As it happened - Australia vs Sri Lanka in Perth

So a stroll home for Australia in the end, thanks mainly to a mindblowing display of batting power from Marcus Stoinis. When he came into bat, Australia needed 69 off 46 balls. And then they scored those 69 runs off 26 balls, despite the fact that Aaron Finch kept stinking up the innings with his 31 not out off 42 balls, through the course of which he never seemed to find any rhythm.

Sri Lanka struggled against Australia's pace, and had put up merely a decent score with their 157 for 6. Then they lost seamer Binura Fernando in the first over, significantly hurting their chances. They threatened to hold on, with the likes of Lahiru Kumara and Maheesh Theekshana bowling decent spells. But when your best bowler goes at more than 17 in this three overs, you're probably not going to win a lot of matches, especially when you're as reliant on him as Sri Lanka are. Wanindu Hasaranga got taken down by Australia. Going into the rest of the tournament, they'll hope this was a one-off.

Wow, that ended fast. Stoinis basically muscled Australia to a big win. Absolutely monstered them there. A 17-ball fifty, which is Australia's fastest half century. The guy hit six sixes and four fours in an 18-ball innings. Incredible.

It was a see-saw match until he came in, and he made the result seem like a walkover, with Australia winning in 16.3 overs.

Is it the faster pace of this pitch, and its bouncier nature that Wanindu Hasaranga is struggling to adjust to. Because he's now been taken apart by three different Australia batters - first Mitchell Marsh, then Glenn Maxwell, and now, most brutally, Marcus Stoinis, who's just pounded him twice over cow corner, as well as down the ground for four.

He's given away 19 in that over, and Australia are bossing it now.

Perhaps he's played this perfectly. Aaron Finch is potentially playing a match-losing innings, here, having crept along at a strike rate of less than 75 for most of his innings.

He top edges a cross-batted shot against Chamika Karunaratne, which Sri Lanka's best fielder Ashen Bandara (the substitute) tracks back from the circle, but somehow cannot hold on to, despite three attempts.

But then next ball, he is supremely aware of his body position at the deep midwicket boundary, as he holds a catch from Glenn Maxwell, who is a perennial hurter of Sri Lanka.

Already, this is a match that has had so many twists.

Folks. Don't go anywhere. This match is primed for a great finish.

With their best bowler having gone for 34 from his first two, others are stepping up to stem the flow. Maheesh Theekshana conceded only one run (a wide) from his over the 11th of the innings.

Then Kumara bowls an outstanding over to Maxwell, in which he hits him in the neck (Maxwell is ok, thankfully). And then concedes only two from that over. This is a fascinating T20.

This never happens. Or almost never. Wanindu Hasaranga leaking runs two overs in a row? He's not only very good, he's also got an aura about him now.

But on the other team is the greatest taker-downer of Sri Lankan bowling - Glenn Maxwell. Before this match, he had 459 runs at a strike rate of 175 against Sri Lanka. It's a crazy record. And this is a mad over. The first six is banged down the ground. The second is carved over cover point. Hasaranga has conceded 34 from two overs, which is more than he usually concedes in most matches.

Here are his two overs.

Wanindu Hasaranga - Sri Lanka's star bowler - goes for 15 in his first over. This is kind of a big deal, as he doesn't usually go for those kinds of runs, and Sri Lanka would have been hoping for four very cheap overs from him.

And although Mitch Marsh hits a six off the first ball of the next over - bowled by Dhananjaya de Silva - he holes out later in that over too. Still, Aus make 13 off it, which means 28 have come off the last 12 balls.

Dhananjaya de Silva is into his second over, and Mitchell Marsh skies one in the legside, which captain Shanaka is tracking back from short midwicket. He gets to the ball, but doesn't quite get the last stride in, and drops the catch, palming it off towards the outfield.

DDS is disappointed. And that's an uncharacteristic fielding mistake from Shanaka. Although, to be fair, he's not called upon to take a lot of high catches, running back. It's more the rapid ones he's great at taking.

David Warner is a HUUUUGE wicket in Australia v Sri Lanka matches, and Sri Lanka have him, thanks to an excellent catch from Dasun Shanaka, who is a superstar in the close catching positions in front of square.

This is Maheesh Theekshana's first ball, which Warner tries to blast through the covers. He hits it superbly to be honest, but doesn't place it well, sending it flying just wide of Shanaka's left shin. He gets down and completes the take. That's big for Sri Lanka.

So, if you're wondering why Binura Fernando bowled only five balls in the first over, it's because he aborted his over due to an injury concern, and walked off the field, leaving Dhananjaya de Silva to complete the over.

According to someone at the ground, he didn't look particularly bad as he walked off. But it is a big concern for Sri Lanka.

Minus the five wides, this was an excellent first over from Lahiru Kumara, the best ball of which was the fourth, when he jagged one back in from way outside off stump, and cut Aaron Finch in half. Decent start for Sri Lanka. But they need them wickets.

The Aus innings has started, and they've got to 6/0 after the first over.

