AUS vs SL, World Cup 2023: Desperate Australia, Sri Lanka aim to clinch first win of tournament; LIVE streaming and more

Australia and Sri Lanka, two teams desperate to get going in the 2023 ODI World Cup, go head-to-head on Monday at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table Both the former champions have endured winless starts to their campaign after two matches. While Australia went down to India by six wickets before a heavy defeat to South Africa, Sri Lanka also fell to South Africa while losing the plot against Pakistan. While Sri Lanka are in eighth place, Australia are reeling at the bottom of the 10-team points table. Australia have looked like a pale shadow of their dominant selves in this tournament.

The Aussies desperately need to get their act together if they want to keep their fate in their own hands. But it is easier said than done. Australia have lost seven of their last eight ODIs comprehensively. During this tournament, they have performed poorly in all three departments of the game. The Men from Down Under have been uncharacteristically sloppy in the field. The Australians have dropped a whopping six catches in two games – the most by any team so far in this edition of the World Cup. Their bowling attack has also looked toothless. They have failed miserably with the bat, suffering mini-collapses, and are yet to cross 200 runs. They were rocked by India’s spin bowling in the opener and then by the South African pacers. But facing the battered and bruised Sri Lankan bowling attack could be the perfect opportunity for the Australian batters to find some form. The Australians are also familiar with the Ekana pitch having trained in the city for close to a week and played against South Africa here. Skipper Pat Cummins had insisted earlier this week that they won’t be rotating their bowlers which means Australia will stick to their three-pronged pace attack of Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc with Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell sharing spin duties. Sri Lanka too have underperformed at the mega event so far. They occupy the seventh spot on the points table. While their batting line-up has done reasonably well, putting up scores in excess of 320 in both the previous games, their bowling is an area of concern. In the absence of several frontline bowlers, Sri Lanka’s relatively inexperienced bowling attack has conceded a whopping 775 runs in their first two matches. The Lankans looked on course to register their first win against Pakistan, but the inexperience of youngsters like 20-year-old Matheesha Pathirana came to the fore as the former champions couldn’t stop leaking runs that resulted in a World Cup record run chase. With skipper Dasun Shanaka ruled out of the tournament due to a thigh injury, Kusal Mendis will lead the Island nation. Chamika Karunaratne who is a like-for-like replacement for Shanka will bolster the bowling attack and is expected to play on Monday. Australia vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2023 match date The Australia vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup match will be played on Monday, 16 October. Australia vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2023 match time The Australia vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup match will start at 2 PM IST. The toss will take place at 1.30 PM IST. Australia vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2023 match venue The Australia vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup match will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Australia vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2023 match LIVE Streaming The Australia vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network and live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar. Australia vs Sri Lanka head-to-head Both Australia and Sri Lanka have played a total of 102 times in ODIs. Australia enjoy a win-loss record of 63-35 against the Lankans, with four matches having ended in a no-result. As far as ODI World Cups are concerned, Australia have won eight out of 10 matches against Sri Lanka, with the Island nation winning just one match, and another match ending in a no-result. Aaron Finch scored 153 off 132 balls when the two teams last met in the World Cup four years back at The Oval, when Australia won by 87 runs.  Squads: Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc. Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (c), 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, Chamika Karunaratne. With PTI inputs