Australia heavy favourites against struggling Sri Lanka

Australia are undoubtedly the no. 1 team in the world— at this point in time, it is a statement that goes unchallenged. Since the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England, they have registered 21 wins in 26 T20Is. Of the five matches they have lost, four have come at the hands of England. More recently, since clinching the 2018 Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean last November, they have suffered only one loss in six matches. However, more importantly, since the start of 2018, Australia have won five T20I series on the trot— including the T20 World Cup.



To underline that dominance, one only has to look at their batting cards since the start of 2018. During this period, Australia have only been all out once — during their loss to India during the Women’s T20 World Cup last year. Aside from that collapse, Meg Lanning’s charges have lost a combined total of 80 wickets in 22 matches, whilst also scoring 3031 runs— averaging over 37 runs per wicket. Compare this to what they have handed out to the opposition— 2684 runs for 180 wickets in 23 matches — and their superiority becomes even more clear.



“I probably batted once or twice the last series just simply because our top four is so dominant,” Rachael Haynes, Australia’s vice-captain, said soon after the announcement of the team on Wednesday (September 25). “I think a lot of batters would like to get opportunities upfront… It’s really a great indication of how well our team is doing and how dominant we have been. Some people are trying to fit in the middle. But the same combination will be ideal throughout the series.”



At the other end of the spectrum are Sri Lanka— a team that once showed much promise, but has quickly faded away into nothing more than a bit of a pushover. Their overall T20I record reads 93 matches played, 23 won, 66 lost and four no results. Reduce that time frame to the last 12 months, and it doesn’t look any better: 14 matches, one win, 12 losses, and one washed out game.



Going in to their maiden (bilateral) tour of Australia, Sri Lanka realistically don’t quite look like they can challenge the might of the hosts. Despite the presence of the likes of Chamari Atapattu and Shashikala Siriwardene who will lead the T20I and ODI teams respectively, they look a little light on the batting front— especially in terms of power-hitting.



Among the squad, only Siriwardene, Atapattu, Udeshika Prabodhani and Dilani Manodara have experience playing in Australia. They will rely heavily on these experienced heads to get them through.



Like all subcontinental teams, Sri Lanka come in to this series with a spin heavy attack. Whether their tweakers will get any assistance on Australian surfaces remains to be seen. While they won’t completely be shooting in the dark, this tour is a bit of a journey into the unknown for Harsha de Silva’s team.



“It is important in every sense in acclimatising and gelling for the showpiece event four months hence. I’m hopeful that it would be the ideal acclimatization for the World Cup," de Silva told Women's CricZone. 



Following their decimation of West Indies in both the ODI and T20I series earlier this month, Matthew Mott, head coach of Australia, mentioned that Australia are still searching for the ‘perfect combination’. They will see the series against Sri Lanka as a wonderful opportunity to tinker with their line-up and find the most destructive line-up.



Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will hope to use this series as preparation for the T20 World Cup next year— an opportunity to adjust to the conditions and formulate game plans. Along the way, they will do well to stretch the hosts, who at the moment look unstoppable.



 



Squads:



Australia: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham



Sri Lanka: Chamari Atapattu (captain), Harshitha Madavi (vice-captain), Shashikala Siriwardene, Anushka Sanjeewani, Hansima Karunarathne, Yashoda Mendis, Nilakshi de Silva, Dilani Manodara, Oshadie Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandhika Kumari, Inoshi Fernando, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Ama Kanchana.