Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Australia didn’t look like their usual dominant selves even though they beat Sri Lanka to register their first win in the ongoing World Cup as well. Sri Lanka were at 125 for no loss but soon they were bowled out for 209 in Lucknow on Monday, October 16. Australia then lost five wickets while chasing a below-par target as well.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “It doesn’t seem like Australia have come. On a sad and disappointing note, even after they won, it felt like whether they were Australia, do they play like this, have they become such an ordinary team because when Sri Lanka came to bat, it didn’t seem like a wicket would fall.”
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The former India opener further added: “They took a DRS on the first ball itself. You took a DRS for lbw but it seemed like it was ‘bat before the wicket’ because the ball hit straight on the bat. A little desperation was seen and in the same over he gave a warning for a run-out at the non-striker’s end. He could have might as well done it.”
However, Australia took a leg-before review off the very first ball against Nissanka but replays showed that the ball hit the bat first only. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc also warned Perera for backing up too early but refrained from running him out as well. And, Aakash Chopra said that Australia’s World Cup hopes might have virtually ended if they had lost to Sri Lanka.
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“It was such a big opening partnership. It’s not that fast bowlers got them out, Adam Zampa picked up four wickets. Not taking anything away from Adam Zampa but he is probably going through the worst form of his career. If 280-290 runs had been scored, Australia’s bags would have been packed. This also must be noted that Pat Cummins gave them that start because there were discussions that Pat Cummins was not pulling his weight into the side. His two wickets started the collapse. He dismissed both the openers. After that, Adam Zampa, and then Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell ate the cream in the end,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
