Sri Lanka v Australia – 1st ODI – Match Preview
Sri Lanka will take on Australia in the first One Day International (ODI) of the five-match series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, August 10, 2011.
Both teams have already been in action at the same venue in two Twenty20 games. The hosts emerged victorious in the series by 2-0, as the Aussies struggled against the spin attack of the opposition.
Sri Lanka have been led by flamboyant opening batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
Dilshan will have the opportunity to lead his team on home soil for the first time in ODI cricket and then later in Tests as well. He will look forward to make most of the home conditions and overcome the struggling Australian team.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/WU-Tharanga-c2802 will join his captain at the top of the order, as he was not a part of the shortest version of the game. The left-handed opener has a decent record in ODI cricket, scoring 11 centuries in 121 games. He has provided some solid starts to the team alongside Dilshan and the pair will be a big threat for the opposition.
In order to score big runs, a team needs some top quality middle-order batsmen and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397 might still look very young, but has featured in 347 ODIs for his country.
The stylish player has the ability to bat well against both the spinners and the fast bowlers. He is one of the few cricketers in the modern day cricket, who can adjust accordingly to the format of the game. He is one of the most dependable batsmen in Sri Lankan cricket in all three formats of the game.
Sri Lanka are also blessed with one of the best wicketkeeper batsman of all times Sangakkara. The veteran has been a terrific servant of his country and will be a tough nut to break for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in the ongoing series.
The hosts have also found some talented youngsters like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LD-Chandimal-c1831 and Jeevan Mendis, who can represent their nation for years to come.
However, Sri Lanka will miss their strike bowler http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SL-Malinga-c2540 in the first match of the series. He has been out of action following a back injury, but might recover in time for the remainder of the series.
Although Malinga will be missed in the first ODI, the hosts will rely on their spinners, as the Pallekele pitch has a lot of assistance for the slower bowlers.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942 will also be a part of the ODI squad in order to strengthen the team.
Wicketkeeper batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Watson-c2558 and the pair will look to dominate the opposition’s attack.
Batting seems to be strength for the Kangaroos, but they have struggled in the bowling department in the recent past. The team has some quality pacers like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DE-Bollinger-c1348, but lack a quality spinner.
It will be interesting to see whether Australia have the answers to the spin attack of the hosts, as it will be a key factor in this series between the two cricket giants.
Tags: