ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Group A: Australia vs Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka Preview
Both the teams find themselves in a bit of a dicey situation as Sri Lanka get ready to face Australia at The Oval today, especially after England’s win over New Zealand yesterday. Even though New Zealand lost that match, they still have a chance of making it to the last four with a superior run rate if Australia beat Sri Lanka today as, in that case, both the Aussies and the Kiwis will be tied at 3 points apiece. Sri Lanka, however, find themselves in a slightly easier situation. They just need to win today’s game to make it to the semifinals, not worrying about the run rate factor. The Sri Lankans are coming from a well-fought victory over England, while Australians had their last match washed out.
The Sri Lankan batting packed a punch in the last game, as they managed to chase a mammoth 293 against England. Kumara Sangakkara has been the pick of the batsmen for them so far. His well-compiled hundred in the last game made sure that Sri Lanka stayed alive in the competition. Mahela Jayawardene looked like coming into his own with a flourishing 42 in the last game, which is a very good sign for Sri Lanka. T Dilshan has been coming up with some 30s and 40s, but needs to convert them into some big ones. Kusal Perera has been disappointing so far. The Kulasekara gamble paid off in the last game, but their premier batsmen down the order have to get their acts together in a crunch game like this.
Their bowlers were a bit wayward in the last game, especially Shaminda Eranga, who went for 80 in his 10 overs. Lasith Malinga and Rangana Herath bowled reasonably well, and will be expected to lead the bowling attack today as well. Nuwan Kulasekara was economical and so was skipper Angelo Mathews. They should look to take advantage of Australia’s fragile batting order, which has been far from good this season.
Conditions:
The pitch here has been reasonably good for batting. It has some assist for the bowlers as well. Overall, it’s a good sporting wicket and might provide us with a high-scoring game in case the rain gods don’t play spoilsport.
Key Players:
Kumara Sangakkara- The amazingly talented southpaw is the most dependable player in the side. He scored a match-winning 134* in the last game, and will be expected to deliver today as well. He is the backbone of their batting order.
Lasith Malinga- This Sri Lankan ‘slinger’ is arguably the best death overs bowler in the world today. His ability to bowl some toe-crushing yorkers at will makes him the captain’s delight. He will be expected to provide his team with some crucial breakthroughs today.
Sri Lanka’s strategy:
They should look to bowl first upon winning the toss, especially considering the fact that the last three games here were won by the team batting second. They chased a big total at the same venue in their last game, and shouldn’t look to do anything different today.
Head-to-head:
The teams have met only once in the ICC Champions Trophy before, with Sri Lanka having won that game.
Probable XI:
Shaminda Eranga was expensive against England at the same venue, and could be challenged for a place in the side by either Thisara Perera or Sachithra Senanayake. The rest of the team is expected to be the same.
Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Tilakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera (wk), Kumara Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thisara Perera/Sachitra Senanayeke, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara.