Skipper Aaron Finch struck a blistering half-century in Australia’s last match and he will look to build on that against Sri Lanka. Early on in the innings, Finch will have to deal with the pace of Suranga Lakmal and the battle could go either way. The two have never faced each other in ODIs and expect sparks to fly when they do so in this crunch World Cup match. Watchcric Steve Smith has been leading Australia’s charge in the middle-order and if Sri Lankan bowlers get rid of the openers early, Smith will be tasked with the responsibility of building the innings. Thisara Perera has caused problems to Smith in the past and he will look to do the same in this clash. Off 59 Perera deliveries, Smith has scored 49 runs and has been dismissed twice.
Sri Lanka relies heavily on their skipper and opener Dimuth Karunaratne for runs but he will have to come up against the pace and guile of Mitchell Starc, Watchcric who has been among the wickets in the tournament. Although the two have never come face to face in ODIs, Starc has gotten rid of him eight times off 180 deliveries in Tests and that will certainly play on the mind of the Sri Lankan. Like Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins has been among the wickets for Australia and he poses a big threat for Sri Lanka in the upcoming clash.
