Beware, for Australia are on the prowl. With recent one-day international series wins against India and Pakistan, they gave a glimpse of what they can do at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019; with the win over England in their first warm-up game, they've sounded out a downright warning to other teams.
Steve Smith is in sublime form. His 116 against England in Southampton on May 25 was a lesson in pacing an innings, as he progressed from caution to chaos. Others, such as David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey also scored some solid runs.
Australia's bowling was good too — it has to be if you're able to defend 297 against this England batting line-up - but that hardly comes as a surprise. Even during their slump, the bowling was never really an issue. But what is impressive was that they were able to put the brakes on England even in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who will lead the attack in the tournament proper.
While in their first warm-up fixture, they conceded 338 to South Africa and then folded for 251.
On a positive note, Dimuth Karunaratne found runs once again, with a valiant 87, while the experienced Angelo Mathews notched up 64. Sri Lanka will hope that runs from the leadership group can have a positive impact on the others.
