Cummins, Zampa spark collapse as Aussies break duck

Australia are on the board in the 2023 World Cup and off the bottom of the tournament standings after Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa sparked a dramatic Sri Lankan collapse and set the Aussies on course for a five-wicket victory in Lucknow.

Sri Lanka lost their last nine wickets for 52, including 6-31 after a 28-minute rain delay in the 33rd over, as Australia conquered their middle overs woes after conceding their second straight century opening stand.

Openers Kusal Perera (78) and Pathum Nissanka (61) gave Sri Lanka the fast start they needed with a first-wicket partnership of 125. But as the gusty Lucknow storm sent the rooftop banners tumbling into the stands, narrowly avoiding injuring a modest but noisy crowd, Cummins and Zampa blew away Sri Lanka's top and middle order to have them all out for 209 with more than six overs to spare.

Australia's chase was far from straight forward as the left-arm swing of Dilshan Madushanka (3-38) cannoned into the front pads of David Warner (11) and Steve Smith for a duck to leave the five-time champions a nervy 2-24, reprising memories of their disastrous collapse against the Proteas four nights earlier.

After vowing over the weekend to put the pressure back on the bowlers, Mitch Marsh resurrected the chase at lightning speed, racing to Australia's first half-century of the tournament off 39 balls.

But after getting bogged down with just one run from his next 11, the big-hitting allrounder was run out for 52 coming back for a calamitous second to set Australian hearts racing once more.

Marnus Labuschagne – who set himself on a path for a late call-up to Australia's World Cup squad with a match-winning 80no as a concussion sub in South Africa – came to the rescue again.

He found an ally in Josh Inglis, who justified his selection over Alex Carey for the second consecutive match with a run-a-ball 58, taking Lahiru Kumara's third over for 14 after Marsh smashed his first – the opening over of the chase – for 15 as the right-armer conceded a hefty 47 runs from his four overs.

But neither could finish the job; Labuschagne fell for 40, while Inglis perished with 18 runs to win, leaving Glenn Maxwell (31no off 21) and Marcus Stoinis (20no off 10) to take Australia to their target of 210 with 14.4 overs remaining.

Cummins admitted he also would have batted had he won a third straight toss, Australia forced to break a five-game losing streak when batting second in one-day internationals to extend their World Cup winning run over Sri Lanka to seven matches.

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis – standing in for the injured Dasun Shanaka who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament – had no hesitation in opting to bat and at 1-152 halfway through the innings it appeared justified as his side cantered towards a third 300-plus score to begin the World Cup.

But the Aussie skipper intervened with the bowling equivalent of 'captain's knock' to remove Nissanka in the 22nd over, when the Lankan opener picked out David Warner at deep mid-wicket after Australia went wicketless in the 10-over Powerplay for the seventh time in their past nine matches.

The 30-year-old Cummins broke through again shortly after with the big wicket of Kusal Perera (78), removing both set openers to swing the momentum back in Australia's favour.

Zampa then struck twice in as many balls, missing the hat-trick, but removing the dangerous Mendis for nine, who prior to Monday's match had started the tournament with scores of 78 and 122 in their opening two games.

Sadeera Samarawickrama was next to go for eight with the first ball of his next over, unable to be saved on review after being given out, with ball tracking showing umpire's call clipping leg stump before Dhananjaya de Silva safely negotiated the hat-trick ball.

Cummins (2-32) was involved again with a direct hit to send Dunith Wellalage his way with last batter out Charith Asalanka (25) the only other to offer any resistance as Zampa (4-47) ripped through Sri Lanka's middle to lower order, rediscovering his best after a sluggish start to the World Cup.

Maxwell was again exceptional with 1-36 from 9.3 overs, preventing Zampa from a shot at his first international five-wicket haul in India as Australia tried to rush through a few overs after going three behind the rate.

Mitchell Starc was the other wicket-taker with 2-43 from his 10 overs as Sri Lanka lost 9-52 to be all out for 209 three balls into the 44th over.

Australia perhaps could have had Sri Lanka out earlier had they not burned a review on the first ball of the match and missed a chance to overturn the umpire's not out decision when Maxwell struck Perera in front on 24, even though they still had a review remaining.

Maxwell's fourth delivery of the 10th over rapped the left-hander on the pads and it looked to the naked eye to be sliding down leg as Cummins opted not to review. Ball tracking shown by the broadcaster an over later showed that was not the case.

Australia dropped two, albeit very tough chances, taking their tournament tally of missed catches to eight – the most drops of the 10 competing nations – but Warner restored their fielding reputation with two superb athletic efforts on the deep mid-wicket boundary, first to break the opening stand and then to remove the in-form Mendis.

It lifts Australia to eighth in the standings as they head to Bengaluru to face Pakistan next on Friday. They sit one spot ahead of the still winless Sri Lanka with the worst net run-rate of the four teams with one victory so far this World Cup and the Aussies still have the unenviable task of likely having to win five of their six remaining games to reach the tournament's knockout stage.

Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup fixtures

October 8: Lost to India by six wickets

October 12: Lost to South Africa by 134 runs

October 16: Defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets

October 20: v Pakistan, Bengaluru (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 25: v Netherlands, Delhi (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 28: v New Zealand, Dharamsala, 4pm AEDT

November 4: v England, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 7: v Afghanistan, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 11: v Bangladesh, Pune, 4pm AEDT

November 15: First semi-final, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 16: Second semi-final, Kolkata (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 19: Final, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

2023 World Cup standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 India Men IND	9	9	0	0	0	2.57	0	18
2 South Africa Men SA	9	7	2	0	0	1.261	0	14
3 Australia Men AUS	9	7	2	0	0	0.841	0	14
4 New Zealand Men NZ	9	5	4	0	0	0.743	0	10
5 Pakistan Men PAK	9	4	5	0	0	-0.199	0	8
6 Afghanistan Men AFG	9	4	5	0	0	-0.336	0	8
7 England Men ENG	9	3	6	0	0	-0.572	0	6
8 Bangladesh Men BAN	9	2	7	0	0	-1.087	0	4
9 Sri Lanka Men SL	9	2	7	0	0	-1.419	0	4
10 Netherlands Men NED	9	2	7	0	0	-1.825	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points