Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
CWC 2019 Match 20: Australia v Sri Lanka Preview Dream11. AUS vs SL Dream11 Prediction
There was a result in the England vs West Indies game. A welcome change from the farce the 2019 World Cup has been to date.
The proof in the pudding is that Australia are set to play the third game out of the last four completed CWC 2019 matches. Indeed, they have taken centre stage in CWC 2019, but not in the way many thought they might. They have been the only team playing regularly over the span of a full week ravaged by rain-affected matches, prompting cricket lovers to turn to the Accuweather app more often than Cricinfo or Cricbuzz. They head into this game, in what is expected to be good weather, on the back of an unconvincing win against Pakistan. Can the Aussies take a significant step towards the Semi Finals with a win?
The opposite applies to Sri Lanka. They have not played a single game since their own unconvincing win against Afghanistan back on June 5, gaining two points across two washouts against Pakistan and Bangladesh. All of a sudden, Sri Lanka are an upset or two away of really having a say in the Semi Finals race. Can they get a win here against Australia to move to six points?
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Key to an Australia win
Australia’s team balance came into question against Pakistan. Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja were all picked in the same team, with Glenn Maxwell tasked with being the fifth bowler. Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins helped see the Aussies home, but surely Australia will want an improvement in batting well across all three stages of an innings. The top three of Warner, Finch and Smith will be crucial in setting a platform, and Australia need Glenn Maxwell to step up on put on the “big show” that he is known as. Australia need to avoid situations where the likes of Marsh and Khawaja are batting together with 12 overs remaining, so Maxwell’s contribution is critical as the finisher.
Also, the make up of Australia’s bowling attack against Pakistan laid significant reliance on Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins to deliver. They did, but Maxwell as the fifth bowler, along with the lack of wickets from supporting seamers, means opposition sides have a great opportunity to pounce, like India did last Sunday. Here, Starc and Cummins will be vital again, but can Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson build on some positive moments last time out? Also, should Australia leave one of Marsh or Khawaja out in favour of a specialist spinner as the fifth bowler? It remains to be seen.
Key to a Sri Lanka win
Sri Lanka’s batting has been poor in CWC 2019. Their 136 all-out capitulation against New Zealand was followed by 201 against Afghanistan, which had the small matter of a 9/57 collapse. Here, how they handle Starc and Cummins up-front is crucial to their confidence. The opportunity? Starc and Cummins have 18 combined wickets at 20.2. The rest of the bowlers are conceding 62.8 runs per wicket. So, can the Sri Lankan openers weather the early storm? Then, importantly, is the middle order capable of building on it to take advantage of Australia’s shortcomings?
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Also, Nuwan Pradeep, man of the match in Sri Lanka’s last two wins, is a small chance of playing. The bounce he can extract can serve Sri Lanka well against Australia’s top order, whom they will rely on for a big total. Also, Lasith Malinga will be crucial to the cause, along with Suranga Lakmal who is capable of bowling fine spells via swing. Can Sri Lanka force a rebuild from Australia’s accumulators? Who can get the better of Glenn Maxwell, who can struggle against pace early in his innings? Sri Lanka can create some chaos in the Australia batting lineup, just as was the case against Pakistan.
Pitch and conditions
The pitch to be used at The Oval will be a fresh one. So, batsmen will benefit with the ball coming onto the bat a little better. Also, the weather looks good, with periods of sun and not much rain expected at all.
Possible Playing 11
Despite Australia sitting pretty in the top four, they have questions to answer. Their collapse of 7/65 in the final 10 overs of their innings against Pakistan raises serious questions about the balance of the team. Also, Finch and Maxwell bowling nine overs between them can mean trouble in the big games. However, Finch hinted that they will stick with their four pace bowler strategy until one of Stoinis or Mitch Marsh are available, with Maxwell, Finch and even off-spinning Steve Smith to fill in with overs.
Australia: 1. Aaron Finch (c), 2. David Warner, 3. Usman Khawaja, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Shaun Marsh, 6. Glenn Maxwell, 7. Alex Carey (wk), 8. Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9. Pat Cummins, 10. Mitchell Starc, 11. Kane Richardson
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Nuwan Pradeep is back in training after a wrist injury. He could possibly return. Also, Lasith Malinga is back in England after attending his mother-in-law’s funeral.
Sri Lanka: 1. Kusal Perera (wk), 2. Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 3. Lahiru Thirimanne, 4. Angelo Mathews, 5. Kusal Mendis, 6. Dhananjaya de Silva, 7. Thisara Perara, 8. Isuru Udana, 9. Nuwan Pradeep/Jeevan Mendis, 10. Suranga Lakmal, 11. Lasith Malinga
Dream11 Prediction
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Option 1:
Option 2:
Stats and Facts
- Head-to-head in World Cups: Matches 9, Australia 7, Sri Lanka 2.
- The last meeting in World Cups between these two sides was in 2015. Australia scored 376 with Glenn Maxwell smashing 102 off 53 balls.
- Lasith Malinga needs four wickets to reach 50 World Cup wickets.
Match Prediction
Australia have areas to improve on, but they are a good bet to beat Sri Lanka with the match-winners in their team.
Australia to win.
Thanks for reading!
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