Sri Lanka vs Australia 2016 2nd ODI Preview and Predictions: Hosts aim to level terms

Following a thrilling game in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, hosts Sri Lanka would again be taking on Australia in the second of the five-match ODI series at the same venue on Wednesday. Australia, who suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the Test series, bounced back in the limited-overs fixture as they came up with a stellar performance to shrug off the Test defeat. However, just a loss in the opening game is hardly to shake things up for the Lankans, as they have a strong side which is indeed good enough to bounce back, especially on their home turf. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Sri Lanka vs Australia 2016, 2nd ODI at Colombo

Considering their performance in the opening ODI Sri Lanka had a decent outing with the bat as Kusal Mendis and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal had a fair display with the bat, scoring 67 and 80, respectively. However, their bowling couldn’t fire enough as Dilruwan Perera was the only bowler who shone claiming three wickets for 48 while Lakshan Sandakan claimed a couple for 33. Mathews blames middle-order collapse for defeat

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As for Australia, they had a brilliant outing with the ball, with all-rounder James Faulkner claiming four for 38 while fast-bowler Mitchell Starc claimed three for 32 thus also becoming the quickest to claim 100 ODI wickets and going past Saqlain Mushtaq’s record. As for the batting, they fired in this department as well with opener Aaron Finch and skipper Steven Smith firing 56 and 58, respectively. Skipper George Bailey too contributed decently with the bat to score a healthy 39, and steer the visitors to a comfortable three-wicket win over the hosts and also go a game up in the series. Working with Donald is fantastic: Starc

Going by the previous tie and the performances, there are ought to be few changes in the side for the hosts. Opener Kusal Perera could be axed, giving an opportunity to new comer Avishka Fernando while Dhananjaya de Silva, who had a poor outing, could be replaced by Danushka Gunathilaka, who is equally handy with the ball as well. Also in bowling, Thisara Perera spot could be in fix after his poor run in First ODI and  Nuwan Pradeep can bring some difference in the bowling unit. Sri Lanka vs Australia 1st ODI: Aaron Finch terms pitch ‘poor’

As for Australia, changes are highly unlikely as they would aim to stick to their winning squad and not disturb the momentum. However, one or two changes cannot be ruled out either as Josh Hazlewood could well be replaced by Nathan Coulter-Nile to bring that extra bouncy element in the bowling side and so could Adam Zampa, who could make way for Nathan Lyon, bringing in the extra swing. As for their batting, Moises Henriques might find his spot fixed, being the only all-rounder in the side.

With the game being held at the same ground in Colombo, both the teams are well aware of how the wicket would behave. Traditionally known to be slow and low, along with some good assist to the spinners, the teams would again be going with a bowling dominated side. A low or average scoring tie is on the cards, but nevertheless, a thriller indeed could pop out.

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Amila Aponso, Dhananjaya de Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Nuwan Pradeep, Avishka Fernando, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Milinda Siriwardana.

Australia: Steven Smith (c), David Warner, George Bailey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade (wk), Adam Zampa.

Time: 14:30 IST | 09:00 GMT | 14:30 Local

(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)