Match: Australia vs Sri Lanka, Cricket World Cup 2023 (AUS vs SL)
Date: October 16, Monday, 2.00 PM IST
Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Five-time champions Australia are gearing up to face Sri Lanka in match 14 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Lucknow’s Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday, October 16. Both teams have lost their first two games of the tournament respectively and will be looking for their first win.
Sri Lanka lost their opening game to South Africa, who posted the highest total in World Cup history – 428. The Sri Lanka batsmen, however, gave a tough fight in the chase, before being bowled out for 326. Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka and skipper Dasun Shanaka scored half centuries.
Their batting was decent in the next game against Pakistan as well, but the bowlers disappointed once again. Centuries by Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis took Sri Lanka to a first innings total of 344, but their bowlers were unable to defend it.
Australia lost their first game to India. Batting first, they were able to score just 199, which India chased down in 41.2 overs. In their next game against South Africa, Australia were unable to chase down 312. They were bowled out for just 177, losing the game by 134 runs. Their batting was poor in both the matches, with some of their big names failing to deliver.
Ahead of match 14 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, here is everything you need to know to win big cash prizes on MPL fantasy.
Weather update and pitch report for AUS vs SL, Cricket World Cup 2023
The pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium is bowling-friendly. Spinners are likely to reap the maximum benefit on this surface. The average first innings score here reads 213 in ODIs. Bowling first is the ideal option here.
The weather in Lucknow will be hot and humid with a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius during the day. The evening may be pleasant.
Australia team news and predicted XI
Team news: Australia are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI despite two successive losses. Adam Zampa, who has been playing despite not being a cent percent fit, is also likely to return his place in the XI.
Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc
Predicted XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Sri Lanka team news and predicted XI
Team news: Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament and has been replaced by Chamika Karunaratne. Matheesha Pathirana is also suffering from some problem in his right shoulder and it’s not certain if he’s available for this game.
Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha.
Predicted XI: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dunith Wellalage, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan Madushanka
Head-to-head record
In the 50-over format, the two sides have played against each other in a total of 102 matches, of which 63 were won by Australia. Sri Lanka have 35 wins. At the World Cup in particular, Australia have won eight out of the 12 matches between the two sides. Sri Lanka won two and one game produced no result.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI for AUS vs SL, Cricket World Cup 2023
Marnus Labuschagne – batsman, Australia
In the previous game against South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne was the only batsman who contributed in the run-chase significantly. He top scored with a knock of 46 runs in Australia’s chase of 312. In the recent three-match bilateral series in India, Labuschagne was one of Australia’s better performers, scoring 39, 27 and 72 in three matches. In 40 ODIs for Australia, the batsman has 1341 runs at 37.25.
David Warner – batsman, Australia
David Warner scored 48 against Pakistan in the warmup and 41 against India in Australia’s tournament opener, but he was unable to get going against South Africa, managing to score just 13 runs. Warner will now be looking for a big knock in the next game. He has been in a good form in the recent past – Warner scored a half century in each of the three games played against India in India last month.
Mitchell Starc – bowler, Australia
Mitchell Starc, Australia’s best bowler at the World Cups, is another key player to have in your fantasy team. Against India, he bowled at an economy of just 3.87 runs per over and also took a wicket. Against South Africa, he took two wickets for 57 runs. Starc brings with him a wealth of experience – he has played 113 ODIs for Australia, picking up 223 wickets.
Kusal Mendis – wicketkeeper batsman, Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis has already scored two centuries since arriving in India for the World Cup. He scored 158 against Afghanistan in the warm-up, 76 against South Africa in Sri Lanka’s opening match and 122 against Pakistan. Mendis was also the second top run-scorer at the recent Asia Cup. He scored 270 runs in six innings, including three fifties. Overall, Mendis has a batting average of 33.46 from 114 ODIs.
Sadeera Samarawickrama – wicketkeeper batsman, Sri Lanka
Sadeera Samarawickrama has played only 25 ODIs for Sri Lanka but exhibited commendable composure to score a century against Pakistan in the previous game. He scored 108 runs off just 89 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and two maximums.
MPL XI for AUS vs SL, ODI World Cup 2023
AUS vs SL – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The Australia vs Sri Lanka ODI will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app as well as the Jiocinema app. The match will begin at 2.00 PM IST on October 16.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