But here's a breakdown of Sri Lanka's partnerships. A slow one for the second wicket that gave the innings its substance. Ideally the middle and lower order would have had bigger, more attacking stands. But they didnt.

You also suspect that if Asalanka had faced more balls in those last four partnerships, Sri Lanka would have had 10-15 runs more.

There were two wides, three excellent shots - a four and a six from Asanlanka, and a four last ball from Karunaratne. And having looked like they'd struggle to get to 145 for much of the innings, they've made it to a decent 157 for 6.

It's not a great total, but if their quicks go well, perhaps a defendable one. That's a big if, though. Sri Lanka's fast bowlers are tall, and might enjoy the bounce on this surface, but they are no experienced.

The best shot of Sri Lanka's innings was the six he hit off Cummins in the last over. Having cleared his front leg, he lifted him cleanly over wide long off for six. In general, he produced the highest quality knock of this innings, striking early boundaries to inject some urgency into Sri Lanka's performance, before finding some boundaries at the death. He finishes on 38 off 25, having been desperately out of form in the recent Asia Cup, and having had a very modest start to this tournament in the qualifiers.

They want at least 160, you sense. And having been just one wicket down after 11 overs, they needed to explode.

Charith Asalanka has made a decent start, getting to 18 not out off 12 at the end of the 16th over.

But they've just had Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Dasun Shanaka - Sri Lanka's two middle-order hitters, hole out cheaply.

He's been trying to steal runs where he can, because the boundary-hitting was not working out for him.

He'd just hit two twos in a row, but there wasn't a run to backward point, which Mitchell Marsh was ranging. The throw comes in flat and Asalanka at the other end, has barely left his crease. Nissanka is stranded. Out for 40 off 45. Not one of his best innings.

Dhananjaya de Silva, who was doing a little to get that Sri Lanka run rate moving, has holed out against the bowling of Ashton Agar. But it was David Warner's overhead catch at the wide long off boundary that really stood out.

Last over, Warner had caught Dhananjaya, but had to flick the ball back infield as he was about to cross over the boundary. This time, his momentum is taking him sideways, and he completes a wonderful catch, then fist pumps, looking at the crowd, as he rises from the turf.

(If you needed a reminder, Sri Lanka are also his favourite opponent. No one has more runs against them than Warner's 642.)

It's a big Australian ground, and you're going to have a lot of pockets to get singles and twos into. It's a decent strategy usually, but given the firepower in Australia's batting order, will it be enough? You sense some boundaries will have to come. Sri Lanka are 63 for 1 at the halfway stage.

7th over:

8th over:

9th over:

Sri Lanka's batters are not particularly conscientious about staying in their ground until after the ball has been delivered, making them run out candidates.

Starc seems aware of it here:

Meanwhile, the bounce on this surface has taken a lot of adjusting to, for Sri Lanka. A lot of balls have hit high on the bat, which is why the boundaries have not come. Lucky to have lost just one after 7 overs, imo.

Four overs gone, lots of swing for the quicks. Sri Lanka are trying to find boundaries, but Australia a fielding beautifully, and even the shots that do have timing aren't carrying past the ring.

Only three boundaries so far - one from each of the three batters. Mendis edged over slip. Pathum Nissanka flicked one off his pads. Dhananjaya de Silva crashed Pat Cummins backward of cover.

This is not good for Sri Lanka. They've been dependent on Mendis in the last couple of matches, and he's probably their form batter of 2022. He tries to bash Cummins over the legside, but can only get a top edge to it, gobbled up at midwicket.

Mendis the top scorer for the tournament so far, after five innings - 176 runs.

Josh Hazlewood moving the ball away from both right handers in the first over. Just a couple off it, with a couple of plays and misses.

Looks like the stands are populated with plenty of Lankan support as well. Sri Lanka tend to get a lot of love in Australia (as Aus recently did in Sri Lanka, to be fair).

The anthems are done. Looks good out there.

Australia have won the toss and bowled, partly because he feels the venue rewards chasing.

The hosts will be without legspinner Adam Zampa though, which Sri Lanka likely pleased about that. Zampa has terrorised Sri Lanka in the past taking 21 wickets in 12 matches, while maintaining an economy of 5.68. He's out because of Covid. Ashton Agar replaces him.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, continue to be without Pramod Madushan, but Pathum Nissanka comes back in, slotting into the opening position. This sends Ashen Bandara out of the side.

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Sri Lanka have had mad trouble with injuries, losing promising left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka before the tournament, then having Dushmantha Chameera - their main fast bowler - injured during the qualifiers. This means, Sri Lanka have had to do with third, fourth, and fifth choice quicks, with Pramod Madushan also missing a couple of games due to a hamstring tinge.

Madushan should be available today, but Australia, who have the three highest scorers ever against Sri Lanka (David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, and Aaron Finch) will back themselves to put up big runs against this depleted attack.

The other side of that argument, though, is that spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have worked themselves up to some serious form over the past few matches. Will Australia play them out relatively safely, and look to plunder the other 12 overs?