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12th over: Sri Lanka 63-0 (Nissanka 29, Kusal 29) Composed batting from both openers keeps the score ticking over, despite another leg stump LBW appeal from Maxwell. This one less convincing than the first.
11th over: Sri Lanka 57-0 (Nissanka 27, Kusal 25) Nissanka slashes Cummins through point for a vicious four just as TV replays indicate a review the previous over would have given Maxwell a wicket when he appealed for LBW. Who’d be a captain, let alone a bowling one?
A dreadful review first ball of the match cost Australia that later lbw – and no appeal from anyone other than Maxwell didn’t help. #CWC2023
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) October 16, 2023 10th over: Sri Lanka 51-0 (Nissanka 22, Kusal 24) Kusal gets away with one there, trying to sweep Maxwell’s first delivery off a length, succeeding only in spiralling a top-edge that clears the keeper and runs away for four. That was a high risk shot considering the amount of bounce Maxwell found in his opening over. It’s dots thereafter, and one hearty bellow for LBW, but Joel Wilson doesn’t fancy it, nor does Pat Cummins with only one review left to play with.
Sri Lanka end the first powerplay in decent order.
9th over: Sri Lanka 47-0 (Nissanka 22, Kusal 20) Cummins isn’t doing a lot with the ball, beyond leaking onto the pads of the right-left opening pair. Sri Lanka ticking along nicely with only minor scares so far.
Cummins bowls a delivery. Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP8th over: Sri Lanka 42-0 (Nissanka 19, Kusal 19) Glenn Maxwell, Australia’s bowler of the tournament, is on early. There’s variable bounce and a hint of turn straight away, and he induces an edge from Nissanka! Unfortunately Inglis fails to read the play out of the hand and has no chance of responding off the bat. Not great again from the new keeper after he failed to cover himself in glory on tournament debut. Maxwell looks set to be the man once again.
7th over: Sri Lanka 39-0 (Nissanka 18, Kusal 17) Captain Cummins brings himself on to allow Starc more time to perfect his Mankad technique. But he’s immediately glanced to the fine leg fence by Kusal. It’s dots thereafter though, including a delivery that beats Kusal for pace, and one that features the Sri Lanka skipper missing with a wild swipe.
“Poor old Alex Carey,” emails Robert Ellson. “First they drop him, and now Starc throws him under the bus by not running out Perera. Got to feel for the guy.”
6th over: Sri Lanka 34-0 (Nissanka 18, Kusal 13) Nissanka clips an unfussy three off his hip then Kusal batters a pull for four as Hazlewood drops a touch short without bending his back. Sri Lanka then find Labuschagne on the dive at mid-off for the third time this morning following strokes worthy of boundaries.
💩 or get off the pot.
5th over: Sri Lanka 26-0 (Nissanka 15, Kusal 9) Starc shifts his attack from hooping in-swingers to the right-hander to slanting the ball across. Nissanka does not look at ease with the shift, raising questions about his balance and technique, then he clubs a boundary through the non-striker.
Starc does that weird non-Mankad thing again, aborting his delivery stride, but Kusal clearly has his bat in his crease. In other news, we’ve had five overs in half an hour’s play.
Nissanka plays a shot. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images4th over: Sri Lanka 21-0 (Nissanka 10, Kusal 9) First hint of width of the afternoon and Kusal throws his hands at the ball, crushing it square behind point for a fizzing boundary. Hazlewood overcorrects and Kusal makes it consecutive fours with a gorgeous straight drive. Cummins responds by pulling out second slip and shifting him to cover. Aaron Finch sounds deflated on TV commentary by the move. The doubters over Cummins’s long-term suitability to the captaincy are beginning to clear their throats.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 13-0 (Nissanka 10, Kusal 1) After an over at Nissanka, Starc gets a look at the left-handed Kusal, and he’s quickly beating the outside edge with a beautiful away-swinger. Key on this surface is length though, and despite finding similar swing soon afterwards, he’s a touch fuller, allowing the Sri Lanka skipper chance to hit through the line. But like Nissanka in the previous over the promising shot is straight to mid-off. Runs are not far away though with Starc leaking onto the pads of first the left then the right-handed batter.
Stoinis dives unsuccessfully to stop a boundary. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP2nd over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Nissanka 8, Kusal 0) Josh Hazlewood shares opening bowling duties, conceding just a leg-bye as he settles into his preferred top-of-off line and length. He overpitches only once and is fortunate Nissanka’s handsome drive is within sliding reach of Labuschagne in the ring.
Umpire update – further to my Alex wharf request earlier on, the Yorkshireman isn’t even standing. Joel Wilson is a late replacement. Not sure why.
1st over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Nissanka 8, Kusal 0) Plenty going on in that opening over from Starc. Following that poor review there was a fine tickle for four down the leg side and a confident clip in front of square for four more, as well as a legside wide as the big paceman struggled to contain his swing. Starc also found time to pull up in his delivery stride and warn Kusal Perera not to walk out of his ground backing up. It was marginal, but Starc made his point without causing a diplomatic incident.
Not out (Australia lose a review)Never mind all those other reasons that review was on shaky ground, Nissanka hit it.
Australia review the first ball!It’s classic Starc, fast and full and swinging into the right-handed Nissanka from over the wicket. The batter is almost knocked off his feet as the ball arcs towards the big toe on his left foot. It’s given not out on-field. Starc is adamant despite question marks over whether the ball pitched in line, hit pad first, or was angling down the legside. Apart from that…
Ok, time for some cricket. Mitchell Starc (with yellow compression sleeves today thankfully) has the new white ball. Pathum Nissanka is on strike.
