Australia will hope for a change in batting fortunes when they take on surprise series leaders Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI at the SCG in Sydney.
We’ll bring you the live coverage of the action throughout this fourth ODI at Brisbane from 2.20 pm AEST on January 20.
1-2 down, a couple of batting displays described as ‘horrible’ by the captain and one loss away from a shock series defeat, Australia have much to play for this fourth ODI.
Michael Clarke was positively irked by the way their top-order crumbled under slightly helpful conditions to seam bowlers at the Gabba.
And so he should be, given that it appeared that there was a sense of complacency, almost bordering on over-confidence in the Australian batting in that game. Many pundits called it a disgrace.
Instead of respecting the conditions, the ‘A’ team batsmen fell in a bid to dominate the opposition bowling; Dave Warner, Michael Clarke, David Hussey and Matthew Wade were all guilty of playing strokes unbecoming of the conditions on hand.
Not that there will be too many changes to the batting line-up. With only Glenn Maxwell in the reserves who can be called a batsman proper, there aren’t many options that Australia have in the first place.
Secondly, scrambling a playing 11 on the basis of one poor performance may not seem right and so the same batting line-up could get another go.
That said, between the top six, the batsmen will need to find out ways to counter the swing of Nuwan Kulasekara, after he produced his best spell in international cricket at Brisbane.
Lasith Malinga, who was so beautifully played out in the first ODI, continued to remain a threat and his potency increases with the early fall of opposition wickets. That is also probably why Malinga stopped taking the new ball after bowling with it in the first ODI this series.
Sri Lanka also batted strangely in their chase of 75 at Brisbane. They looked to attack the bowling from the very beginning and had it not been for the butter-fingered Aussie fielders, they could well have struggled to get there.
It was only after the tea-break, when the moisture on the pitch would have probably dried out a tad that things got any better for the visitors. And they still lost a couple more wickets before getting to their target.
They could look to make a couple of changes despite their win at the Gabba though. One, Shaminda Eranga, who was brought in to exploit the seaming conditions, could be replaced by Ajantha Mendis, who played in the first couple of games.
Secondly, if Dinesh Chandimal is declared fit, he could be selected as well. With Chandimal’s replacement Kushal Perera doing well in these two matches, Upul Tharanga might have to make way after scoring just 13 in the first three games.
Mahela Jayawardene’s poor form has slipped under the radar thanks mainly due to his team’s performance but he will look to get going soon enough. The pitch at SCG, if it is anywhere close to being slower than the ones on display so far and spin-friendly, Jayawardene can be expected to play a part.
We will bring you the live coverage throughout the game from the SCG and hope to receive your opinions as the action unfolds.
Praveen
Guest
It's all good guys. It worked to our advantage and now we can level the series in Hobart
Roger
Guest
Auditions will continue, they have to! Thank goodness the shield is about to start again I say. Guys need to make big runs and pull the finger out. David Hussey has been a big disappointment with some woeful footwork. He's better than he's shown but looks terribly out of form. Maxwell just isn't ready. Bad technique always gets exposed when the ball is moving around a bit as we saw today and in Brisbane. Bailey and Hughes are great in perfect conditions batting on a road but as soon as there is some movement in the air or off the deck they're in a world of trouble, and they aren't the only ones. Bring Khawaja in and take a look at Doolan as backup. Khawaja needs to be back in this team now. At least he has the technique to thrive in tough conditions. Starc continues to amaze me.
Jason
Guest
Still, you are entitled to call them out when they occur Otherwise, the umps will never get better.
Adrian Gale
Guest
For all those whinging about umpiring howlers , just remember Sri Lanka were on the end of lbw via bat edge in the hobart test. They also had used up all their incorrect challenges. Bad decisions by umpires and players alike are just part of the game - get over it.
Brendon
Guest
So, we got rained out, glad we played the B team in Adelaide now, we can't win it, but only draw it. Good on ya CA, not that they care about this summer anyway.
dcnz
Guest
I would say so far that Hughes, Bailey, D Hussey, Moses H (just joking), Cowan, S Smith (another joke),....have alot to prove to stay in the wider squad.
Jake
Guest
I don't know why the 2 all rounders from Tassie haven't been given a go. Both are bowling all rounders with terrific records.
Sanjay
Guest
David Hussey have been very dissapointing this series, his footwork against the moving ball looked very shaky over the last few games and I knew about his issues with a good bouncer but today it was clear that he is not able to handle it very well. Its good that we find this out now so we can make the correct call on the Indian series and it should mean that Khawaja gets the number 6 spot with possibly either Christian or Doolan taking the reserve spot. Its a shame Khawaja didn't get more then 1 game as it would have been the perfect audition to show his talents against the moving ball which many of you have already pointed out.Bailey is another one who has been dissapointing and in four-day cricket he has made 169 runs at 28.16. David Hussey is averaging 17 so none of these guys should be contenders for the number 6 spot anymore.Then there is all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, but he has not staked his claim as a batsman - or for that matter as a bowler - in this series.
Matt F
Roar Guru
Called off! It's not dangerous, there are no puddles and hasn't rained for 45 minutes so get on with it and have a result. It seems the people in charge have forgotten that cricket is in the entertainment business.... There's a lot of talk about how cricket faces a struggle to stay relevant in modern times and this is an example of why. The sport really doesn't help itself at times
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Well, the abandoned game means that Sri Lanka cannot lose this series, with a lead of 2-1 and one to play. Sri Lanka were 0/14 in reply to Australia's 9/229 on a difficult track but that is all we will get. Clarke says that everyone will be disappointed with the result. That is understating the reality I am sure. I will be back on Wednesday for the fifth and the final ODI of this series at Hobart.
Jason
Guest
Game called off? Wtf?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And despite there being no rain for 45 minutes, the play has been called off. Strange, given that the drainage system is usually good in most Australian grounds.
Dadiggle
Guest
Wet outfield will be problem for the bowlers. D/L the system that favors the side batting 2nd
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Rain has stopped and the ground is getting dried now. Should soon have the restart time for the game. It has been almost 100 minutes of lost play so far.
lou
Guest
Our batting stocks are very thin.
Matt F
Roar Guru
Umpires being interviewed. Outfield Still too wet and aren't prepared to nominate a start time yet. Given what happened this afternoon with the LBW's does anyone trust their judgement?
lou
Guest
He averages around 30 or so after nearly 70 matches. It shows the state of our batting stocks that he has had so many matches.
Jason
Guest
Gangnam Style is on now. Trying to catch a peek of Richie Benaud doing the giddy up over a prone Bill Lawry...
Matt F
Roar Guru
Nah they'd rather show us Mark Taylor dancing to Waterloo.....
Jason
Guest
If I was smart enough to post a pic here I would. You can see proof here. http://i13.servimg.com/u/f13/11/83/33/31/image16.jpg