Marcus Stoinis’s record-breaking half-century (59* off 18 balls) helped Australia in registering its first victory in T20 World Cup 2022. On the tricky surface of Perth, Australia chased down the target of 158 in 16.3 overs and won the game against Sri Lanka.
While batting first, Sri Lanka got a huge blow as opener Kusal Mendis got out in the second over itself. However, Pathum Nissanka (40) and Dhananjaya de Silva (26) made a partnership of 69 runs and settled the innings. But Australian bowlers never really allowed Sri Lankans in scoring big. Thus, the run rate remained low throughout the innings. In the death overs, Charith Asalanka (38) and Chamira Karunaratne (14) played well and gave Sri Lanka a respectable score of 157/6.
Even Australia got an early blow during the chase. Opener David Warner got out in the fifth over itself. Captain Aaron Finch (31* off 42 balls) struggled a lot and his strike rate was below 100. When Australia was in trouble with a score of 89/3 and needed to hit 69 runs in 46 balls, Marcus Stoinis came to the crease. Without wasting any time, he started smacking the ball all over the park. In the process, he also scored a 17-ball-50 which happens to be the quickest half-century by any Australian player in T20 Internationals. With the help of his blistering knock, Australia chased down the target in the next four overs.
This win helped Australia in improving its Net Run Rate. It is now in the fourth position on the points table of Group 1. On the flip side, Sri Lanka is in the third position. Both teams have one loss and one win each in the Super 12 stage as of now.
