ICC World Cup 2019: Match 20, Sri Lanka vs Australia, Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

Nuwan Pradeep has been bowling in the nets and may return for the game.

Published - 14 Jun 2019, 11:06 IST | Updated - 14 Jun 2019, 11:06 IST

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Sri Lanka has been one of the unlucky sides in the 2019 World Cup as two out of their four matches were abandoned due to rain. Though Dimuth Karunartne and Co are languishing at the fifth spot on the points table with four points, their Net Run Rate of -1.517 isn’t in the greatest of shapes by any means. Their next match is versus the Aaron Finch-captained Australia on May 15 at the Kennington Oval in London.

Back in the warm-ups, the Aussies defeated the Lankans comfortably. The Men in Yellow have garnered three wins and are placed second in the table. In the World Cup, the Lankans have beaten the Aussies only once back in 1996, losing seven games. Therefore, it’s not much of a surprise that Australia is the firm favourite for the encounter. Meanwhile, another loss will put Sri Lanka’s campaign in the doldrums.

Weather Report

Yet another time, the weather is expected to be dismal for playing cricket. From 11 AM to 7 PM in the evening, there are chances of severe rain. The sun will be there in the morning, but gradually the clouds will take over. The atmosphere will be nice and cool with the temperature hovering around 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be in the 50s and 60s.

Pitch Report

The track at the venue has favoured the team batting first, in the tournament. Three out of the four matches went against the chasing team. The other day, even New Zealand strained to chase down 245 and lost eight wickets. Hence, teams won’t want to take the risk of batting second on the strip. The deck is also speculated to slow down a wee bit as the match progresses.

Playing combinations

Sri Lanka

The Lankans may bring fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep in the eleven. Prior to the game versus Bangladesh, he developed a cut and dislocation on his finger from the bowling arm and was ruled out of the game. But before the next match, he has returned to the nets and also bowled for around 25 minutes. A call on his availability for the game will be taken on Friday.

Lasith Malinga is also back after attending his mother-in-law’s funeral. In the bowling department, Suranga Lakmal will wish to make amends after going wicketless in the first two games. The likes of Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Angelo Mathews need to find their rhythm as well. Kusal Perera and Karunaratne’s role will be critical if the Lankans are to put up a good score.

Probable XI

Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Kusal Perera (wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis/Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga.

Australia

The Aussies may not make any changes to their playing eleven. Marcus Stoinis has a side strain and there’s a doubt on his return. It means Shaun Marsh is likely to be persisted with. Kane Richardson may have to make way for Adam Zampa bearing in mind the nature of the pitch. Aaron Finch and David Warner firing together is definitely an ominous sign for the opposition.

Steve Smith will want to make amends after a rare failure versus Pakistan. It’ll also be interesting to see where Khawaja and Marsh bat. Glenn Maxwell has looked threatening but is yet to get a big score. Nathan Coulter-Nile also seemed to find his touch. The Aussies will again depend on Mitchell Starc and the ever-so-reliable Pat Cummins to get the early breakthroughs.

Probable XI

Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson/Adam Zampa