Alarm bells sound ahead of Champions Trophy as Australia crumbles against Sri Lanka
Alarm bells are ringing around Australia’s hopes of winning the Champions Trophy without five of its biggest stars, after an embarrassing capitulation against Sri Lanka.
Alarm bells are ringing around Australia’s hopes of winning the Champions Trophy without five of its biggest stars, after an embarrassing capitulation against Sri Lanka.
The tournament doesn’t start for another week but there is enormous pressure building on the shoulders of Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell to return to the line-up and save a batting order skittled for just 165 in 33.5 overs on Wednesday in Colombo.
With all members of ‘the Big Three’ bowling attack scratched from the Champions Trophy, Australia did well to bowl Sri Lanka out for 214, but signs quickly turned from positive to ominous for the new guard when Matt Short (0), Jake Fraser-McGurk (2), Cooper Connolly (3) and Steve Smith (12) were marched back to the pavilion within the first 10 overs of the run chase.
Things didn’t get much better from there with Australia collapsing to lose by a massive 49 runs on a two-paced but by no means unplayable pitch former Test opener Simon Katich said did not deteriorate.
Australia was reeling at 4-31 and then 6-85 when a mini-resurgence from Alex Carey (41) and Marnus Labuschagne (15) was abruptly shut down by a Sri Lankan side unlikely to figure in the reckoning when the Champions Trophy ICC tournament kicks off in Pakistan.
Katich described Labuschagne’s dismissal, at a time when the scoreboard pressure had been alleviated as the crucial moment in a sorry Australian defeat.
It will be a massive ask for Australia to challenge for the trophy with Mitchell Starc (personal reasons) joining Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis as the World Cup-winning superstars all withdrawn from the original 15-man squad.
It is a shaky looking top three at the moment with Short dismissed for a duck from the second ball of the innings and Fraser-McGurk still scratching around for a breakout innings in Australian colours – although Head will make a big difference when he slots back in at opener after being rested for this match.
Australia’s batsmen struggled with the ball holding in the surface in Colombo and they’ll be holding out for much flatter pitches in Pakistan where the likes of Fraser-McGurk will hope to find the slot and once again tee off as he did when he blitzed last year’s Indian Premier League.
Fraser-McGurk was squared up by Asitha Fernando in just the third over and meekly chipped a leading edge back to the bowler.
Sean Abbott was dismissed in similar circumstances by Maheesh Theekshana at the end of the 26th over, ending any chance Australia had of getting themselves out of jail.
Despite the withering collapse, Australia still wasn’t out of it with all-rounders Aaron Hardie (32) and Abbott finding their stride at the crease, but it was curtains when Abbott departed softly to leave the visitors 7-126.
It was a stunning comeback by Sri Lanka.
Australia earlier appeared headed for certain victory when understudy bowling greenhorns Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott and all-rounder Hardie had Sri Lanka in all sorts at 8-135, but the game turned on its head when Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka smashed his way to a remarkable 127 batting with the tail to at least bump the hosts up to a respectable total of 200 plus.
Asalanka was never out of the game and later injected himself into the attack to take the key wicket of Carey who looked like the man most likely to lead Australia to victory.
Smith, fresh from back-to-back centuries in Australia’s 2-0 Test series triumph, was out bowled attempting to slog new bowler Dunith Wellalage from his first delivery.
Labuschagne’s struggles from the Tests continued when he faced 27 balls for just 15 and failed to go on with the job and anchor the innings.
Fraser-McGurk’s patchy form over the summer is a cause for concern for the man called in to replace Marsh (back) in the top three.
Aside from finishing with a 95 for the Melbourne Renegades in the last game of the BBL, Fraser-McGurk had an indifferent season which started with him failing to fire in one-dayers against Pakistan.
One positive to take out is that for the most part, Australia’s new-look attack nailed their assignment and shone brightly, with Abbott taking three wickets and Johnson, Ellis and Hardie taking two wickets a piece.
Maxwell was also rested from the first of two ODIs against Sri Lanka and will add plenty of muscle to the middle-order.
HOW IT UNFOLDED
9PM: Australia is in all sorts of trouble after collapsing to 4-31 against Sri Lanka in ominous signs for the upcoming Champions Trophy campaign.
