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Gutsy win will spark Aussies' momentum: Haynes

Deputy says the team's fighting qualities were on display against Sri Lanka and expects that to provide a valuable push as they head to Canberra for Thursday's clash with Bangladesh

Australia vice-captain Rachael Haynes has dismissed the suggestion the pressure of a home T20 World Cup is showing on the tournament host after they survived a major scare against Sri Lanka in Perth on Monday.

Rather, Haynes believes the fighting, five-wicket win, which saw Australia edge past Sri Lanka's 6-122 with three balls to spare, is a sign of the collective character of the defending champions.

Australia rallied from early trouble at 3-10 to claim their first points of the tournament, led by Haynes' 60 and an unbeaten 41 from captain Meg Lanning.

It was an unexpectedly close encounter, given eighth-ranked Sri Lanka had never beaten – nor even properly tested – Australia in any of their five previous T20 International encounters.

Australia headed into the tournament as strong favourites, hosts, defending champions and the world's top-ranked team, and had won 26 of 31 T20Is since the start of 2018.

Given their star-studded squad – not to mention the small matter of the tournament organisers' goal of filling the MCG for the final on March 8 – expectations are high.

However Haynes doesn't believe the pressure is getting to them.

Aussies overcome scare to record hard-fought victory

"World Cup tournaments aren't easy (but) playing at home, we're really enjoying the opportunity to do that," Haynes said following Monday's match.

"But you can't escape the fact it's different from a normal series where perhaps you can drop a game here or there and you know you can get back in the contest.

"In World Cup cricket, you have to keep winning and that's the nature of the beast.

"I'm sure there was a couple of nerves today, but I hope today showed the character that's in the group.

"To get over the line at the end there, I think that's hopefully going to create some wonderful momentum heading into the rest of the tournament."

Australia could have ill-afforded a defeat at this stage of their campaign, having already dropped their opening game to India.

While they could theoretically lose two group matches and still advance, three wins against their Group A opponents will put them in the strongest position to advance to the knockout stage.

Even then, other results could see the fight for a top-two spot come down to net run rate (NRR).

They now sit third in their group, level on two points with second-placed New Zealand but behind them on NRR.

"Hopefully (the win) just settles our group down a little bit," Haynes said.

"The other day didn't go to plan but that's the nature of tournament cricket, you don't always have it your own way and we knew we were going to get challenged at different times.

"Playing T20 cricket you are riding this wave of emotion and momentum, too, so we had that at different stages through the game today and we had to fight to get it too in our batting innings.

"I think more than anything it'll just be nice to carry that on heading into Canberra and our game against Bangladesh."

Top order tumbles as Sri Lanka strikes early

Reflecting on Monday's gritty chase, Haynes said she felt calm walking to the middle to meet her captain despite the match hanging in the balance at 3-10.

"I was feeling okay, I was pretty fortunate that one of the best batters in the world is standing at the other end," she said.

"Meg and I have played a lot of cricket together and we knew it was just a matter of calming things down, slowing the game down a little bit and getting a really good partnership together.

"It is always tricky starting here in Perth, particularly coming from (Sydney Showground) where we just played.

"You probably couldn't get two more different wickets to bat on.

"For me it was just about getting in the contest and I enjoy batting with Meg too, she knows when I'm getting a bit antsy and walks down the wicket and tells me off.

"Today was a special innings and it was nice to be a part of it."

Australia how travel to Canberra, where they will meet Bangladesh at Manuka Oval on Thursday.

The Tigresses are the lowest-ranked team in Group A, but pose a new challenge for Australia through sheer unfamiliarity – the teams have never met in any format, nor have any Bangladeshi players appeared in the Rebel WBBL.

"It's going to be an interesting challenge," Haynes said. "We've watched them play a little bit over the years.

"It's a bit of an unknown but in some respects it just makes it a lot clearer, we can focus on ourselves a bit and what we want to get right, any little things we want to tidy up from today.

"It's probably a good thing we don't know them, we can just go out there and play cricket and see ball, hit ball."

2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

February 21:India won by 17 runs

February 24: Australia won by five wickets

February 27: Australia v Bangladesh, Manuka Oval 

March 2: Australia v New Zealand, Junction Oval

March 5: Semi-final 1 & Semi-final 2, SCG

March 8: Final, MCG

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE

* All matches will be broadcast on Fox Cricket and Kayo, while Australia’s matches will also be broadcast on the Nine Network