Australian opening duo of skipper Aaron Finch and off-colour David Warner stormed back into the form as they destroyed the Sri Lankan bowling attack to make a mockery of the sore of 154 runs and won their second game on the trot in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
It was a contest between smashing powerplays with the bat from both sides but the Aussies came on top in the middle-overs with both bat and the ball. Pat Cummins dismissed Pathum Nissanka early but the two left-handers Kusal Perera and Charith Asalanka went after their bowling and made most of the powerplay.
Cummins gave away 14 runs in his second over while the idea of bringing off-spinner Glenn Maxwell against two lefties didn't work as he leaked 16 runs and SL were off to a flier.
The runs kept coming as the Lankans targeted their fifth bowler. After hitting Maxwell out of the attack, they ripped apart Marcus Stoinis, who himself gave away 35 runs in his three overs.
It needed something special to break the partnership and leg-spinner Adam Zampa provided just that. He strangulated the Lankan batters in the middle taking two wickets in his two consecutive overs while Mitchell Starc with a pitch-perfect yorker castled Kusal Perera as the men in blue lost three wickets in three overs and hence the momentum.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa did hit a couple of big shots at the end but Sri Lanka could post just 154 runs in the end from a position where they were looking at 175 easily.
However, it wouldn't have mattered one bit as the Finch-Warner combination came out all guns blazing. Both of them have been out of touch and the latter needed some luck to go his way as Perera dropped a dolly behind the stumps to give him a reprieve.
Finch got out after a quick 23-ball 37 and Maxwell too went early but Warner made Sri Lanka pay as he notched up his half-century. He went on to make 65 runs off just 42 balls but couldn't get his team past the finishing line. Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis, however, ensured there were no further hiccups as Australia won their second game of Super 12.
England and Australia will now face off each other in their third game having won two each on Saturday, October 30.
