Published: May 26, 2017, 02:15 PM (IST)
Edited: May 26, 2017, 11:15 PM (IST)
Hello, good afternoon and a warm welcome to the live cricket blog of the warm-up match between Australia and Sri Lanka, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Six out of the eight competing teams will be taking part in the warm-up round ahead of the main tournament, which begins on June 1 and ends June 18. The warm-up round for the mini World Cup as it is fondly known will be held from May 26-30 with teams from Group A and B competing against each other. It must be remembered that all 15 players in the squad can take a part in the warm-up round, but only 11 can bowl and bat. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia (AUS) vs Sri Lanka (SL), warm-up match at The Oval
The first match of the warm-up round will be between Australia and Sri Lanka, to be played at The Oval in London. Both Australian and Sri Lankan cricketers are getting together after a long gap, and the insistence would be on to get the players finding rhythm. Several players from both sides, such as Steven Smith, David Warner and Lasith Malinga have played enough cricket in the recent past in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017, but 50-over cricket is a different ball game and the players will need a game or two to adjust once again.
For Sri Lanka, the return of Angelo Mathews at the helm and Malinga in the bowling ranks would be a major boost. The team has had a poor run of late, and the recent defeat to a lowly Scotland in an inconsequential clash only dented their reputations. With big names returning in the mix, Sri Lanka would be eager to start afresh and make the right moves from the warm-up round itself, and not leave issues to be addressed later on.
On their part, Australia look a formidable side with Mitchell Starc joining the camp after an injury layoff. The warm-ups will provide Starc and his new ball partner Josh Hazlewood to shrug off any rustiness they may be carrying, having not played enough cricket in the past. But if the front pair is not able to make a mark, Australia will not have a lot to worry as the backups in Pat Cummins and James Pattinson have been equally good.
Squads:
Australia: Steven Smith (c), David Warner, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga (vc), Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Asela Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thisara Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Seekkuge Prasanna.
FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia (AUS) vs Sri Lanka (SL), warm-up match at The Oval
