Sri Lanka look to end a miserable trip down under with one final say against
the mighty Australians this coming Friday at the MCG. Sri Lanka have had a woeful
season down season down under having lost out in the test series 2-0 and then
winning just a solitary game thus yet in the VB Series and with the likes
of Sanath Jayasurya and Muttiah Muralitharan arguably playing their last ever
ODI match in Australia, Sri lanka will be hoping to sign
off in style with a win.
Click for Live Score Card of Sri Lanka vs Australia
Sri Lanka's last hopes of qualification turned out to be a damp squid as India
romped past them in discomforting ease to set up a date with Australia in the
finals. The Sri Lankan batting has been below par all season and the lack of
a proper middle order makes them vulnerable to most good bowling attack. A few
wickets early on and the Lankan batting line up looks totally bare and the middle
order will have to do some soul searching if they are to put Sri Lanka back
on top. Kumara Sangakarra has been the lone star of the series thus yet but
even he proved that he was human after all with a ridiculous dismissal against
India last time around. The Lankans will be aghast with their collapse from
72/1 to 93/7 in short time, a result which meant that they lost their fourth
game on a trot. Sri Lanka's only win this series came early on in a fortuitous
seven wicket victory against India and it would take a brave man indeed to see
them getting anything out of this clash against the Australians.
Australia for once, have faced stiff competition in the CB Series as India
have ran them close on almost all their matches. Australia look distinctively
weaker with the absence of Glenn McGrath and need to oil their fabulous machinery
if they are to win the series without any complexity. Australia come into this
clash on the back of a fine eighteen run victory against India in yet another
close fought contest. However, more than the result itself Captain Ricky Pointing
will be happy that his dysfunctional middle order finally has become to come
good and on a personal note, his century would have come as a big relief at
a time when skeptics were heavy at his back. Brad Hogg still remains the weak
link for the Aussie bowling line up as the Indian honked him to all parts of
the ground in their last clash. Adam Gilcrhist plays his last game on the ground
that he has entertained so much over the past decade and the retiring wicket
keeper will be hoping to end his career at the MCG on a fine note. With Brett
Lee and Stuart Clarke in fine form Australia still look strong in every department
of the game and they will be hoping to enter the final in the best frame of
mind with a victory against Sri Lanka this coming Friday 29th February 2008
at the MCG.
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