‘Ye fair play Australian kab se sikh gye?’ – Fans react as Mitchell Starc issues two warnings to Kusal Perera for leaving crease early at non-striker’s end in ODI World Cup 2023

The ODI Cricket World Cup match between Australia and Sri Lanka commenced at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday, October 16. Both teams, currently without a win in the tournament, had faced defeats in their initial two games.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins opted to bat after winning the toss against the five-time champions, Sri Lanka saw Mitchell Starc delivering the first breakthrough in the very first over, dismissing Kusal Perera. In a humorous incident, Perera was spotted out of the crease at the non-striker’s end before Starc completed his delivery. Rather than dismissing him, the left-arm pacer chose to give a warning.

In an amusing twist, Starc had another chance to dismiss Perera, who this time kept his bat grounded in the crease despite initially stepping out a few paces ahead during the bowler’s follow-up. Once again, Starc issued a warning by pulling out of his action on the last ball of the fifth over.

Sri Lanka and Australia will be aiming to open their account in ODI World Cup 2023

In their recent encounter against Pakistan in Hyderabad, Sri Lanka displayed an impressive performance by setting a formidable total of 344 runs while batting first. However, their efforts fell short as Pakistan successfully chased down the target with 10 balls to spare.

For the Sri Lankan team, key contributions in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 came from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, who both notched crucial centuries but were eventually dismissed by Adam Zampa. Opener Pathum Nissanka also played a significant role with his half-century. Bowling-wise, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, and Matheesha Pathirana secured wickets for Sri Lanka.

Turning to Australia’s recent match against South Africa, the five-time champions endured a humbling 134-run defeat. After opting to bowl first, Australia conceded 311 runs within the allotted overs. The Australian batsmen faced considerable challenges, resulting in a collapse as they crumbled for 117 runs in 40.5 overs.

Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this controversial scene from the match;