The umpires today are Englishman Alex Wharf and New Zealander Chris Gaffaney.
Incidentally, Wharf is a Bradford-born former County pro. I reckon he must have played alongside Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood at some point in his pre-umpiring career. Can anyone out there confirm?
Anthem time in Lucknow. As is customary, Sri Lanka Matha takes quite a while, and contains plenty of false peaks for the uninitiated. Advance Australia Fair provokes a bloke in the crowd in a vintage Port Adelaide Power singlet to place his cap against his heart.
Meanwhile, many many miles away…
Conditions in Lucknow are hot, but it is cloudier and hazier than last week, which may provide less oppressive playing conditions.
Lucknow hosts Australia and Sri Lanka in the cricket world cup. Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty ImagesGeoff Lemon was in Lucknow for Australia’s horror show against South Africa.
Even a sputtering Australian side should – let’s stress, should – do the job against Netherlands, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. That would mean they need three wins out of four against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, England and New Zealand. It’s not mission impossible. But it’s going to need something, some sort of spark that can get this team enjoying the challenge instead of being daunted by it.
When Australia and South Africa played on this square (one strip across) a few days ago nobody had any idea what it would do. It took Australia 30 or so overs to realise that when bowling first it benefited pace being take off the ball. This, of course, is not what Australia wanted to find out.
Later on, expect dew to fall and the ball to skid on.
Steve Smith inspects the Lucknow pitch. Photograph: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC/Getty ImagesSri Lanka XICaptain Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the rest of the world cup after sustaining a quadriceps tear against Pakistan. Chamika Karunaratne takes his place in the XI while Kusal Mendis will set the field. And he’s in rare form after battering 122 off 77 balls against Pakistan, then 76 off 42 vs South Africa.
There’s one other change too with Lahiru Kumara a like-for-like replacement in the seam attack for the injured Matheesha Pathirana. And that attack has not fared so well this tournament, but after winning the toss on this surface against a skittish Australian line-up, they have conditions in their favour to play themselves into form.
Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Lahiru Kumara.
Australia XIAustralia go in unchanged, which means Josh Inglis retains the gloves and Marcus Stoinis’s hamstring is fit enough to back up for a second match in quick succession. All eyes on Adam Zampa with Australia’s only frontline spinner underwhelming so far this tournament, with his travails putting the spotlight on selectors.
Captain Cummins, who is playing – despite Michael Clarke’s hearsay, did a bad job of convincing anyone he was fine with losing the toss. At least his bowlers know from the off the requirement to drag their lengths back and vary their paces.
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Sri Lanka win the toss and will bat firstIf Australia’s match against South Africa is any indication, that is a massive toss to win for Sri Lanka. They should get the better of both the batting and bowling conditions.
While our focus today is on Australia and Sri Lanka, we cannot go any further without reference to yesterday’s incredible upset when defending champions England were thoroughly outplayed by Afghanistan.
It is the kind of result that reminds us of the purpose of these tournaments and a signal to cricket’s administrators that associate and affiliate nations require investment for the long-term health of the sport.
Speaking of the current Australian skipper, one of his predecessors, Michael Clarke has been quoted today as saying: “heard last night that Pat Cummins is not going to be selected for this game.” Hmmmm.
It reminds me of this quote from Ray Hadley following Clarke’s contretemps with Karl Stefanovic in Noosa.
If I were to give advice to a 41-year-old male adult, who I don’t know … it would be along the lines of keep it in your pants, son.
“Every game now becomes almost like a final,” observed Pat Cummins in his prematch press conference.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live OBO coverage of match 14 of the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Australia v Sri Lanka will get under way in Lucknow at 2pm local time (7.30pm AEDT/9.30am BST).
We’ve barely scratched the surface of this tournament but it already feels like Australia – five time world cup winners, reigning ICC Test world champions, and all-round cricketing behemoths – are in must win territory.
They begin their third match rock bottom of the ten team group and realistically in a dogfight for the fourth qualification spot while India, New Zealand, and South Africa stretch their legs above them.
It has been a disastrous start to the tournament with consecutive defeats to India and South Africa seeing Australia outperformed in every facet of the game. Perhaps of greatest concern with regards a barometer of form, the fielding performance against the Proteas was as poor as you are ever likely to see from an Australian representative cricket team.
What’s more, the make-up of the squad leaves little room to manoeuvre. Selectors have backed pace as Australia’s point of difference, but surfaces in Chennai and Lucknow have favoured spin and slower-ball variations. The underperforming Alex Carey and Cameron Green have already been dropped, while carrying the injured Travis Head into the competition has gone from an exercise in forward planning to one of hubris.
Victory over Sri Lanka is now all but essential, and it doesn’t matter how. Getting over the line will suffice to provide some much needed breathing room before a massive clash against Pakistan on Friday.
Sri Lanka are in a similar boat having lost their opening two matches. However, it did require a World Cup record chase from Pakistan to down them in their opening encounter, and they managed a gallant 326 in pursuit of South Africa’s unimaginable 428, so there remains no shortage of optimism in Chris Silverwood’s camp.
I will be on deck for the first innings, then handing over to Adam Collins for the denoument. If you’d like to get in touch while I’m on, please fire all communication to [email protected].
Mitchell Starc will hope to have better luck in Lucknow as Australia battle to keep their world cup alive. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images