It was unlikely that Sri Lanka would go down so easily on their home turf. After two heavy defeats, they fought back with a superlative performance against Australia in the last match at Hambantota with Upul Tharanga and Lasith Malinga leading the way. The series at 2-0 in favour of the visitors was a dull affair; it is lot more lively now.
Two batting failures saw Sri Lankan bowlers struggle to contain the Australian chase, but Upul Tharanga’s fourth ODI hundred was enough to power the team to 286 which proved more than enough for Clarke and Co. The Australian top order couldn’t withstand a fiery spell by Lasith Malinga; in the end, it was a comprehensive victory for Sri Lanka.
Out of the two remaining matches, Australia have to win only one to clinch the five match series while as, Sri Lanka would want to prevent that. An SL win in the fourth ODI would level the series and set stage for an exciting decider.
Australia would be worried by the form of Brad Haddin, he has not been among the runs for some time now. The same goes for their spinners, despite friendly tracks, Xavier Doherty and Steven Smith have failed to make an impact so far in the series. However, Doug Bollinger has impressed, he has managed to take wickets regularly.
Sri Lanka would like to continue the winning form with the batsmen putting up big score in the next match. Australia on the other hand, would want its bowlers to give them a series victory well before the last match.
Australia: Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (C), Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Shaun Marsh, Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty, James Pattinson, Doug Bollinger.
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (C), Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Chamara Silva, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Suraj Randiv.
