Match Details
- Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
- Date: 27th October 2019
- Time: 9:00 AM IST
- League: Sri Lanka tour of Australia
Australia Preview
Aaron Finch will be leading the Australian side in the T20I series against Sri Lanka. While Australia will be playing their first series after the Ashes in England, the players have performed well in the domestic leagues. David Warner and Finch at the top are the T20 specialists in the team. While Glen Maxwell is a must-have batting all-rounder for Australia, the choice is between Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar.
The big news for Aussies is that Mitchell Starc is available for the series. And along with Pat Cummins, Australia has a formidable duo to open the bowling. In addition, Kane Richardson and Billy Stanlake are in the squad while Adam Zampa would lead the spin attack. While the batting line-up for Australia is deep, they need the top order to fire at the start. David Warner is the most significant and impact player for Australia and his inning will hold the key to victory.
Sri Lanka Preview
On their tour of Pakistan, Sri Lanka followed their ODI series loss with a 3-0 T20I series win. Dasun Shanaka led a lackluster Sri Lankan side to a T20I series win. However, on this tour of Australia, Lasith Malinga will be joining his national team and a lot of excitement is around the corner. Sri Lanka has found a good batsman at number 3 in Bhanuka Rajapaksa and in Oshada Fernando, Sri Lanka could find a reliable number 5 batsman.
Wicket-keeper batsmen Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella are all available for this series. With even 2 of these batsmen in the playing XI, the visitors would be well-prepared to take on the Aussie bowling attack. While Avishka Fernando and Danushka Gunathilaka have a big role to play on the top, the focus will be on the middle and lower-order for partnerships and a good finish.
Fantasy Team Tips
- While Alex Carey and Kusal Perera are essential players for their respective teams, they would be a good choice for wicket-keeper in the fantasy team.
- Aaron Finch and David Warner for Australia while Avishka Fernando and D Gunathilaka are the top picks for the 1st T20I match. While it’s the match of the series, the top-order batsmen would be the ones most favoured in the fantasy team.
- In the all-rounders section, Glen Maxwell is always the top choice from Australian side given his hitting ability. While Sri Lanka would rely on Dasun Shanaka if the top-order fails and that makes him more crucial to both Sri Lanka and the fantasy team.
- There are many options in the bowling department in both teams to choose from. However, Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Starc are the lead bowlers from both sides and would be the right choice for the opening match of the series.
Fantasy Team Prediction
- Wicket-Keeper – Alex Carey, Kusal Perera
- Batsman – D Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Aaron Finch, David Warner
- All-rounders – Dasun Shanaka, Glen Maxwell
- Bowlers – Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
- Captain – David Warner
- Vice-Captain – Glen Maxwell
Tip – B Rajapaksa is also a crucial batsman at number 3 for Sri Lanka and is in good form. While it’s to be seen how he performs on the Australian tracks, Avishka Fernando finds the spot in the fantasy team over B Rajapaksa.