Mar 5 - Sri Lanka vs Australia

[Addy]

Should be a cracker of the game. May the best team wins on this perticular day, both teams are well balanced. Oz will be relying on their pace attack, whereas spin attack will be the key for lankans. Malinga will be a real difference

 

[aussie1st]

The conditions really will suit SL attack. Malinga has a brilliant record at home and of course their spinners do as well. Australia will need their pacemen to do the business or one of their spinners to make a name for themselves.

 

[sifter132]

SL talking about playing all 3 spinners for this one...Murali, Mendis and Herath. Malinga is obviously important, so I guess Perera would bat at #7 and be the 5th bowler - or maybe they just cobble together 10 overs out of Mathews, Dilshan and Silva/Samaraweera. I'd try to play Perera though, he and Malinga really did a good job in the 3 game series over here in Aus last summer.

Another point: compared to most of the other nations, the Aussies haven't played against either Mendis or Herath much at all. Neither have played an ODI v Australia - amazing when you think Mendis has played 48 of them. The only time Australia has faced Mendis was in the last 2 T20 World Cups. In 2009, he owned them taking 3/20 off 4 overs. In 2010 however, Mendis got smacked - 0/42 off 4. Cameron White really got stuck into him in that match.

 

[aussie1st]

Good move if they do, would allow them to open with a spinner which proved highly effective for Zimbabwe. And of course for Australia it gives them the chance to prove to themselves that they can score freely against spin.

 

[Papa_Smurf]

This match will go one of two ways. One will be the expected, based on current form, SL winning. Australia have a reputation atm of not being able to play spin, and if that is indeed true, then Murali/Mendis will bamboozle them silly, in front of a home-crowd.

The other is that Australia prove their worth as 3-time defending champions and smack the living day-lights out of SL.

Considering we're talking about Australia, the first result is as likely as the second Hoping it to be a cracker.

 

[angryangy]

Whoever bats first will probably win, but the par score is 200. Defending 180, as Pakistan did, probably isn't going to work against a good team.

 

[Haarithan]

Well honestly I don?t think it will make a big difference if England play Aus or SL in QF mate

It seems so from a neutral perspective . But look at this :

Ashes 2009 : England 2-1 Australia
Natwest Series : England 1-6 Australia
ICC Champions Trophy 2009 SFs : England 258 all out , Australia 259/1 (42)

Ashes 2010 : Australia 1-3 England
CB Series : Australia 6-1 England
WC QFs : ??

On the other hand , here are the most recent meetings of SL and England :

England's tour of Lanka 2007 : Sril Lanka 2-3 England
ICC CT 2009 Group stage : SL 212 all out , England 213/4 (44)
ICC World t20 2010 Sfs : SL 124/8 , England 126/2 (16)

So , clearly England don't wanna play an opposition who play their level best cricket when they play England

 

[cricketkid]

SL will probably win, because of the variation in their bowling attack
The wicket of Watson will be the key

 

[angryangy]

It seems so from a neutral perspective . But look at this :

Ashes 2009 : England 2-1 Australia
Natwest Series : England 1-6 Australia
ICC Champions Trophy 2009 SFs : England 258 all out , Australia 259/1 (42)

Ashes 2010 : Australia 1-3 England
CB Series : Australia 6-1 England
WC QFs : ??

On the other hand , here are the most recent meetings of SL and England :

England's tour of Lanka 2007 : Sril Lanka 2-3 England
ICC CT 2009 Group stage : SL 212 all out , England 213/4 (44)
ICC World t20 2010 Sfs : SL 124/8 , England 126/2 (16)

So , clearly England don't wanna play an opposition who play their level best cricket when they play England

So England are banking on the QF being played over 5 days?

 

[Owzat]

SL will probably win, because of the variation in their bowling attack
The wicket of Watson will be the key

I just hope it is a good contest, there have been so few so far and way too many scores under 150.

After 19 matches (all out only)

50-99 : 2
100-149 : 7
150-199 : 4
200-249 : 3

I had hoped it wouldn't be a total runfest, but I'd also hoped for more contests. Only two of those were a contest (PAK vs CAN, BAN vs IRE) Add to that England vs Ireland, England vs Holland, England vs India and maybe Pakistan vs Sri Lanka and we've had six decent contests in 19 (1 in 3)

 

[Haarithan]

So England are banking on the QF being played over 5 days?

Just wanted to say England were much more comfortable facing the Lankans rather than the Aussies .

 

[aussie1st]

SL win the toss and bat. They have 3 spinners so if they can get around 300 they will be tough to beat. First up we get to see how effective the Aussie pace trio are on turning wicket.

 

[Lassana Dias]

SL bat firstand playing 3 spinners. end of story. its gona be up hill for AUS from here. the first lost in WC after 12 years on the cards

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Just wanted to say England were much more comfortable facing the Lankans rather than the Aussies .

with your bowling attack hmmm if u say so

 

[Paki007]

so it means there are gonna go with malinga and mathews hmm Mathews will be targeted by the Aussies so expect some early spin intro by Kumar S

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Looking at the Lankans Averages,There is no one with 40+ Sanga has the best of 37 while Mahela has 32 and Samaraweera's just 26

 

[aussie1st]

Brilliant start, Tait wins that battle, Dilshan just never looked settled. And his poor run against Australia continues.