Following the conclusion of the T20I series on Saturday, Sri Lanka and Australia will play the first of five ODIs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. In January, Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe 2-1 in an ODI series. During March and April, Australia was defeated 2-1 in Pakistan. Continue reading for a preview of the series’ first match. This ODI begins on Tuesday at 14:30 local time.
Sri Lanka dominated the ODI series against Zimbabwe in January, and they will be buoyed by their victory in the final T20I. However, in this format, Australia will be an even more difficult opponent.
Australia has excellent depth in ODIs, as well as in the other formats. They will be confident of going 1-0 up in this series after winning the T20I series.
Sri Lanka vs Australia
Sri Lanka Team News:
This is Sri Lanka’s first one-day international series since Mickey Arthur’s departure as coach, with former England Head Coach Chris Silverwood taking over. The squad is fairly similar to their last ODI, and we do not expect many changes from the side that defeated Zimbabwe by 184 runs earlier this year.
Sri Lanka Squad
Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Niroshan Dickwella, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Madushanka, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan
Players to watch out for:
Charith Asalanka
The young middle order batter led the way in the first two T20Is, scoring 26 off 19 balls on Saturday. In this format, he has a 42.90 average.
Dasun Shanaka
In the final T20I, the skipper stepped up and led his team home with a blistering 54 not out from 25 balls. He has an ODI century under his belt.
Wanindu Hasaranga
The spinner is Sri Lanka’s most dangerous bowler in all formats, having dismissed the dangerous Glenn Maxwell on Saturday.
Possible Playing XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Ramesh Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana
Sri Lanka Team Form
Sri Lanka has won three of their last four one-day internationals, including victories over Zimbabwe and South Africa on home soil.
Australia Team News:
Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh have both been ruled out of this series due to injuries to their fingers and calf, respectively. Their bowling stocks will also be depleted as all-rounder Cameron Green is not yet fit enough to bowl but is expected to bat.
Australia Squad
Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
Players to watch out for:
David Warner
The aggressive top order batter finished the T20Is as Australia’s highest run scorer, with scores of 70 not out, 21, and 39. He has 18 ODI centuries to his name.
Josh Hazlewood
The pace bowler had a successful T20I series, taking six wickets, and he will be excited to demonstrate his abilities in another format. He has 93 ODI wickets to his name.
Pat Cummins
Cummins will be expected to shoulder some of the wicket-taking responsibility in the side with Mitchell Starc out of the series. On five occasions, he has taken four or more wickets in an ODI.
Possible Playing XI:
David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson
Australia Team Form
Australia is attempting to avoid their third consecutive ODI defeat after losing to Pakistan by 9 and 6 wickets in Lahore.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Top Team Batsmen:
With the bat, we support Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, and Charith Asalanka for Sri Lanka. Mendis has 9 international centuries, including ODI hundreds against the West Indies and Bangladesh.
Our batting picks for Australia are David Warner, Aaron Finch, and Steve Smith. Smith’s best score in this format is 164, which he achieved against New Zealand in December 2016.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Top Team Bowlers:
Our bowling picks for Sri Lanka are Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Dushmantha Chameera. In Saturday’s final T20I, Theekshana dismissed both Australian openers.
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Ashton Agar are our bowling picks. Agar took 2-31 in his last ODI against the West Indies in Bridgetown in July.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Head to Head
Australia has won nearly two One-Day Internationals for every one lost to Sri Lanka. They have defeated Sri Lanka in six of their last seven One-Day Internationals.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Head to Head Stats in ODI
| Matches Played | SI Won | AUS Won | Draw | Tie | |
| Overall | 97 | 32 | 61 | 0 | 4 |
| Last 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Sri Lanka vs Australia Toss Prediction
In the previous ODI at this venue in January, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. They went on to win the match by 184 runs, and we expect both captains to bat first in this game.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Pitch Report
There will undoubtedly be numerous opportunities for the ball to spin in this game, and we anticipate that spinners on both sides will take advantage of the conditions. A par score will be between 300 and 310.
There is a chance of a thunderstorm near the start time, but the rest of the game should be played in the mid-high 20s with no rain.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Prediction
Following Australia’s dominance in the first T20I, Sri Lanka responded strongly and were well worth their win in the final game on Saturday. That victory will have given them a boost, and Australia are not as strong as they could be in ODIs without Mitchell Starc. Overall, we believe Australia will win the first OD
