Sri Lanka may have lost the T20I series but earned a morale-boosting win in the final match of the series. Australia tapered off during the T20I series and will need to ramp up the intensity to take charge of the ODIs.
Sri Lanka vs Australia | 14 June 2022 | Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | 11:00
To Win Match
Sri Lanka 23/10 | Tie 25/1 | Australia 34/100
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka have some terrific white-ball cricketers but getting them all to fire in cohesive fashion has proven a challenge.
Moments of individual brilliance abound but skipper Dasun Shanaka needs to coax more consistency out of his charges.
Shanaka was the man to fire Sri Lanka over the line in the final T20I but he will need big efforts from multiple players if his team are to triumph in a rare five-match ODI series.
Five 50-over games will test the Sri Lankans’ ability to keep their foot on the gas and also their resilience when things aren’t going their way.
Australia
Australia are a side that can beat anybody on their day but they also have an uncanny knack of folding under pressure in the white-ball game.
The men in canary yellow often appear to lose their way in the middle of an innings and make up for it with big starts and even bigger finishes.
The 50-over format has also often stretched Australia’s specialist-reliant bowling attack to the maximum.
Sri Lanka would do well to target a bowler in their attack and look to pick up the scraps in the chaos.
That Sri Lanka need to play spoiler though suggests that the tourists have the upper hand.
Verdict: Australia 34/100
Sri Lanka just haven’t been consistent enough to trouble Australia in this format.
