Australia must recover quickly. They lost to Zimbabwe by 23 runs, widely seen as the tournament’s biggest upset, and now face a must-win game to keep their Super 8 hopes alive. Travis Head has struggled in both games and will look to lead alongside Josh Inglis. The middle order needs runs from Cameron Green, Tim David and Glenn Maxwell, and Matt Renshaw’s 65 last time was encouraging. The bowling was poor against Zimbabwe, so early strikes from Marcus Stoinis and Ben Dwarshuis matter, with Adam Zampa key in the middle overs.
Sri Lanka, led by Dasun Shanaka, have won both games convincingly and lead the table, most recently thrashing Oman by 105 runs. Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara open, and Kusal Mendis has 117 runs in two games. Their record against Australia is not strong, but another win would secure a Super 8 place.
Sri Lanka’s bowling faces its first real test. Maheesh Theekshana is the leading wicket-taker with five, Matheesha Pathirana and Dunith Wellalage are in good form, and Dushmantha Chameera needs to start well after an earlier struggle.
