Live report - Australia vs Sri Lanka, Lucknow

After starting with a 125-run opening stand for Sri Lanka, this match turned into an Australia romp. They took all 10 Sri Lanka wickets for 86 runs, the batters largely architects of their own demise rather than giving into irresistible Australia bowling. Outside the first partnership and the second (worth 32), Sri Lanka's best stand brought 12 runs.

For Australia, Adam Zampa ripped his way back into form, taking 4 for 47. He took the prized wicket of Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka's new captain, and best batter in recent months.

Dilshan Madushanka bowled a maiden over first up, then a double-wicket maiden second, but runs were leaking at the other end, and mostly Mitchell Marsh was scoring them. When the swing disappeared, Madushanka became less menacing, and no other bowlers really matched him. Josh Inglis hit a half century, and Marnus Labuschagne, as the pair put on 77 together. Then Glenn Maxwell came in and smashed 31 off 21 against one of his favourite oppositions, to get Australia to the target with 88 balls remaining.

Marcus Stoinis fittingly sealed it with a six.

We'll have our full match report on the site in a bit, and some feature pieces on this game to follow. But for now, this is by from the live report.

Labuschagne was dismissed for 40 by Madushanka, but Maxwell has come in and only strengthened Australia's charge towards a better net run rate, smashing two sixes and four fours in his first 14 balls, to get to 28.

He tends to love playing against Sri Lanka. His average against this team is up near 42, when his overall average is around 33. And his strike rate against Sri Lanka is a whopping 147. The latest of his sixes as I write this was beautifully swept over backward square leg.

Australia are trouncing Sri Lanka here. Who will end at the bottom of the table after this.

Josh Inglis has struck a fifty, Marnus Labuschagne is not far from one, and Australia are headed to a big win that will help improve their woeful net run rate.

Sri Lanka's lack of menace through the middle overs has been stark. Madushanka's swing has disappeared, and Maheesh Theekshana has not been as effective as he often is on turning decks.

Such was Marsh's dominance in the early overs, that Australia can coast from here. Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis are into their 20s, and well set. They have so much time to score the runs remaining, the required rate down at less than 3.5, and seven wickets in hand.

Sri Lanka need another spate of wickets to make a game out of this, but after Madushanka's early burst, no one has looked seriously threatening.

How big a moment will this be in the game? Chamika Karunaratne has made his presence felt in his first game in this World Cup, with a rocket throw from the deep, which catches Marsh short as he attempts a second, having cut Theekshana behind square on the outfield. Some nice keeping from Mendis too, who takes the catch in front of the stumps and destroys the wickets.

(Spoiler alert: it was truly terrible)

Meanwhile, Aus Marsh on. They're 79 for 2 after 14 overs. Marsh has got his fifty.

As much as Madushanka has caused issues, Marsh has scored heavily off the other bowlers, and led Australia to 50 off just eight overs, before smashing three boundaries off the next over, bowled by Dunith Wellalage. After nine overs, he's 44 off 34 balls.

This was excellent reward for Madushanka after he bowled a maiden to follow that 15-run first over from Lahiru Kumara. This is a straight ball, not swinging, and aimed at leg stump. Warner tries to shuffle to off and clip to leg, but it hits him in front of leg, and despite his review, is going on to scrape leg stump. He hits his own pad with his bat in disgust, but Sri Lanka had had one of these 'umpire's call' lbw decisions too, when Samarawickrama was given out.

While I'm typing that Steve Smith is caught DEAD in front, to a ball that is full and swings late into his front pad, and strikes him in front of middle. What an over!

Madushanka's overs:

This is a double wicket maiden to follow a regular maiden. Madushanka has not had many games in a Sri Lanka shirt, but when he's played, he's made a serious impact. And the ball to Smith was a great delivery to dismiss a great player.

What he's doing is swinging some late, and letting others go on with the arm. It's causing problems for Australia.

David Warner has just gone on one knee and swept Sri Lanka's quickest bowler in this game - Lahiru Kumara - over deep midwicket for an 89-metre six, that goes flying into the stands. Earlier in the over, Mitch Marsh played a dismissive drive down the ground for four, and in between they ran two twos and a single. Australia have 15 off the first over.

The Australia innings is being delayed by the conditions. It's not raining, but the high winds having blown hoardings down is creating a problem in the stands, and the covers are on, because there is also expected to be some rain around. Either way, we are in hiatus.

