Sri Lanka are in good form, having won the three matches in Round 1 to top their group and beaten Bangladesh in the Super 12 stage opener. But now they face their most difficult test yet, against the Australian side on Thursday.
Australia come into the match confident after beating South Africa by five wickets in their first Super 12 game. The Aussies started the game strongly with the bowlers restricting the Proteas to just 118/9, but were made to work hard in the chase as the top-order failed in unison.
Steve Smith (35 off 24) stabilised the innings before Marcus Stoinis (24 not out off 16) won them the match in the final over. Sri Lanka would look to target Australia’s out-of-form top-order in a game that could play a big role in deciding the eventual qualifiers from Group 1 of the Super 12 stage.
The other teams in the group include South Africa, England, West Indies and Bangladesh. In a group consisting of all Test playing nations, even one defeat could prove to be fatal to qualification chances.
Sri Lanka also boast wily spinners like Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga and they are sure to pose a lot of trouble to Australia. At the same, Australia have top bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa.
In such a case, the batting could be the difference between the sides and both sides will hope for a good outing with the bat in Dubai.
Charith Asalanka’s unbeaten 80 and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 53 helped Sri Lanka stage a late comeback against Bangladesh. The team will now hope for contributions from Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando to keep the winning streak going.
Here’s everything you need to know about when and where to watch Australia vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup contest:
When will the Group 1 match of the T20 World Cup 2021 between Australia vs Sri Lanka take place?
The match between Australia and Sri Lanka will take place on 28 October 2021.
What is the venue for Australia vs Sri Lanka match?
The match will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
What time will Australia vs Sri Lanka match start?
The match will begin at 7.30 pm IST. The toss will take place at 7 pm IST.
Which TV channels will broadcast Australia vs Sri Lanka match?
The match will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the match will also be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
Squads:
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando.
