Australia bettered Sri Lanka by six wickets in Sharjah on Saturday to get its Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 title defence underway on the right note.

Sri Lanka had a torrid day in the field with the troubles starting early on after its skipper Chamari Athapaththu elected to bat first.

Australia’s experienced bowling outfit pressed on from the beginning, restricting Sri Lanka to just 92 in the 20 overs.

The chase though didn’t begin auspiciously for the Aussies, with captain Alyssa Healy and Georgia Wareham falling early.

But, opener Beth Mooney marshalled the side to an easy win, which came with more than five overs to spare.