30 October 2019 12:10 am
Australia gave further evidence of their dominance at home, outclassing Sri Lanka in all three departments in the first T20I earlier on Sunday.
While Skipper Aaron Finch and his opening partner David Warner were at their brutal best, Glenn Maxwell treated the Adelaide Oval crowd with his power-hitting and high-class innovation.
They were up to the task with the ball too, as none of the five bowlers used by Finch conceded over seven runs per over in their defence of 233 runs.
Mitchell Starc, their most experienced bowler, won’t be available for today’s clash, but his absence presents a great opportunity for Billy Stanlake and Sean Abbott to make a mark.
The visitors’ hopes of replicating their heroics from the previous tour in 2017 might’ve suffered a major jolt after the heavy defeat.
However, an experienced leader in Lasith Malinga knows a bit about rising from challenging situations, and he could well be the driving force to lift the young side.
Malinga said: “This is a good learning phase for our young bowlers. We know we are playing against a tough team but this is an opportunity for the inexperienced players to get used to the conditions before the World Cup. We want to compete well in the next matches.”
Partly cloudy conditions are expected during the start of the game with light winds around.
Teams chasing had won each of the four completed games played at this venue during the 2018/19 Big Bash League.
Australia Squad: Aaron Finch (Captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott.
Sri Lanka Squad: Lasith Malinga (Captain), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana and Kasun Rajitha. (ICC)