The Australian cricket team will take on Sri Lanka in Match 14 of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday, October 16 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Both, Australia and Sri Lanka, have disappointed their fans so far, and are yet to get off the mark in the tournament.
Sri Lanka is seventh on the table with no points from two matches. They lost to South Africa by 102 runs in their opening match, while Pakistan defeated them in the second by six wickets. On the other hand, Australia’s performance has also been surprisingly poor. They lost to India in the opening match, followed by another loss against South Africa. Heading into the upcoming match, the players from both teams, have to pull up their socks to make a comeback in the tournament.
In this article, we look at the key player battles for the Australia vs Sri Lanka match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for AUS vs SL
David Warner vs Dhanajaya de Silva
Australian opener David Warner has a dismal record against Dhanajaya de Silva in ODI cricket. He has struggled to tackle the Sri Lankan spinner. Warner has been dismissed in all four matches that the duo has played against each other. He averages 9.2, scoring 37 runs off 60 deliveries against Dhanajaya de Silva. It will be interesting to see if Dhanajaya de Silva manages to continue the trend.
Mitchell Marsh vs Dunith Wellalage
Mitchell Marsh and Dunith Wellalage played against each other in the 2022 ODI Series in Sri Lanka. The spinner troubled the Australian batter in the series. He dismissed Marsh twice in three matches, and only conceded 15 runs off 26 deliveries. He bowled 19 dot deliveries against the right-handed batter. Wellalage will be hoping to replicate his performance in the upcoming match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup.
Kusal Mendis vs Josh Hazlewood
The face-off between Kusal Mendis and Josh Hazlewood will be an exciting contest. Mendis is in red-hot form in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He has slammed a fifty and a century in the tournament so far in two matches, averaging 99. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood is the top-ranked bowler in ODI cricket. They have played against each other seven times in ODIs, and Hazlewood managed to dismiss Mendis once. Mendis has scored 59 runs in 71 deliveries.
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