SAJEEWA JAYAKODY
In the third ICC World Cup match played at Lucknow, Sri Lanka’s new captain, Kusal Mendis, made two changes to the team. After winning the toss, Mendis chose to bat first on a pitch that seemed favorable for evening batting against Australia.
The two changes in the Sri Lankan lineup were due to the injured skipper Dasun Shanaka being replaced by batting all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne and paceman Lahiru Kumara taking the place of injured speedster Matheesha Pathirana.
Captain Mendis explained his decision, saying, “The pitch is good for batting early on, and I think it will help the spinners later at night due to the dew factor. Batting should be easier in the first innings.” He also expressed confidence in the replacements, stating, “I hope the two guys will play well; they performed well in the practice matches.”
Mendis further revealed, “The pitch is fast, and I believe a score of 280-300 would be competitive. I also hope to contribute with my own batting, and I trust that the other batters will perform better.”
On the Australian side, they decided to maintain their unchanged team despite losing their last two games. Australian captain Pat Cummins commented, “If we had won the toss, we would probably choose to bat. The pitch will behave differently at night. We’ve had good training sessions in the last two days and have identified a few areas we need to improve. We are going in with the same team.”
The match promises an exciting showdown between Sri Lanka and Australia, both seeking a crucial victory in the ICC World Cup.
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madhushanka.
Australia Playing XI: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Umpires: Alex Wharf (England), Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), TV Umpire Chris Brown (New Zealand), Reserve Umpire Joel Wilson (West Indies), Match Referee Richie Richardson (West Indies)
