Sri Lanka v Australia preview, player tips & predictions

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MATCH INFO
Sri Lanka v Australia
Venue: The Oval, London, Saturday, June 15, 10.30am (British time)
Head to head odds: Sri Lanka $5.75; Australia $1.13
Last time they met: Australia 5-199 (43 overs) d Sri Lanka 195 (40.2 overs) in Kandy, Sri Lanka, September 4, 2016.

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Australia will start heavy favourite against Sri Lanka in their cricket World Cup clash at The Oval on Saturday.

Another win to the Aussies would take their record to 4-1 and put them in a strong position to reach the semi finals of the tournament, being played in England and Wales.

Australia will be buoyed by the form of returning pair David Warner, who made a last-start ton, and Steve Smith, who has looked excellent despite posting only one half century for the tournament. Of a bigger concern to the Aussie outfit is an injury to Marcus Stoinis which forced him out of their latest game against Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is chasing its second win of the World Cup, with the first victory coming against Afghanistan in its most recent match. Two more scheduled games — against Pakistan and Bangladesh — have been rained out since, giving punters very little form to pick them on. New Zealand thrashed the Sri Lankans in their opening match while they got home against Afghanistan.

With the weather forecasters predicting little rain on Saturday, we can hope for a full day’s play, meaning we will also have the full range of betting options to choose from on this match.

This Sri Lanka v Australia betting preview will run you through betting options for match 20 of 48 of the ICC World Cup 2019.

Sri Lanka v Australia odds:

For full markets visit the William Hill website.

HEAD TO HEAD BETTING:

Sri Lanka $5.75; Australia $1.13
Prediction: Australia will be too strong in this one. The Aussie batting line-up has more talent and depth and it’s hard seeing the Sri Lankans making enough runs against the barrage of pace they will face.

TOP RUN-SCORER BETTING:

Sri Lanka:
Top five in betting: Dimuth Karunaratne $5, Kusal Mendis $4.33, Kusal Perera $5.50, Angelo Mathews $4.50, Lahiru Thirimanne $6

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v Bangladesh: Match abandoned
v Pakistan: Match abandoned
v Afghanistan: Kusal Perera 78
v New Zealand: Dimuth Karunaratne 52no
v Scotland: Dimuth Karunaratne 77

Australia:
Top five in betting: David Warner $3.50, Steve Smith $3.75, Aaron Finch $4, Usman Khawaja $6, Shaun Marsh $6.50.

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v Pakistan: David Warner 107
v India: Steve Smith 69
v West Indies: Nathan Coulter-Nile 92
v Afghanistan: David Warner 89no
v Pakistan: Usman Khawaja 98

Top batter prediction: While it may have looked bad against India, we have never seen David Warner put so much value on his wicket. Seemingly gone are the overly brash strokes that plagued his younger years. We think after a glorious ton last start against Pakistan, the Aussie opener will feast on a weaker Sri Lankan bowling attack. Keep fellow opener Aaron Finch and skipper Steve Smith safe with one of these three likely to bat for a long period. We have not seen the best of Dimuth Karunaratne yet, largely because he has not had many opportunities in the middle. The Sri Lankan captain might not boast a massive average, but he does have a way of popping up in important moments and there is no bigger stage than against the Aussies at The Oval.

TOP WICKET-TAKER BETTING:

Sri Lanka:
Top five in betting: Lasith Malinga $3.75, Suranga Lakmal $4.50, Isuru Udana $5, Nuwan Pradeep $5, Thisara Perera $5.50, Jeffrey Vandersay $5.50, Jeevan Mendis $5.50.

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v Bangladesh: Match abandoned
v Pakistan: Match abandoned
v Afghanistan: Nuwan Pradeep 4-31
v New Zealand: No wicket-taker
v Scotland: Nuwan Pradeep 4-34

Australia:
Top five in betting: Mitchell Starc $3.50, Pat Cummins $4, Kane Richardson $5, Jason Behrendorff $5, Adam Zampa $5, Nathan Lyon $5.

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v Pakistan: Pat Cummins 3-33
v India: Marcus Stoinis 2-62
v West Indies: Mitchell Starc 5-46
v Afghanistan: Pat Cummins 3-40, Adam Zampa 3-60
v Pakistan: Jason Behrendorff 3-63

Top bowler tip: Star paceman Patrick Cummins has looked menacing without taking a bag all tournament — and we think this is about to change against Sri Lanka. Cummins was outstanding, claiming 3-33 against Pakistan, and he will be given first crack at the Sri Lankans. If he gets a wicket early, enjoy the show and your profits.
We’d be telling you to jump on Nuwan Pradeep but the Sri Lankan quick is injured and may not play against Australia. Instead we’re going to offer you someone with a little bit more value in Jeffrey Vandersay, who is a wrist spinner, a type of bowling Australians have struggled against in the past.

Sri Lanka v Australia prediction

Australia is far too short to back outright to win this match, with most bookies having Sri Lanka as long as $6 to win. The Aussies are as short as $1.12 with some bookies which just doesn’t offer enough value for our tastes. We think bet on Warner or Finch to top score for the Aussies and back Pat Cummins to take most wickets. Steer clear of Sri Lanka in match betting markets.

ALSO READ:
ICC World Cup 2019 betting guide
ICC World Cup 2019 leading wicket-taker
Cricket betting sites
ICC World Cup 2019 leading run-scorer
ICC World Cup 2019 player of tournament

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