 22, de Silva 15) Seven runs from Stoinis’ first, Dhananjaya crunches a flat bat shot back past the muscular bolwer but the ball obliterates the stumps instead of fizzing away for four. Agar fumbles an easy stop at backward point and the big Stoin gives him a glare. Sri Lanka notch up their fifty for the loss of a single wicket.
7th over: Sri Lanka 43-1 (Nissanka 19, de Silva 11) Ashton Agar into the attack and he twirls away on a tight line for five balls before Dhananjaya has enough of poking and prodding and skips down the track to drive for four. Seven gone, Stoinis called for.
6th over: Sri Lanka 36-1 (Nissanka 17, de Silva 6) Decent final over in the powerplay for Sri Lanka, they get 11 runs off it largely due to two top edges that fly away over the diminutive* Mathew Wade behind the sticks.
*Don’t reckon he’d like that.
5th over: Sri Lanka 25-1 (Nissanka 10, de Silva 6) Cripes! Starc sends down two full out-swinging balls to start the over and Nissanka throws the kitchen sink, fridge, kettle and all the utensils at both but fails to connect. Starc looks unimpressed. There’s plenty of pace and bounce and at the moment Sri Lanka are struggling to get the ball away, perhaps swishing a bit too hard. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Three off the over.
4th over: Sri Lanka 22-1 (Nissanka 9, de Silva 6) Cummins continues and keeps it tight. Pounding away back of a length, jagging the ball back into the batters. Shot! Dhananjaya gets on top of the bounce and steers away for four. Both sides sizing each other up in the early stages. Starc is coming on for whirl.
Australian players celebrates the dismissal of Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis (R) during the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Perth Photograph: Trevor Collens/AFP/Getty Images
3rd over: Sri Lanka 16-1 (Nissanka 8, de Silva 1) Nissanka steps to leg and swishes Hazlewood away to the leg side fence for four. The next ball is plinked down the ground and just evades a back pedalling David Warner. Aggressive intent from the Sri Lankan top order. Hazlewood then bungs down two wides down the leg side, the last of which he appeals for a burgle to Wade behind the stumps but Umpire Erasmus is having none of it as he chews his gum and nonchalantly outstretches his arms.
WICKET! K Mendis ct Marsh b Cummins 5 (Sri Lanka 6-1)
Mendis scythes Cummins away for a top edged four down to third and then tries an even bigger swish to the next one, stepping away to leg but only managing to connect with fresh air. Gone! Another hack goes straight up and is pouched safely by Mitch Marsh. Australia have an early strike. Dhananjaya de Silva is the new bat.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 6-1 (Nissanka 1, de Silva 0)
1st over: Sri Lanka 2-0 (Nissanka 1, Mendis 1) Hazlewood is right on the button, getting a bit of zip and away swing off the Perth pitch, he beats the edge a couple of times to moans and groans from the cordon. Nissanka and Mendis both get off the mark with a single. Here comes Pat Cummins.
We’ve had the anthems and the coundown. Josh Hazlewood, the world’s numero uno T20I men’s bowler has the shiny white ball in his mitts. Let’s play!
Pre-game reading:
The crowd is building in Perth, we’ve got about ten minutes to the first ball. Just enough time to dip a toe into the news pool.
GET IN TOUCH WHY DONTCHA?
Any thoughts, theories, feelings in general? Email me or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket and I’ll be glad to read them.
Nervy times for Australia:
🇦🇺-🇱🇰 tactical thread. Australia’s huge loss v New Zealand has their Semi Final hopes hanging by a thread. If they lose to Sri Lanka today we give them just a 5% chance of progressing. If they win they move from 25% to 37%. Sri Lanka move from 41% to 63% with a win. #T20WorldCup
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 25, 2022
Team news
Adam Zampa is out with covid, Ashton Agar comes in. Pathum Nissanka is back for Sri Lanka.
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara.
Australia win the toss and will BOWL first
Here are the playing XIs for the upcoming match between Australia and Sri Lanka 🏏#ausvsl #t20worldcup #cricket pic.twitter.com/gS00yJCTGq
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 25, 2022
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Perth* for this T20 World Cup ding dong between Australia and Sri Lanka under lights at the Optus Stadium.
This World Cup has been a belter so far, the qualifying round and the early stages of the Super 12s have had it all – upsets, intrigue, controversy and one of the all-time great T20 games at Melbourne the other day when India and Pakistan duked it out to the final ball and Virat Kohli played one of the innings of his life.
But what of the Aussies? Well they were on the end of a comprehensive shellacking courtesy of their rivals from over ditch. New Zealand, particularly Finn Allen (42 off 16) and Devon Conway (92* off 58) dishing up some humpty to set the green and gold a gulp enducing 201 runs to win. Australia could only muster 111 (Tim Southee 3-6, Mitch Santner 3-31) and New Zealand ran out winners by 89 runs, ending a TWELVE year wait for a men’s international win on Aussie soil.
Wounds to lick then for the hosts and holders as their net run rate took a pounding, they sit on a wobbly NRR of - 4.45 and will be looking to get a win, a resounding one at that, under their belts.
Their opponents, Sri Lanka, will of course have other ideas. Having thrashed Ireland first up they sit pretty on a NRR of 2.467 to the good and after coming through the tricksy qualifiers are into their stride in the tournament. It could be a case of pace v spin as Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood will likely line up against the tweaking trio of Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Dhananjaya de Silva. Hasaranga has yet to hit his straps so far but he was player of the tournament last time and is in possession of perhaps the best googly in the game (Sorry Adil Rashid).
Hopefully we are in for another corker, play gets underway at 7pm in Perth/10pm AEDT and 12pm in the UK.
*Jim here with the call, OBOing from a fisherman’s cottage in Port Isaac, just the 9194 miles/ 14796.31 km from Perth. To be fair, the weather looks similar. I’m off to make a cuppa/nail another pasty/crank up some sea shanties and will be back with the news of the toss and teams shortly.
