 The third ODI between Australia and Sri Lanka will be played at the Hambantota
ground and the home team will know that they have a mountain to climb. Sri Lanka have lost both their opening matches in the ODI series and another loss
here will mean that the series will be lost. That is an eventuality that not too
many Sri Lankans would have foreseen given the kind of cricket that has been played
in the country so far.
Click for Live Score Card of Sri Lanka Vs Australia
Sri Lanka can blame the two losses to the batting of the side, which has left
the side struggling for runs. the first game saw them score less than 200 runs
while in the second match, which was played on a very flat pitch, the side was
left with scoring only slightly 200, hardly a recipe for success.
The problem that Sri Lanka has with so few runs is that their spinners cannot
bowl with too many attacking fields and their pace bowler, Lasith Malinga
cannot bowl as tightly as required from him. This has allowed the likes of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to do their job with consummate ease and they
have done exactly that.
Ponting and Clarke had scored 53 each in the first ODI while in the second ODI,
it was Ponting's 93 and Clarke's half century that won the game for them. The
two were involved in an unbeaten, match-winning partnership that punctured the
Sri Lankan hopes.
Where the home team needs to get going is with their top-order batting, which
hasn't clicked so far. the side has lost far too many wickets in the first 15
overs and that has put the pressure flush on the middle-order which is almost
non existent, or probably even inexperienced.
The likes of T Dilshan and Upul Tharanga need to get going and the feeling
is that at least one them should go out and score something monumental. That
they have not been able to do so can be attributed to the fact that the side
has looked undercooked against the bowling - and played too many shots when
the need of the hour is to bide by their time.
Australia will be favourites again, but the big question is whether they can bat
well under pressure. If they do, the side would have gone on to win the series
in this third ODI.
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