Will have more news for you as it comes.

In the last bit of this innings, there was quite a dust storm blowing through the stadium, causing spectators strife in particular, and even forcing a small stop in play. Our guy at the ground, Karthik Krishnaswamy reports:

"As Australia have imposed themselves on this game, Ekana stadium has itself taken on the eerie character of one of those post-apocalyptic movies shot in the vast desert interior of Australia. The last ten or 15 minutes of Sri Lanka's innings has been backdropped by a dust storm that's sent what seems like a hundred translucent plastic bags swirling through the air. The wind has whipped through the upper reaches of the stands, bringing down hoardings and vinyl strips of World Cup branding, sending fans hurrying to take cover in the back rows."

Just a reminder, Sri Lanka were 125 for no loss in the 21st over. They looked set for a BIG score. But they've nosedived so sharply they have ended up with a total that is some way below par, even on a slowish surface.

The last two wickets went to Mitchell Starc, who bowled Lahiru Kumara with a yorker, and to Glenn Maxwell, who had Charith Asalanka holing out attempting a slog sweep.

Sri Lanka will have to bowl extremely well to defend this, against a batting unit that has historically hurt them plenty.

These are Zampa's last 4.2 overs.

He had leaked 133 runs for 1 wicket in Australia's first two games. But now he's slid one into Chamika Karunaratne's pad, and trapped him in front of the stumps, leaving Sri Lanka seven down. And as I was writing that, another googly has crashed into Maheesh Theekshana's pad, and he's been given out as well. Theekshana has reviewed, but he's dead.

Australia's middle-overs force is making a trek back into wicket-taking form.

That terrific first partnership. Then just rubbish. Australia's bowling has been decent, but a lot of this, you have to say, has been self-inflicted.

Dunith Wellalage gets run out. Pushes one to Pat Cummins at mid off, tries to scamper one, but Cummins moves on it like a panther, and lets it go with a smooth motion. Wellalage dives to try and make his crease, but is out by a few inches. This has been some nosedive.

Mitchell Starc joins the party. While the opening partnership was going, a score of more than 350 seemed possible. Now, Sri Lanka are struggling to make 250, almost.

Dhananjaya de Silva just pokes at a back of a length ball, gets a big inside edge, and it crashes into leg. DDS is Sri Lanka' insurance policy, and he's failed. Not a spectacular ball from Starc, but it had enough about it to draw the mistake.

More than collapses, more than mystery spin, the visuals most often seen in Sri Lanka matches is rain. And although they are playing more than 1000km from their island, so it is again. A light shower has arrived, the teams are off, and the covers are coming on.

Zampa gets Samarawickrama now! One that slid on with the arm, and missed Samarawickrama's forward prod, hitting him in front of leg. Samarawickrama reviews, but the on-field decision had been out, and it's grazing that leg stump, so he he has to go.

Is Zampa bowling himself into some form here? He'd been struggling for a few matches. He's on 2 for 29 after five overs.

Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva are brand new at the crease and have some serious rebuilding to do. The allrounders are in next.

Australia are forcing their way back into the game! Cummins replaces Maxwell's offbreaks with an out-of-form Zampa, who first leaks a four with an overpitched delivery but then strikes as Mendis goes for a big sweep, sends a catch to deep square leg, where it's Warner again with another sliding dive in the deep to hold on to it. Kusal Mendis gone for a single-digit score, Australia are holding on to their catches, Zampa has a wicket....strange things are happening in Lucknow.

P.S. Warner also hurt his knee which dug into the ground while landing with the ball safely in his hands. He looks ok now after some initial concern.

There were rumours before this game of Cummins getting dropped or dropping himself for this game. Rumours, I repeat. And now, when his attack looks a little out of steam, his lead spinner out of form and affected by injuries, Cummins sends back both set openers. He comes around the wicket to Perera and even though there was nothing great about this delivery, Cummins will be thrilled that Perera just tried to swat this out of the way but didn't connect at all and was bowled for a quick 78 off 82.

Australia trying to claw their way back, but they have solid batters in Mendis and Samarawickrama to bowl to. Sri Lanka 158 for 2 after 27, still on course for 300-plus.

