http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 – 3rd Test - Match Preview
The 3rd Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia will be played at the famous Colombo (SSC) stadium, tomorrow, September 16, 2011.
After a grueling month and a half for the visiting Kangaroos team, which started off with two losses in the T20 arena, the Aussies slowly proved their merit by winning the limited overs Internationals.
They currently lead the Test series 1-0 and had the rain not spoiled their chances of winning in the second Test, would have been sitting pretty by now.
Skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978 recently spoke of his frustration, but was in a confident mood and believed that the team’s “mindset must be (remain) the same”.
After all the problems back at home, where the Argus Recommendation pointed out the differences in the Australian structure, the tour has helped the team re-group and stay away from controversy.
Also this has helped them prioritize their cricket with the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 himself, being brave enough to ignore the riches of T20.
Having said that, the immediate task will be to ensure that they do not allow their opponents any route back in a series which is still placed precariously.
The visitors have been dealt with a blow though, since http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RJ-Harris-c2330 will miss the match due to a hamstring injury he picked on the final day of the second Test. The pacer has ably spear-headed the attack, claiming crucial breakthroughs.
Victorian seamer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Pattinson-c1653 misses out.
The good news for the Aussies will be the return of veteran http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SE-Marsh-c2470 in his absence.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Usman-Khawaja-c2729 will have to make way for him.
It is hard to criticize the form of all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Watson-c2558, but he too recently admitted his frustration of not being able to convert his starts into big scores. However he remains a valuable asset to the side and with his ability to generate reverse swing,
which will be handy with the old ball.
For the hosts, the team under skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691 has yet to explore its true potential and the final match could be a perfect way for the team to make a spirited comeback.
The problem has been the opening, and Dilshan's individual performances as well. It will be Kumar Sangakkara’s 100th Test, who recently scooped the ODI player and the People’s Choice Award, so the classy left-hander will not be short of motivation.
Spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BAW-Mendis-c1127 is set to remain on the sidelines due to a back injury.
As for the SSC pitch, it is renowned for its batsman-friendly nature and so it will remain for much of the five days. In the past 17 matches, Sri Lanka have just lost once on this ground, where the prolific duo of Sangakkara and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397 shared
a staggering 624-run partnership against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in July 2006.
The tour is set for an enthralling finale with plenty to play for both teams.
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