Twitter Reactions: Mooney, Schutt help Australia clinch low-scorer against Sri Lanka

Australia defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2024. The current Asia champions Sri Lanka lost their opening game of the campaign against Pakistan and now a defeat to Australia nearly pushed them out of the competition. Even though the Chamari Athapaththu-led side is mathematically in the race, they would need calculators and prayers to make it to the semis after two losses on the trot.

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in Sharjah, a surface that has helped the spinners so far. It was the right decision but the Lankan batters failed to step up yet again as opener Vishmi Gunaratne departed for a 10-ball duck while captain Athapaththu made just three off 12. They were under immense pressure right from the start as Australia dictated the game.

Batting at three, Harshitha Samarawickrama tried to rescue Sri Lanka but the 26-year-old struggled for momentum, scoring 23 off 35. Alongside Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva's unbeaten 29 off 40 led Sri Lanka to a paltry 93 runs in the first innings. For Australia, Megan Schutt picked up three wickets for just 12 runs, including a maiden, while Sophie Molineux registered figures of 2/20 in her four overs.

When it came to the chase, opener Bethe Mooney's unbeaten 43 held Australia in good stead. She was brilliant in rotating the strike, which put Sri Lanka under pressure. Despite losing Alyssa Healy early, Australia managed to keep themselves on track. They lost wickets from time to time but that did not bother Mooney, as she helped the team to get the job done with 34 balls remaining.

Sri Lanka would be highly disappointed with the performance as their campaign is close to being over. Up next, the team will face India on October 9, followed by New Zealand on October 12. Australia, on the other hand, will play New Zealand next on October 8, followed by Pakistan on October 11 and India on October 13. 

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