Leg-spinner Adam Zampa played through pain to return figures of 4-47 and help Australia down Sri Lanka by five wickets for their first win at the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Monday. Five-time winners Australia bundled out Sri Lanka for 209, a total they overhauled in 35.2 overs at a windswept Ekana Stadium.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Zampa was named man of the match in Australia's first win in three matches, but the 31-year-old said it had been tough coming into the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"To be honest, I wasn't feeling great because I had a bit of a back spasm," said Zampa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I was playing through it the last couple of days. Today I felt better, bowled better."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Former champions Sri Lanka slipped to a third loss in as many games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The drama on the field may have been limited but that was not the case in the stands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After rain interrupted Sri Lanka's batting, strong winds brought scaffolding and hoardings crashing down onto the seats below.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With only around 3,000 people inside the 50,000-capacity ground, spectators managed to escape injury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Australia's reply was delayed when the umpires felt it unsafe to restart the match with high winds still a danger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Once the game resumed, opener Mitchell Marsh smashed 52 and wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis made 58.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Marsh led the chase after Australia lost two early wickets of David Warner, for 11, and Steve Smith, for a duck, to slip to 24-2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Marsh reached his first fifty in a World Cup off 39 balls but was soon run out after attempting a second run with Marnus Labuschagne, who hit 40.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Labuschagne and Inglis put on a key stand of 77 to deny the thin crowd of any late drama.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka broke the partnership to send back Labuschagne for his third wicket and spinner Dunith Wellalage got Inglis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Glenn Maxwell, who hit a 21-ball 31, took the team home with Marcus Stoinis, who made 20, for company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- 'Outside noise' -
\r\nPat Cummins was under attack for his captaincy in the opening two losses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Outside noise doesn't bother us too much," said Cummins.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"All parts of the game came together at the end. We're underway in the tournament and hope we keep it up."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Madushanka had raised early hopes of a fightback for Sri Lanka after he trapped Warner and Smith -- both lbw -- in the same over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The left-handed Warner reviewed his decision but the tracker showed the ball would have kissed leg stump and the batsman returned to the stands fuming.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier Sri Lanka elected to bat first and started with a 125-run opening stand between Pathum Nissanka (61) and Kusal Perera (78) before the opposition bowlers hit back to end the innings in 43.3 overs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Perera reached his fifty with a boundary off Stoinis amid applause from the dressing room and a few Sri Lankan fans.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nissanka soon claimed his second successive half-century as Sri Lanka charged ahead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cummins dismissed Nissanka through a good outfield catch by Warner and then bowled Perera.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Zampa sent back skipper Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama on consecutive balls between overs to be on hat-trick avoided by Dhananjaya de Silva.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rain interrupted play for about 25 minutes and the break only gave Australia more power to return with wickets as left-arm quick Mitchell Starc bowled De Silva.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka kept losing wickets and Zampa grabbed two more including Chamika Karunaratne, who was only called up to replace injured captain Dasun Shanaka at the weekend.<\/p>\r\n\r\n