A captain’s knock from Aaron Finch helped Australia set up 334-7, which helped them claim an 87-run win against Sri Lanka at The Oval.
Finch placed Australia in pole position for a straightforward victory. The Aussie skipper scored a phenomenal 153 to help his side to 334-7 in 50 overs.
Steve Smith also made a valuable contribution with a 59-ball 73 in what was a 173-run stand with his skipper before Finch was removed by Isuru Udana (2-57 ).
Glenn Maxwell was also effective contributing with a cameo 25-ball 46 as Australia posted 334-7.
Sri Lanka started off solidly by scoring 115 in 15.3 overs before Mitchell Starc got the breakthrough by dismissing Kusal Perera for 52.
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was close to matching his opposition captain, but fell just three runs short of a century. His was the third wicket to fall.
It was Australia’s seam attack which did the majority of the damage to help them defend their dominant total.
Starc was the most destructive out of the bowlers, finishing with 4-55. Kane Richardson was second best, with 3-47.
The victory took Australia temporarily to the top of the standings after five games.
Photo: Cricket World Cup/Twitter
