Australia vs Sri Lanka, 22nd Match, Group A (N), Dubai (DSC), Oct 28 2021
Group A is accepted as the toughest to emerge from but a victory for either Australia or Sri Lanka to make it two from two would leave them strongly placed for a semi-final berth.
Both sides chased successfully in their opening games, but Sri Lanka’s was more convincing than Australia’s albeit on a surface that was easier for strokeplay in Sharjah. The two teams last met in 2019 when Australia won 3-0 in home conditions.
Having come through the qualifying stage unbeaten, Sri Lanka are building some nice momentum having been an underdog before the tournament. The way Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa rebuild the innings against Bangladesh will have been a huge confidence booster for the squad.
For Australia, there was a bit of a sigh of relief to get over the line against South Africa, a match that was too crucial for their hopes of progressing. They were excellent with the ball and in the field – led by Josh Hazlewood’s superb opening spell and the bonus of Glenn Maxwell’s four overs.
But if they are to go deep in the competition, they will need David Warner and Aaron Finch to fire. Both the openers have come under scrutiny for not being able to give good starts to the side.
Team News:
Injury/ Availabitliy concerns: No players has been injured or troubled with fitness for either sides.
Australia Probable XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Sri Lanka Probable XI: 1 Kusal Perera (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Wanindu Hasaranga, 6 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 7 Dasun Shanka (capt), 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Binura Fernando/Maheesh Theekshana
Important Stats and Facts:
• Going by the match-up data, Maxwell bowling in the powerplay will be a good tactic again: in 13 balls against Kusal Perera in T20Is, he has dismissed him twice.
• In his search for runs, Warner will be happy seeing Sri Lanka against whom he averages a remarkable 55.90 in T20Is.
• This is a clash between the two teams (who are in the Super 12s) with the lowest win percentage in 2021 – Australia is at 31.2% and Sri Lanka 43.7%.
Quotes:
“I actually think people talking about my form is quite funny. I laugh at the matter. I’ve played hardly any cricket. Had two games in the IPL and then warm-up games are warm-up games for a reason. The other day I got my benchmark as where I should be at with my feet.” – David Warner on people talking about his form
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