Steve Smith was out bowled attempting to slog new bowler Dunith Wellalage off his very first ball, after Australia’s new-look top three of Matt Short (0), Jake Fraser-McGurk (2) and Cooper Connolly (3) all failed.
Australia has been forced to make wholesale changes to its original Champions Trophy squad, with Mitchell Starc (personal reasons) joining Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis in being withdrawn from the tournament starting next week in Pakistan.
An understudy bowling attack led by Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson stepped up in the first of two warm-up ODIs in Sri Lanka to bowl the hosts out for just 214, but the positive start has been tempered by the withering top order collapse.
Australia had built up to 4-52 by the 13th over with Marnus Labuschagne (8 not out) and Alex Carey (17 not out) under enormous pressure now to carry the innings with no Glenn Maxwell in this match.
Smith – who has taken over from Cummins and Marsh as captain – was coming off back-to-back hundreds in Australia’s 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka but was out for just 12 on Wednesday.
8PM: Jake Fraser-McGurk’s patchy form has bled into his ODI return for Australia just a week out from the Champions Trophy.
Without Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell, Australia’s top order is under major pressure at 2-7 chasing Sri Lanka’s 214 following the cheap departures of Matt Short and Fraser-McGurk.
Sri Lanka were 2-11 at the same point after 3 overs and this small target might prove more difficult to chase than first thought, with Steve Smith now carrying a big burden coming in at No.4.
Short was out for a duck second ball of the innings to leave Australia 1-0, and then Fraser-McGurk was caught and bowled by Asitha Fernando a short time later.
Youngster Cooper Connolly is also struggling for timing early in his innings after coming in at No.3 and has narrowly survived some near misses.
Fraser-McGurk’s recall to the Australian Champions Trophy squad as a top order replacement for Mitchell Marsh has raised eyebrows amongst some due to his lean summer with the bat.
Aside from finishing with a 95 for the Melbourne Renegades in the last game of the BBL, Fraser-McGurk had an indifferent summer which started with him failing to fire in one-dayers against Pakistan.
Fraser-McGurk showed during his breakout IPL blitzkrieg last year what he is capable of on flat pitches, and Australia will be hoping conditions in Pakistan will suit his stand-and-deliver potential.
INNINGS BREAK: AUSSIES FRUSTRATED BY DEFIANT INNINGS
Australia’s hopes of winning the Champions Trophy without ‘the big three’ were given a small but significant boost with a top order rout of Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Mitchell Starc joined Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in withdrawing from next week’s ICC tournament on Wednesday, opening the way for a new-look attack to step out against Sri Lanka in the first of two lead-in ODIs to show the understudies are ready to step out of the shadow of the greats.
For the most part, Australia’s greenhorn underdogs nailed their assignment and shone brightly, with Sean Abbott taking three wickets and Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis and all-rounder Aaron Hardie taking two wickets a piece.
Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka saved his team from complete humiliation with a lone-hand 127 which rescued the home side from 8-135 to at least bump them up to a total of 214.
But Australia’s potency with the new ball where Hardie and Johnson both struck twice inside the first seven overs was reminiscent of Starc and Hazlewood taking ODI matches by the scruff of the neck.
Australia’s original 15-man Champions Trophy squad has been completely decimated with Starc withdrawing due to undisclosed personal reasons after the marathon man spearheaded his country through seven consecutive Tests over the summer.
Marcus Stoinis (retired) and Mitchell Marsh (back) have added to the wholesale changes Australia has been forced to make, but in a sense it has only made this Champions Trophy campaign starting in Pakistan next week all the more intriguing.
This moment has been coming in Australia for a long time.
So far the Test team has managed to keep ‘the big three’ rolling through, but at some point in the not-too-distant future a changing of the guard will occur with this much-vaunted bowling attack of all-time greats.
At least in the white ball formats, perhaps this is the end of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood playing together as an attack.
It’s a massive opportunity for Big Bash ace Johnson in particular, who gets a shot at replacing Starc as Australia’s left-arm destroyer.
Johnson finished with figures of 2-44 and had the new ball singing at the start of the innings.
Tasmanian Ellis, fresh from captaining the Hobart Hurricanes to the BBL title, has been Australia’s reserve white ball quick for some time, but he offers something different to ‘the big three’ for his miserly returns.
Nathan Ellis is bowling superbly 💪
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 12, 2025
He draws the edge from Theekshana and has figures of 2/11 in his seventh over #SLvAUSpic.twitter.com/yv87xxcuQD
Ellis went at just 2.56 runs an over for his suffocating 2-23 from nine overs.
Abbott is another ultra-reliable bowler who is vastly experienced as a fill-in man for Australia’s ODI team, but now gets a chance to be the frontline star.
The fact that all-rounders Hardie and Matt Short (1-39 off nine) also contributed wickets is another major boost for Australia with no Stoinis or Marsh – and with Glenn Maxwell rested from this first ODI.
Australia’s bowlers were punished by Asalanka in the final 10 overs of the innings, as the Sri Lanka captain hit to all corners of the Colombo ground to smash 14 fours and five sixes.
Asalanka at least gave Sri Lanka’s bowlers something to bowl at.
The type of partnership you love to see 🤠#SLvAUSpic.twitter.com/PCgIG0uLYd
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 12, 2025
Steve Smith has been confirmed as Australia’s Champions Trophy captain and he continued his sharp captaincy form from the Test series as he marshalled his bowlers superbly with short and sharp spells.
Smith also caught superbly with three grabs including a brilliant low-to-the-ground catch to claim Sri Lanka’s fifth wicket to leave the hosts 5-55.
6PM: Australia’s new-look bowling attack has warmed up nicely without its famed big three by decimating Sri Lanka a week out from the Champions Trophy.
Sri Lanka are 8-140 after 34 overs with young quicks Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis and all-rounder Aaron Hardie picking the hosts apart with two wickets each.
Johnson claimed two of the first four wickets to fall in a brilliant first-start stepping out of Mitchell Starc’s shadow.
Australia will go into next week’s Champions Trophy tournament without Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, but if Wednesday’s first ODI against Sri Lanka is anything to go by, their hopes of winning the tournament are not dead.
Sean Abbott and Matt Short have also chipped in with a wicket each and the Champions Trophy now almost shapes as being of even more interest because it’s the first look Australian fans will have at life after the Big Three.
Steve Smith has DONE IT AGAIN.
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 12, 2025
He takes a beauty at slip!#SLvAUSpic.twitter.com/kUpTdKOEMI
4.00PM: No Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins? No worries.
Australia’s new-look pace attack has decimated Sri Lanka’s top order in the first one-dayer in an encouraging sign ahead of next week’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
All-rounder Aaron Hardie, stepping into the big shoes of Mitchell Marsh (injured) and Marcus Stoinis (retired) has claimed two early wickets while Starc’s replacement Johnson got the ball rolling and also has two wickets to leave Sri Lanka in all sorts at 4-31 in the seventh over.
This is a new-look Australian attack with left-arm Big Bash star Johnson, Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott and Hardie so far answering the questions asked of them.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first, but with Pathum Nissanka (4), Avishka Fernando (1) and Kusal Mendis (19) already back in the sheds, Australia’s momentum from their 2-0 Test series victory is continuing.
3.00PM: Spencer Johnson will receive his big break in international cricket today as he steps out of the shadow of Mitchell Starc in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka will bat first after winning the toss for the opening ODI, and they’ll have to face up to an in-form Johnson straight away.
The left-arm Big Bash ace has replaced Starc in Australia’s Champions Trophy one-day squad, and will get a chance to show his wares against Sri Lanka in the first of two ODI matches which will serve as warm-ups for the tournament starting in Pakistan next week.
Starc has withdrawn from the Champions Trophy squad due to personal reasons and with no Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood either, Johnson is suddenly the spearhead of the Australian attack.
The 29-year-old is yet to take an ODI wicket from his two internationals, but he has starred for Australia in T20 internationals as well as in the Big Bash and is ready for his big opportunity to impress.
In a way the pressure is off Johnson with the Big Three all ruled out of the Champions Trophy, and Australia will hope he can replicate the new-ball swing and strike of left-arm magician, Starc.
Meanwhile, Jake Fraser-McGurk returns to the Australian side despite an ordinary summer with the bat as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh.
Fraser-McGurk is expected to feature in Australia’s Champions Trophy top three along with Travis Head and Matt Short.
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