The defending champions will take on the Asia cup champions on Tuesday at The WACA Perth. The defending champions will be in search of 2 important points.
Overview
Australia
The defending champions were given a backfoot punch in the opening game of the World T20 2022. They entered the tournament with the tag of " HOT FAVORITES " but the 89-run defeat against the last world cup's runners-up has dented their chances and has highly damaged their NRR. For Australia now it's all about forgetting the loss and focusing on what is next on road. Their next fixtures in the world cup are as follows
vs Sri Lanka on 25th October
vs England on 28th October
vs Ireland on 31st October
vs Afghanistan on 4th November
In the T20 format, one can't make the mistake of taking any opposition lightly and it will be almost impossible for Australia to make it to the semis of the world cup if they lose one game from here on. Australia has got the most balanced squad in this world cup and the last game was just a bad day.
What changes do they need to make to be back on winning ways?
They didn't give even a single over to the all-rounders in form of Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, and Mitchell Marsh. Their premium bowlers are gone for a few too many and at that time it is important for a captain to try all-rounders who can chip in with a few crucial overs.
In the batting department, it's important that at least one from the top 3 plays long innings and takes the game deep, it will be challenging for Australia to counter the spin twins of Sri Lanka in the form of M Theekshana and W Hasaranga and they might be tempted to bring in Steven Smith to counter the spin attack of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka
The team that a few months back was termed as a free point team is now playing the world cup as the Asia cup champions, The young guns from Sri Lanka are high on confidence and they are no more a team that you can take lightly, they not just fight till the end but are highly capable or defeating the big teams. They started their super 12 campaign with a 9-run victory against Ireland and now are all set to take on Australia at the Perth. Sri Lanka's strength is their batting, they bat deep till 8 and 9, they haven't got players who will keep scoring consistently each and every game but produce different match-winner every time, in bowling their main strength are their spinners. W Hasaranga has taken 28 wickets this year in just 15 games and M Theekshana has 20 wickets to his name this year in T20Is.
Players to watch out for
1) M Starc
M Starc has taken 24 wickets in 18 games at the T20 World Cup, He's not at his best in the last few games but now when he takes the field against the lesser experience Sri Lankan side at the Perth and it should be a treat for the cricket fanatics. Starc can change the game on his head quickly, it will be a tough ask for the Sri Lankan batters to see off Starc's opening spell on such a wicket.
2) W Hasaranga
W Hasaranga who's going through a purple patch both with bat and ball will be a headache for the Australian team. W Hasaranga with his vital runs lower down the order is capable of shifting the momentum quickly. Australia needs to find a way to tackle Hasaranga's leg break.
Probable Playing XIs
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara.
Australia: Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh/Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (WK), Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood.
Head-to-head
Played - 25
Australia won - 15
Sri Lanka won - 10
Most Runs
D Warner - 642
G Maxwell - 459
Most wickets
A Zampa - 21
K Richardson - 15
Australia and Sri Lanka have faced each other in 4 games during ICC T20 World Cup tournaments. Out of these 4 games, Australia has won 3 whereas Sri Lanka has come out victorious only on 1 occasion.
Pitch/Weather Report:
Perth is a tough wicket for batters and as we saw in the last game pacers get help from the wicket so we can expect a total of around 145/150. The temperature is expected to be In the range of 14-17 degree celsius and there are no chances of rain.
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
Date & Time: Oct 25th at 4:30 pm IST and 7:00 pm local time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Dream 11 Team
