Pallekele (Sri Lanka), February 16 Captain Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head scored explosive fifties before Sri Lanka rallied to bowl out Australia for 181 in their T20 World Cup match here on Monday.
Marsh got off to a blistering start, scoring 54 in 27 balls after returning to the playing XI following an injury that kept him out of the team's first two matches of the tournament.
Head also played a brilliant innings, scoring 56 in 29 balls, as the opening pair added 104 runs in less than nine overs, setting up a total of over 200 for Australia.
However, the Sri Lankans fared much better in the last 10 overs, with leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha (3/37 in 4 overs) emerging as the most successful bowler for the home team. The last four wickets fell for only six runs.
The decision to bowl first backfired on the Sri Lankans as Australia got off to a rollicking start with Marsh and Head marking their reunion with a flurry of fours and sixes.
Following their 23-run defeat to Zimbabwe, Australia began the game with determination, collecting as many as 16 runs in the very first over by Dushmantha Chameera.
Marsh started his innings in style, hitting a beautiful shot off the back foot through the off-side.
Head also scored a four by clipping a Chameera half-volley off his pads before Marsh pulled the pacer for a six over midwicket.
Head also got two fours against Maheesh Theekshana to maintain the momentum.
If the early onslaught by Head and Marsh was not enough, Sri Lanka suffered a major setback in the third over when Matheesha Pathirana, the 23-year-old slinger, hobbled off the field after suffering a hamstring injury, leaving Dasun Shanaka to complete the over.
Shanaka was hit through point for a boundary by Head in his first ball, and then the left-handed power-hitter also clobbered the bowler over deep square leg and into the stands for a big maximum.
Marsh smashed Maheesh Theekshana for five successive boundaries as Australia raced to 70 for no loss in the power play.
Hoping to arrest the free flow of runs, skipper Shanaka introduced leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha into the attack, and Head welcomed him with a six and a four, and in the next over, Marsh also plonked left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage for a four and a maximum.
Marsh brought Australia's hundred with a six off Hemantha.
However, Australia lost a cluster of wickets thereafter, and from 104 for no loss, they slipped to 130 for four and never recovered from that.
Glenn Maxwell made 22 of 15 balls before a leaping Pathum Nissanka made amends for an earlier drop catch by pulling off a diving stunner at point. Inglis, who got a life even before he opened his account, also contributed a 22-ball 27 but Australians ended well short of what was an expected total at the halfway stage.
