Renowned Indian analyst and commentator Harsha Bhogle reacted after Australia thumped Sri Lanka in the 14th game of ICC Men's World Cup 2023 in Lucknow on Monday.
The five-time champions defeated the Lankans by five wickets.
Bhogle, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said, Australia had to give a solid batting performance before the game against Pakistan but also wanted senior pros to come back to form before the epic clash as well.
He was impressed by Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis coming back to good form.
"Australia needed a powerful batting performance before their big game against Pakistan. Would have liked Warner and Smith to get more time but Marsh was looking very dangerous. The form of Inglis a big plus," Bhogle wrote.
Australia were on the back foot in the bowling at the start, however, bounced back strongly to dismiss Sri Lanka on 210.
"After an insipid start, the bowlers needed to come back and they did strongly," he added.
Leg-spinner Zampa claimed four wickets as Australia bowled out Sri Lanka for 209, despite half-centuries by Kusal Perera (78) and Pathum Nissanka (61).
Appearing to be on course for a score exceeding 300, Sri Lanka experienced an unusual batting collapse, losing all 10 wickets for 84 runs.
Inglis (58), who notched his maiden World Cup fifty, Marsh (52), and Marnus Labuschagne (40) then played a significant role with the bat as Australia achieved the target in 35.2 overs, providing a substantial boost to their net run rate.
While Australia rose to the eighth position on the table with their first win of the tournament, the loss significantly harmed Sri Lanka's chances of advancing to the semifinals, as they now occupy the ninth spot with three defeats from as many games.
It must be noted that Pakistan will play Australia on October 20 in Bengaluru.
- Harsha Bhogle
