Australia vs. Sri Lanka: First T20I Preview

Australia vs. Sri Lanka: First T20I Preview

Match details:

Series/tournament name: Australia vs. Sri Lanka T20I Series

Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Date: October 27, 2019

Time: 9:00 a.m. IST

Preview:

Australia and Sri Lanka will face off in the first T20I of the three-match series in Adelaide on Sunday. The game will mark the beginning of the international season on the Australian soil. In the previous five contests between both teams in the shortest format of the game, it is advantage Australia as they've won three against Sri Lanka's two.

Weather report:

Weather is expected to be cloudy but it should stay fine throughout. 

Pitch report:

The pitch is traditionally a really good one for batting with some assistance for the spinners in the later stages of the match.

Probable Playing XI:

Australia:

Australia will come in the match relatively high on confidence as this will be their first assignment in white-ball cricket after the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup where they managed to cement a semi-final spot. In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of captain Aaron Finch, opener David Warner, in-form Steve Smith and explosive Glenn Maxwell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Kane Richardson to produce timely breakthroughs.

Predicted XI: Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Steven Smith, Ashton Turner, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (WK), Ben McDermott, Mitchell Starc,

Match details:

Series/tournament name: Australia vs. Sri Lanka T20I Series

Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Date: October 27, 2019

Time: 9:00 a.m. IST

Preview:

Australia and Sri Lanka will face off in the first T20I of the three-match series in Adelaide on Sunday. The game will mark the beginning of the international season on the Australian soil. In the previous five contests between both teams in the shortest format of the game, it is advantage Australia as they've won three against Sri Lanka's two.

Weather report:

Weather is expected to be cloudy but it should stay fine throughout. 

Pitch report:

The pitch is traditionally a really good one for batting with some assistance for the spinners in the later stages of the match.

Probable Playing XI:

Australia:

Australia will come in the match relatively high on confidence as this will be their first assignment in white-ball cricket after the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup where they managed to cement a semi-final spot. In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of captain Aaron Finch, opener David Warner, in-form Steve Smith and explosive Glenn Maxwell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Kane Richardson to produce timely breakthroughs.

Predicted XI: Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Steven Smith, Ashton Turner, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (WK), Ben McDermott, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka will enter the contest high on confidence as well as they are coming off whitewashing the world number one T20I side Pakistan on their backyard in their recently concluded three-match series. In the batting department, the visitors will be relying on the likes of Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella and Dasun Shanaka to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of captain Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana and Wanindu Hasaranga to produce timely breakthroughs.

Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana,  Wanindu Hasaranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Lasith Malinga (C)

Top picks:

Wicketkeeper: Alex Carey (8.5 Cr)

Alex Carey is now becoming a permanent member of the Australia's white-ball side. However, the 28-year-old's record in the shortest format of the game for the Baggy Greens is far from impressive, averaging just 13.88 with the bat in 13 innings at a strike-rate of 123.76.

All-rounder: Glenn Maxwell (9 Cr)

Glenn Maxwell is one of the most destructive batsman in the shortest format of the game. The 31-year-old has represented Australia in 59 T20Is where he has scored 1,514 runs at an average of 34.40 and with a strike-rate of 158.20, which included three centuries and six fifties. That's not all, as he also has 26 wickets to his name with his part-time off-spin.

Batsman: Kusal Perera (9 Cr)

Kusal Perera is Sri Lanka's most prolific batsman in white-ball cricket. The left-hander has represented the Islanders in 39 T20Is where he has scored 1,071 runs at an average of 27.46 and with a strike-rate of 136.08, which includes 10 half-centuries.

Bowler: Wanindu Hasaranga (8.5 Cr)

Wanindu Hasaranga is still a relatively young prospect at the international level but has beginning to showcase his talent. The right-arm leggie is coming on the back of an outstanding series against Pakistan where he claimed eight wickets in just three matches. Therefore, Sri Lanka's team management will be hoping the see the similar kind of performance from the 22-year-old in the upcoming series as well.

Captaincy options: Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kusal Perera, David Warner

Dream XI team:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azeem Siddiqui
Passionate sports follower in the field of sports journalism for more than five years. Loves writing about cricket, football, and tennis.
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