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Match facts
August 14, Hambantota
Start time 14:30 (9:00 GMT, 19:00 EST)
Big Picture
Turn, turn, turn. That was what the Australians had to worry about in
the lead-up to the first ODI in Pallekele, after Ajantha Mendis
bewildered them in the second Twenty20 with six wickets. But to
everything, there is a season - even fast bowling in the spin-friendly
Sri Lankan conditions, and Mitchell Johnson's own six-wicket collection
showed that the attacks might be more evenly matched than it first
appeared. He used his variations and bowled to his plans and set up a
comfortable win for Australia, who have a 1-0 lead as the sides move to
Hambantota for the next two one-day internationals.
For Sri Lanka, the most important thing is to take a good, hard look
at the way their batsmen played on Wednesday. It was as if, after their
two T20 victories, they had failed to adjust to 50-over mode. The
captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, set the tone with a very loose
dismissal, trying to force David Hussey over mid-off from a ball that
was too full, and he wasn't the only one to throw his wicket away.
Mahela Jayawardene flashed at a fullish wide ball before he had his eye
in and was caught behind, and Angelo Mathews copied his captain's
folly. After the first few wickets fell, they never looked like batting
out their 50 overs. When they walk out to bat in Hambantota, the
message will be clear: a little more circumspection, a little less
action please.
Australia put in a solid all-round performance in Pallekele, but the
spin threat is still present. Their top order cannot lose focus when
facing Mendis and Suraj Randiv, and if Lasith Malinga returns to the
side, the pace attack won't exactly be a pushover either. But one of the
real positives for Australia was the captaincy of Michael Clarke, who
broke the opening stand when he introduced spin, held Johnson back and
used him wisely, and kept attacking when a more conservative skipper
might have taken his foot of the gas. It worked in the first match, now
can his men back him again?
Form guide
(Most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWLLW
Australia WWWWLIn the spotlight
After Australia's victory on Wednesday, Clarke was asked about how they had handled
Ajantha Mendis,
who managed only one wicket for the game. Clarke said he was pleased
that the batsmen had given themselves a little extra time to get settled
against Mendis. They won't have that luxury in every match. Shane
Watson attacked Mendis but was still occasionally baffled, while Clarke
and Ricky Ponting also had their moments of uncertainty. Brad Haddin
was totally bamboozled. Given a bigger target to defend, or the chance
to bowl first, Mendis with his variations could be a very dangerous
weapon.
Ricky Ponting has made the transition from leader to
follower with ease. After years of riding every bump with the team, he
can now focus purely on his own performance, and allow Clarke to do
the worrying. A composed half-century in the first ODI was a good sign,
albeit in a low-pressure situation, and if he gets the chance to bat
long he will be keen to prove why he should remain the one-day team's
No. 3.
Team news
Although it was Sri Lanka's batting that let the team down in
Pallekele, a change is more likely in the bowling department,
especially if Malinga is fit. He missed the T20s and the first ODI with
a back injury but has been training hard in an effort to be fit for
Sunday's game. Suranga Lakmal would be the most logical man to miss out
if Malinga returns, after he bowled poorly in the series opener.
Sri Lanka
(probable): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar
Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Jeevan
Mendis, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10
Ajantha Mendis, 11 Lasith Malinga.
Australia have no need to change their winning formula, unless they
decide that another seamer would be advantageous after seeing Johnson's
success in the opening game. But James Pattinson and John Hastings are
unlikely to force a spinner out, so expect an unchanged line-up.
Australia (probable): 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin
(wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6
David Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10
Xavier Doherty, 11 Doug Bollinger.
Pitch and conditions
Hambantota's two previous ODIs resulted in 300-plus totals for the
team batting first, but both were against minnow attacks. The
Australians will certainly be expecting plenty of spin once again.Stats
and trivia
- Shane Watson is the world's leading ODI run scorer this calendar year, with 959 at 68.50
- The match will be Michael Clarke's 200th ODI, making him the tenth Australian to reach that milestone
- In the first match, Brett Lee became the second Australian to reach 350 ODI wickets. Only Glenn McGrath (380) has taken more
- This will be Hambantota's third one-day international; the first
two, both featuring World Cup minnows, both resulted in victory margins
of more than 200 runs
Quotes
"One-day cricket is pretty much made for him and he'd be a vital part of their team."
Michael Hussey knows how much difference it will make to Sri Lanka if Lasith Malinga is fit Source for preview:cricinfo
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