It is difficult to predict the winner in this game as the Australians have looked a thoroughly professional unit. Sri Lanka has the home advantage and will be looking to run through the Australia middle-order which is yet to be tested.
London Start Time: 09:00
Venue and Pitch
London Start Time: 09:00
Venue and Pitch
The track at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is tailor made for batting and a score close to 300 is on the cards. Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan in front of their home crowd and will be looking to make amends against the Australians. Expect both Tait and Malinga to find reverse swing which will make things difficult for the batsmen during the slog overs.
Team News
This will be the first real test for the Australian middle order who are without the experience of Michael Hussey. They will rely on their pace attack because they lack a quality spinner and will hope that Jason Krejza does not get taken for many.
Sri Lanka will be happy that their spearhead Malinga is back in the side, bowling his bone-crushing yorkers. Sri Lanka would have had a better chance of winning, if Suresh Randiv played as he caused the Aussies numerous problems in their last series down under. However, Randiv is not in the squad and his replacement Herath will have to raise his game against the Aussies.
Match Odds
The current match odds for Australia are at 10/11 while Sri Lanka are at 11/10. However, it is difficult to predict an out-and-out winner, as both sides have the ability to win on the day. The side that bats first will have a slight advantage as chasing under lights can be difficult.
Top Batsman
Mr. Consistent Shane Watson is at 11/4 and captain Ricky Ponting is at 7/2. If both Watson and Punter fall early, then watch out for the likes of Cameron White and Michael Clarke.
If Sri Lanka are to win this game, they need a good knock from either T Dilshan 7/2 or M Jayawardene 9/2. Also watch out for their big hitting all-rounders T Perera and A Matthews.
Featured Bet
Australia will rely on their three pacemen Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson to pick up most of the wickets. Sri Lanka will look to restrict run scoring when their spinners come into operation and will rely on Malinga to wrap up the Australian innings.
Match Predictions
Sri Lanka have a slight edge over the Australians due to the home advantage.
