Australia's match against Sri Lanka was paused after flags and hoardings fell into the stands in scary scenes at Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Mitchell Starc was stopped at the top of his mark in the first innings with fans being escorted toward the back of the area in the Luckrow venue.

The BBC claimed fans were 'scampering to safety' after heavy winds caused the objects to fall from the roof.

Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell watched on as a rectangular piece of metal crushed seats in the distance.

No spectators were injured during the incident, but there was a risk of serious harm for anyone sitting in the areas where the items fell.

'We're worried about the wind and the damage it can do from a spectator's point of view as much as anything else,' former New Zealand star Ian Smith said in.

'You can see it's not just the hoardings themselves, it's the scaffold and the structures that have been holding them together.

'Some of them have blown down as well and that has presented quite a dangerous element to some of the spectators in the grandstand.

'So I think they're fully justified in holding off until we can get a bit of a break in the weather.

'It disintegrated in the wind, so we have a few questions to answer before we get on with Australia's reply.'

Australia skittled Sri Lanka for 209 runs, giving themselves a good chance of finally getting their first win at this World Cup after losing their first two games against India and South Africa.