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Friday March 29, 2024

ICC World Cup 2019: Australia vs Sri Lanka, Warm-up match preview

ICC World Cup 2019: Australia vs Sri Lanka, Warm-up match preview.

By Web Desk
May 27, 2019

SOUTHAMPTON: After defeating the hosts, and World Cup favourites, England in the first warm-up, Aaron Finch's men will look to sustain their brilliance against a hurting Sri Lankan outfit on Monday, 27 May in Southampton.

Match starts at 02:30 pm

Beware, for Australia are on the prowl. With recent one-day international series wins against India and Pakistan, they gave a glimpse of what they can do at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019; with the win over England in their first warm-up game, they've sounded out a downright warning to other teams.

Steve Smith is in sublime form. His 116 against England in Southampton on 25 May was a lesson in pacing an innings, as he progressed from caution to chaos. Others, such as David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey also scored some solid runs.

Australia's bowling was good too – it has to be if you're able to defend 297 against this England batting line-up – but that hardly comes as a surprise. Even during their slump, the bowling was never really an issue. But what is impressive was that they were able to put the brakes on England even in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who will lead the attack in the tournament proper.

While the signs are clear from the five-time World Cup winners, they're not as bright from Sri Lanka's perspective. In their first warm-up fixture, they conceded 338 to South Africa and then folded for 251.

On a positive note, Dimuth Karunaratne found runs once again, with a valiant 87, while the experienced Angelo Mathews notched up 64. Sri Lanka will hope that runs from the leadership group can have a positive impact on the others.

Weather forecast

The forecast says there will be a healthy cloud cover, but chances of rain are slim.