Sri Lanka took the honours in the second of five ODIs against Australia on Wednesday to level the series up at 1-1 heading into the third match which takes place in Dambulla on Sunday. Both sides know whoever wins this third ODI will go one up with two to play which would be a great position from which to win the series.
Sri Lanka
It was almost the perfect display by Sri Lanka in the previous match. They put up a very healthy total with the ball despite a hat trick being taken against them and then Angelo Mathews shuffled his bowlers around nicely and the spin that was on offer was exactly what the home side needed to ensure they comfortably defended their total.
Since then Tillakaratne Dilshan has announced this will be his final ODI and he will be looking to leave this format internationally with a bang and I’m sure his teammates will be eager to give him the send-off his long ODI career has earned.
Australia
Although they did well to pull Sri Lanka back with the ball in the second match, Australia were always a little bit behind in the match which was a stark contrast to the opening match of the series where they were pretty solid right from the start. I guess that inconsistency will be a concern and something they will want to iron out.
Just like Sri Lanka, Australia have had some big news since the last match and that is that their captain Steve Smith has been sent home to rest so he will miss the rest of the series. Dave Warner will lead the side for the final three matches and it will be interesting to see how he gets on leading the side for the first time at this level.
Team News
Sri Lanka have made changes to their squad for the remainder of the series. Lahiru Kumara comes in to the set up in place of Milinda Siriwardana but it would be a surprise if the home side change a winning side.
Australia are forced into a change with Steve Smith back home. Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh are in line to replace their skipper. Moises Henriques hasn’t done a whole lot in the series and if Australia decide to go for more specialists in this match he could face the axe.
Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
There have been 46 previous ODIs on this ground and Sri Lanka have really enjoyed themselves here. They have won 25 matches and lost just 10 with one no result. Australia have surprisingly only played here twice and have a win and a defeat from those two matches.
This isn’t a high scoring ground. You have to go back 13 matches for the last score over 300 on this ground which in modern times is pretty remarkable so expect the bowlers to have the upper hand in this match. The boundaries are accessible but they need clean strikes to get to them.
Betting
This series is taking an interesting twist. Sri Lanka looked like they were caught unaware in the first match but came back strongly in the second and if we use the Steve Smith dropping saga as Australia showing that this isn’t the top of their priorities then Sri Lanka should be favoured here.
Australia are the number one side in the world and they never want to lose whatever it is they are doing but it is always a dangerous move to give off the impression that a match isn’t top priority. Subconsciously some players might not give their all and if any Australians go down that road here they will be beaten. At the prices and the dominance Sri Lanka have shown in the Tests and the last ODI they look good value to me.
I took the performance of James Faulkner in the previous ODI which was 43.5pts and he covered it comfortably with 73pts in total so the fact we get the exact same line here is interesting and more than tempting.
I think his bowling could be even more effective in this match but in the potential reshuffle that Australia are going to undertake ahead of the game his batting could come to the fore more too so I expect that line to be covered for the third time in three ODIs.
Tips
Back Sri Lanka to win 3rd ODI for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with Betfred
Back them here:
WON – Back J.Faulkner’s Performance – Over 43.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back it here:
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