Marcus Stoinis hit Australia’s fastest T20 fifty off just 17 balls to propel the defending champions to a seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 World Cup on Tuesday.
Australia scored 158-3 in the Super 12 match in reply to Sri Lanka’s 157-6 to win with 21 balls to spare.
Australia overcame a point of worry at 89-3 in the 13th over as Stoinis came to the rescue with 59 not out – including six sixes and four fours – from just 18 balls.
He shared an unbeaten stand of 69 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Aaron Finch (31 not out).
Stoinis humbled Sri Lanka’s much-vaunted spin attack with leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga conceding five sixes and costing 53 runs in three overs.
Stoinis did not spare the offspinner Mahesh Theekshana either. Theekshana conceded three runs in two overs at the pick of opener David Warner (11), but Stoinis hit three sixes in the space of four balls to bring up a record half-century.
He hit two back-to-back sixes off Theekshana and after the strike swung, Stoinis lobbed a fuller straight over the bowler’s head and into the seats as the crowd of 25,061 erupted.
“It wasn’t so long that I felt like I was beating … it was a good slog,” Stoinis said. “I was very nervous to be honest. The aim was to have a big impact on the game and provide some energy for the boys.”
It was a brilliant display of power batting by the Australians after an 89-run knock by New Zealand in the tournament opener. Australia will now play England in a crucial match on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“I think the back is still against the wall,” Stoinis said. “It will be a very important game against England for us.”
Australia are fourth in Group 1 with just one win from two matches and a net rate of -1.555 behind New Zealand (4.450), England (0.620) and Sri Lanka (0.450).
Asked to bat first on a lively pitch, Sri Lanka got off to a slow start and managed just 63 runs in the first half of the innings before gathering momentum in the second half to post what they hoped would be a competitive total.
The Australian trio of Josh Hazlewood (1-26), Pat Cummins (1-36) and Mitchell Starc (1-23) tore through Sri Lanka’s top order with relentless pace.
Cummins got rid of danger hitter Kusal Mendis (5) in the second over when the opener skied to Mitch Marsh.
A 69-run stand between openers Pathum Nissanka (40) and Dhananjaya de Silva (26) anchored the top order. Charith Asalanka (38 not out) and Chamika Karunaratne (14 not out) shared 37 runs for the seventh wicket.
The pair got 20 runs off Cummins in the last over.
Asalanka was the most enterprising of the Sri Lankan batsmen, hitting three fours and two sixes in his 25-ball knock. The entire innings produced two sixes and 12 boundaries as the Sri Lankan batsmen struggled to clear big boundaries unlike the Australians.
Sri Lanka won their first match against Ireland by nine wickets.