Gone are the days when a wicket would slow things down, even if briefly, in ODIs. These are the modern-day middle overs, where a wicket doesn't deter the batters. Nissanka has fallen but that's not going to bother Sri Lanka. A short ball fetched Cummins a wicket but when Hazelwood tried the same thing, he got swatted for two fours by Perera. And surprisingly, the wicket0-taking Cummins has replaced himself with Maxwell (probably to change ends) and Maxwell is also chopped for a four by Perera. Eighteen runs in those two, Sri Lanka's scoring rate has crossed six.

After all those drops against India and South Africa, David Warner is the man to do it, with a wonderful sliding effort at deep midwicket to get rid of the reliable Nissanka off Pat Cummins. Australia had to try something different, and Cummins brought himself back to start with an offcutter before banging one into the pitch which Nissanka pulled but couldn't quite middle and ended up holing out on the leg side.

Sri Lanka 125 for 1.

Sri Lanka have had a number of opening partners in ODIs just this year, but the one constant in almost all of them and certainly in all their century opening stands this year has been Pathum Nissanka. Sri Lanka bring up the 100 in 106 balls, their fourth century stand this year, and Nissanka has been in all of them. Sri Lanka looking good here; Perera's fifty comes off 57, Nissanka's off 58 and Sri Lanka 114 for 0 after 20 overs. Back to back fifties for Nissanka, and Perera's first since June 2021 in England.

Are Australia too tired?

With no luck for Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood, Maxwell and Zampa in 16 overs, they bring on Marcus Stoinis who starts with some short-of-length balls and ends the over with a bouncer that goes off Perera's top edge and rattles the helmet. It has visibly shaken Perera up. He immediately goes off the pitch, takes the helmet off, and is getting checked by the physio now for a concussion.

Sri Lanka 96 for 0 after 17, with Nissanka on 46 and Perera on 43.

After combined figures of 1 for 123 in Australia's first two games, Zampa comes on for the 14th over and starts rather poorly, with two fours in the first three balls. One was too short, the other overcompensated and too full, and he leaks nine in his first over. Sri Lanka 79 for 0 after 14. So their spin woes continue (as of now).

It's only the third game for Sri Lanka but this is their lowest powerplay score so far this World Cup. Let's also compare it with the powerplay score South Africa had put up on the same ground since today's pitch is the same as that game's: pretty similar, SA had scored 53 for 0 that day.

And Maxwell bowled two tidy overs out of those for just 10 runs.

First in the first over and then in the fifth, with Kusal Perera at the non-striker's end on both occasions. Starc gave a rather chirpy and stern warning to Perera for venturing out of the crease in the first over and the one in the fifth over was more like a check because Perera's bat was still inside the crease when Starc pulled out.

What's with Starc and these warnings though? Here's the history: he once warned South Africa's de Bruyn and not too long ago he'd done so against Buttler too.

Kusal Perera, meanwhile, has got going with back to back-to-back boundaries against Josh Hazlewood. This is just his sixth ODI in two years, after being laid low with some major injuries. Has made a high score of 17 since his return this year, so definitely looking for a score here. He also had a rather lukewarm start to the World Cup with a duck against Pakistan and a 7 off 15 opposite South Africa. Today, too, he has taken eight balls to get off the mark.

While Kusal Mendis has been in outstanding form recently, opener Pathum Nissanka has been putting together the start of a fine career. Although he's had to bat with several opening partners, he's frequently been part of decent partnerships at the top of the order.

He's at the crease with Kusal Perera now.

Australia are unchanged.

By the way, if you are in the USA, you can watch the match live on ESPN+

The news from the toss is that Sri Lanka have won it and chosen to bat, which may turn out to be a significant advantage, as this is the same track on which South Africa bowled Australia out for 177 on, under lights.

Lahiru Kumara comes in for Matheesha Pathirana for Sri Lanka, and allrounder Chamika Karunaratne slots neatly into Dasun Shanaka's place, after Shanaka was forced to leave the squad due to injury. Pathirana has a shoulder injury, by the way.

Fair to say both teams have struggled with the ball in their opening matches. Sri Lanka most of all, letting South Africa run riot with 428 for 5, before Pakistan made 345 for 4 against them in a chase.

Australia concede 311 for 7 against South Africa, then had India chase 200 with more than eight overs remaining in Chennai. Adam Zampa, usually a producer of wickets for them in the middle overs, has given away 133 runs for just one wicket in the first two games.