DUBAI: Opener David Warner struck form with an attacking 65 to help Australia to their second successive victory in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup with a seven-wicket thrashing of Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Warner, who was dropped from his IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad last month after two bad games, smashed 10 fours in his 42-ball knock as Australia achieved their target of 155 with 18 balls to spare at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Warner and skipper Aaron Finch, who made 37, took apart the Sri Lankan bowlers with an opening stand of 70.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa returned impressive figures of 2-12 to help restrict Sri Lanka to 154-6 despite Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s unbeaten 33 off 26 balls.

In reply the left-right batting pair of Warner and Finch punished the opposition pace bowlers with regular boundaries while successfully thwarting mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana.

Leg-spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga got Finch against the run of play as the batsman chopped a googly onto his stumps. He hit 37 off 23 deliveries.

Glenn Maxwell’s promotion to number three did not bear results as he fell in Hasaranga’s next over for five, but there was no stopping Warner.

The left-handed batter, who survived a reprieve on 18 when wicket-keeper Kusal Perera dropped an easy catch off Dushmantha Chameera, reached his fifty in 31 balls.

Warner finally fell to Dasun Shanaka before Steve Smith, who made 28, and Marcus Stoinis, who made 16, carried the team home.

Earlier Zampa checked Sri Lanka’s brisk start after Charith Asalanka and Kusal Perera — both scoring 35 — put on 63 for the second wicket.

Pat Cummins struck first with the wicket of Pathum Nissanka in the third over of the innings, but new man Asalanka soon hit bat back with three straight boundaries off the fast bowler.

The left-handed Asalanka kept up the charge and took on Maxwell’s spin as Sri Lanka managed 64 runs off the first six overs of Powerplay.

Zampa broke through with his leg spin googly to get Asalanka caught at backward square leg.

Mitchell Starc bowled Perera, the left-handed wicket-keeper/batter, with a scorching yorker in the next over with Australia making inroads into the opposition middle order.

Zampa took down Avishka Fernando and Starc sent back Wanindu Hasaranga for four as Sri Lanka slipped to 94-5 in the 13th over.

Rajapaksa stood firm to see off player-of-the-match Zampa’s fourth over before launching an attack as he smashed Marcus Stoinis for two fours and a six in a 17-run over.

The left-handed Rajapaksa and Shanaka put together 40 runs off 32 balls before the captain walked back for 12 off Cummins.

Rajapaksa hit four fours and one six in his 26-ball knock but the innings wasn’t enough for Sri Lanka, who went down to their first loss in the second stage after defeated Bangladesh in their opening Super 12 game.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA:

P. Nissanka c Warner b Cummins 7

M.D.K.J. Perera b Starc 35

K.I.C. Asalanka c Smith b Zampa 35

W.I.A. Fernando c Smith b Zampa 4

P.B.B. Rajapaksa not out 33

W. Hasaranga c Wade b Starc 4

M.D. Shanaka c Wade b Cummins 12

C. Karunaratne not out 9

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-10, NB-1) 15

TOTAL (for six wkts, 20 overs) 154

FALL OF WKTS: 1-15 (Nissanka, 2.3 ov), 2-78 (Asalanka, 9.4 ov), 3-86 (Perera, 10.3 ov), 4-90 (Fernando, 11.5 ov), 5-94 (Hasaranga, 12.2 ov), 6-134 (Shanaka, 17.4 ov).

DID NOT BAT: P.V.D. Chameera, C.B.R.L.S. Kumara, M.M. Theekshana.

BOWLING: Starc 4-0-27-2 (1w); Hazlewood 4-0-26-0 (1w); Cummins 4-0-34-2 (1nb, 2w); Maxwell 1-0-16-0 (1w); Stoinis 3-0-35-0 (1w); Zampa 4-0-12-2.

AUSTRALIA:

D.A. Warner c Rajapaksa b Shanaka 65

A.J. Finch b Hasaranga 37

G.J. Maxwell c Fernando b Hasaranga 5

S.P.D. Smith not out 28

M.P. Stoinis not out 16

EXTRAS (W-2, NB-2) 4

TOTAL (for three wkts, 17 overs) 155

FALL OF WKTS: 1-70 (Finch, 6.5 ov), 2-80 (Maxwell, 8.3 ov), 3-130 (Warner, 14.6 ov).

DID NOT BAT: M.R. Marsh, M.S. Wade, P.J. Cummins, M.A. Starc, A. Zampa, J.R. Hazlewood.

BOWLING: Karunaratne 2-0-19-0 (1w); Theekshana 4-0-27-0; Chameera 3-0-33-0 (1nb); Kumara 3-0-48-0; Hasaranga 4-0-22-2 (1nb); Shanaka 1-0-6-1 (1w).

RESULT: Australia won by seven wickets.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and R.K. Illingworth (England).

TV UMPIRE: M. Erasmus (South Africa).

MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand).

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Adam Zampa (Australia).

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2021