Homeeditors pickAustralia vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI: Australia eye series win
Australia vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI: Australia eye series win
Australia have proven their prowess with two impressive wins so far in the ODI series, and their only aim on Wednesday will be to take an unassailable lead against Sri Lanka.
Australia are the world champions, and to see them with a vital 2-1 lead against Sri Lanka in the ongoing five-match One-Day International (ODI) series is not any surprise. The tourists, who may kneel against Sri Lankan spin menace and not put up any resistance in the longest format of the sport, are all-together a world-beating unit in limited-overs cricket. Australia have proven their prowess with two impressive wins so far in the ODI series, and their only aim on Wednesday will be to take an unassailable lead against Sri Lanka and save their face before they leave the shores. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI at Dambulla
However, the biggest worry for Australia will be the absence of their few key players. Steven Smith was given a break ahead of a busy season and injuries to Shaun Marsh and Nathan Coulter-Nile have somewhat depleted the Australian side. But the world champions have enough depth in their ranks to make up for the damage that has been done.
The fourth ODI on Wednesday at Dambulla will be a huge opportunity for Usman Khawaja to make a mark. The left-handed batsman, who suffered loss of form all of a sudden after making heaps of runs at home and on the tour of New Zealand, is likely to get in place of the injured Marsh. Khawaja will know the competition for every single spot in the Australian limited-overs side is extremely stiff and the final two ODIs in this series will provide him an opportunity to make up for what he lost.
In the same position will be Australia’s stand-in captain David Warner, who too has been horribly out of luck. Warner is generally Australia’s run-machine, but this tour has been extremely tough for him since the only half-century that he garnered was in the final innings of the three-Test series. In the first three ODIs, Warner has managed only 19 runs, getting into the double-figures once. Warner has never been out of touch for as long as he has been on this tour, and the left-handed explosive batsman will be desperate to contribute to his team’s cause.
The only reason why Australia have done well in the ODI series against Sri Lanka is the fact that their middle-order has stood up. Venerable batsman George Bailey has been among runs, but the revelation of sorts for Australia on this tour has been their wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade. The left-handed 28-year-old Wade is currently the highest run-scorer for Australia on this tour, and the Tasmanian cricketer will want to consolidate his place further with good results in the remainder of the series. Only one Sri Lankan bowler, Amila Aponso, has been able to make some difference for his side and Australia will want things to remain as it is.
Apart from Bailey and Wade, the comparatively inexperienced Travis Head has certainly taken big strides on this tour. His red-hot form forced the Australian selectors to get him in the side for the ODI series, and Head has certainly done decently, if not great, on his first tour. He has been relied upon as a spinner as well, but as far as his bowling skills are concerned, there is still a lot to be desired. He was smacked for 40 runs in mere 4 overs in the second ODI, which would definitely have served a few lessons for the 22-year-old cricketer and the team.
The only department where Australia have truly dominated over Sri Lanka is their bowling. Be it the menacing pace of Mitchell Starc or the wily variations of the left-armer James Faulkner, the Australian bowlers have dominated Sri Lankan batsmen on batting-friendly wickets and this certainly has been heartening for Darren Lehmann and co.
Australia have learned quickly from their mistake of not having Adam Zampa in the Test series, as the young right-arm spinner has proven his point extremely well in the three ODIs so far. After a wicket-less first ODI, Zampa has turned up the heat on Sri Lankan batsmen by taking three wickets each in the two games that followed.
Zampa has also shown that he is a quick learner, as straight deliveries from the spinners are causing far greater damages to the opposition ranks. Be it South Africa in India in 2015-16 or Australia in the Test series, one of the biggest reasons for their failure of reading the straighter ones and Zampa has managed to catch Sri Lanka off-guard in the process. On this tour, Zampa is learning some critical lessons that will come in handy, since Australia’s real concerns are around the next year’s tour of India.
It is likely that Nathan Lyon will make a comeback into the playing eleven after being left out in the third ODI. The pitch, according to several reports, will be the same on which the previous ODI was played in Dambulla. There was dryness and turn, and thus, it will be beneficial for Australia if they go into the clash with two spinners in Lyon and Zampa.
But James Faulkner and Starc will continue to carry Australia’s hopes with the ball. Since the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, wherein Faulkner was the Man of the Match in the final at Melbourne, the all-rounder had played mere 10 ODIs before the start of the Sri Lanka series. Faulkner has grabbed opportunity with both hands, as his 9 wickets in 3 matches so far make him the most successful bowlers from either side in the series. Following Faulkner in the list of most wicket-taking bowlers is Starc, who has 8 scalps in 3 ODIs.
Australia will know that their ODI series win will not wash away the ignominy which came their way following the 0-3 surrender against Sri Lanka in the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy 2016-17. Australia’s problems in the subcontinent stay where they were close to three years ago when they were hammered by India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2013-14. Their batsmen continue to struggle against spin and the bowling does not have enough depth, with their spin department still not being lethal enough.
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