Defending champions Australia overcame a mighty scare to eventually beat Sri Lanka by six wickets after pacer Megan Schutt’s (3-12) probing spell set them up for a small winning target in their campaign opener on Saturday.

Set a paltry target of 94, Australia were 35-3 at the end of Powerplay, losing captain Alyssa Healy (4), Georgia Wareham (3) and Ellyse Perry (17) early in their run chase. But, a 43-run partnership between Beth Mooney (43 not out) and Ashleigh Gardner (12) helped Australia go past the target with 34 balls to spare, as they made 94-4 in 14.2 overs.