Australia vs Sri Lanka, ICCWCT20 2022, Today Match Prediction 25 October 2022

aus vs sl Match Prediction & Analysis

Australia will be eager to put their recent loss behind them. It was far from an ideal start for the hosts where they were outplayed in every department.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka continued their winning run from the Round 1 stage of the tournament as they beat Ireland by 9 wickets at Hobart. Australia have played 8 T20Is against Sri Lanka this year and won 6 of them.

Only once this year has Australia lost a T20I at home against Sri Lanka. At this stage, where Aussies are under pressure and Sri Lankan bowlers are on top of their game, this could be an exciting contest between the two sides.

David Warner will be the key batsman at the top for Australia. The southpaw batsman averages 43.00 from 8 innings in 2022. The last time he played at Perth, Warner scored a brilliant 73 off 44 balls against England. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Australia Preview

The only true competition expected for Australia in this Super 12 group was from England who recently beat the Aussies in a T20I series. New Zealand have a poor record in T20Is in Australia and were the underdogs in the contest against Australia.

Unless the loss against ZN hampers the confidence and momentum of the hosts, it won’t make much of an impact from the semi-finals' perspective. Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Afghanistan should be, though not pushovers, easier targets to win those crucial points. 

Apart from David Warner, Australia need Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell to strike partnerships in the middle order. Finch isn’t looking promising as of now and Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva is a likely match-up against the Australian captain.

Australia used just the 5 bowlers against NZ and it would be a better ploy to go for other options like Maxwell and Marsh as well. Cummins and Hazlewood were expensive in their spells but they can be expected to bounce back against Sri Lanka. 

While Tim David, given his style of play may not be expected to always deliver, especially in case of a collapse, Matthew Wade is a reliable batter in the lower order. 

Australia Predicted Playing XI:

Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Australia Actual Playing XI:

Timothy David, Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood

Sri Lanka Preview

The Asia Cup winners quickly bounced back after their crushing loss to Namibia in the opening match of the T20 World Cup.  Since then, Sri Lanka have won three consecutive matches including their first Super 12 fixture against Ireland.

Kusal Mendis has scored two consecutive fifties and will be a key batsman at the top for Sri Lanka in this match. Dhananjaya de Silva replaced Pathum Nissanka as the opener for their first Super 12 match against Ireland. 

This change in the opening combination worked out well for Sri Lanka as the two added 63 runs for the first wicket. Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa are the key middle-order batsmen who are yet to find their form in this World Cup.

While Asalanka looked promising in his recent outing against Ireland, Rajapaksa is yet to play an inning that’s fitting of the potential and talent he has. The skipper Dasun Shanaka has delivered some amazing finishes for the side lower down the order. 

However, even he has failed to get double-digit scores to his name in his last two innings. Wanindu Hasaranga and Dhananjaya de Silva are the big names in the all-rounders’ department.

While de Silva will be key at the top, Hasaranga can find gaps lower down the order and give Sri Lanka a good finish. Watch out for M Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, and Hasaranga to deliver breakthroughs with the ball.

Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI:

Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Ashen Bandara, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara

Sri Lanka Actual Playing XI:

Lahiru Kumara, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Wanidu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Perth has historically been helpful for the new-ball bowlers and also offered great bounce and pace. The recent match here saw England struggle while chasing a low total. Both teams have some great pacers and will be keen on making the most of a bouncy and fast-paced pitch.

Venue Details

Only 3 T20Is have been played at the Perth Stadium. The most recent game here was the 2nd match of Super 12 where the bowlers were on top of the game. The average 1st innings score at this venue in domestic T20 matches is 167 runs. It shows how good a surface there is on offer at this ground. A 170-175 total would put the batting team in a comfortable position to defend and win the game. 

Toss: To Bat

Australia would be better off batting first as they can get some confidence back in their dugout with some fine knocks from their key players. Teams batting first have won 13 of the 21 BBL matches and 1 of the 3 T20Is played at this ground. Sri Lanka would be more comfortable backing their spinners to defend a competitive target against the mighty Aussies.