Australia will face Sri Lanka in match number 15 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 to be played at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow on 16th October 2023. Both teams lost their first two matches and would be hoping to get their first points in the tournament.
Australia lost by 134 runs against South Africa at the same venue while Sri Lanka could not defend 345 against Pakistan at Hyderabad. Sri Lanka suffered a huge blow as Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the tournament due to an injury while their bowling has been ordinary so far.
Both teams have good quality players who can change the course of the game with their match-winning abilities. It will be an interesting battle between these two teams and hope for an exciting battle.
Here we look at the 5 Players To Watch Out For
- Kusal Mendis
The dashing right-handed batter Kusal Mendis had a brilliant outing in the previous match against Pakistan at Hyderabad. He looked in sublime touch right from word go putting enough pressure with attacking shots keeping the momentum going for Sri Lanka.
Mendis showed his attacking abilities against the pacers and spinners as well. Being the captain, Sri Lanka would be hoping that he comes with another brilliant knock to help Sri Lanka pose a tough challenge to the Australian team.
He has a decent record in One-day internationals against Australia with 453 runs from 11 matches including the best score of 87. Coming at number 3, Kusal Mendis would be hoping to put enough pressure on the Australian bowling lineup to post or chase down the target.
- David Warner
David Warner had a terrible outing against South Africa at Lucknow. Chasing down 312 runs to win, the pocket dynamo was dismissed cheaply. He needs to come up with a brilliant knock at the top of the order against Sri Lankan bowling who has been struggling for form.
His ability to put pressure on the bowlers in the first ten overs would be key for Australian chances tomorrow. He has a great record against Sri Lanka in ODIs with 779 runs from 22 matches (22 innings) including 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries including the best score of 163.
It will be important for Australia that David Warner provides a flying start in the first 10 overs making life tough and helping them to make life tough for Lankan bowlers.
- Sadeera Samarawickrama
Sadeera Samarawickrama had a superb outing in the previous match against Pakistan. He had a brilliant partnership along with Kusal Mendis and made batting look easy on a superb batting pitch at Hyderabad.
He played the pacers and spinners brilliantly keeping the momentum going for Sri Lanka. Sadeera will play a key role in the middle overs to rotate the strike and keep hitting boundaries to put enough pressure on Australian bowling.
Playing his first ODI match against Australia, it will be important for Samawickrama to score runs that would help Sri Lanka to pose a challenge and help Sri Lanka register victory.
- Dunith Wellage
The 20-year-old spinner Dunith Wellage had a disappointing outing in the previous match against Pakistan. He was taken to the cleaners by Shafique and Rizwan which led to putting pressure on Lankan bowlers.
Wellage can bowl the stump line and put pressure on the batters. With longer boundaries, he would be eager to pick wickets in the middle overs making life tough for Australian batters. His bowling will create enough pressure along with Maheesh Theekshana that will allow Sri Lankan bowlers to keep the momentum going for Sri Lanka.
Playing his first World Cup game against Australia, Wellage would be hoping for a great performance with the bat and ball to ensure that Sri Lanka can pose a tough challenge.
- Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc looked out of sorts in the initial spell as Quinton de Kock put enough pressure with an attacking mindset. Starc was not able to take wickets in the first spell which does not allow the bowlers to keep run flow in check.
He has a superb record against Sri Lanka in ODI format with 27 wickets from 14 matches at an economy of 4.50 runs per over with figures of 4 for 27. His role is to pick early wickets and keep pressure on the Lankan batters.
If Starc can provide early breakthroughs, then Australia would have a great chance to defeat the Lanka side and register their first victory of the World Cup 2023.
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