Australia Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka– ICC World Cup 2023, Match 14

Australia Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka – ICC World Cup 2023, Match 14. Australia takes on Sri Lanka in ICC World Cup 2023 match 14 on Monday, October 16 in Lucknow. The match starts from 2 pm IST with both teams still looking for their first win in this World Cup campaign. The Aussies are placed ninth on the points table with an NRR of -1.846.

Australia have underperformed so far in the tournament. They have lost back-to-back games against India and South Africa by big margins to start their campaign. They now have to win by a big margin against Sri Lanka to pull themselves up the ladder on the points table.

Australia potentially needs to win their next seven matches on the trot to give themselves a chance of making the semis. They are yet to play the likes of England and New Zealand with a lot of concerns for the side in terms of fitness and team combinations.

With Ashton Agar ruled out due to injury and Travis Head not yet fully fit, Australia have a tight squad of players to choose from and cannot make too many changes as well. Thus skipper Pat Cummins needs to find inspiration from his players to get his team over the line. Cummins himself needs to have a good game against Sri Lanka to start things off.

Also Read: AUS vs SL: Australia’s Body Language On The Field Is Quite Flat – Aaron Finch

Australia have a very favourable head-to-head record against Sri Lanka in World Cups. In 11 matches, they have won eight games and lost just two. They need to use the conditions to their advantage in Lucknow. Having played against South Africa recently they have a better understanding of the conditions than Sri Lanka.

Playing the same side is the best bet for them given the state of injuries to players. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne can be used with the ball by Cummins. In this article, we predict Australia’s playing XI against Sri Lanka.

Australia Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka– ICC World Cup 2023, Match 14

David Warner

Warner will open the innings. He scored 41 off 52 balls against India. Against South Africa, he scored 13 off 27 balls. He has to perform against Sri Lanka for his team to win the match. He has yet to score a fifty in the tournament.

Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh scored a duck against India. He scored 7 off 15 against South Africa. With no Travis Head, he has to make his opportunities count while opening the batting. The opener needs to score big.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith will bat at three. Against South Africa, he scored 19 off 16 balls before he was given out rather controversially. Smith and Warner need to have a big game against Sri Lanka.

Marnus Labuschagne

Labuschagne replaced Agar in the Kangaroo World Cup squad on the back of his good form with the bat. He scored 27 against India and 46 against South Africa. He is the most in-form batter in the side.

Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell will slot in at five. He is playing his third World Cup and needs to be a matchwinner for his side. He scored just 15 and went wicketless against India. Against South Africa, he scored just three and picked two for 34 with the ball.

Marcus Stoinis / Cameron Green

One between Green and Stoinis should play as the seam-bowling all-rounder. Stonis was chosen over Green against South Africa but the move did not pay off. Both are similar kinds of players and hence only one can play.

Alex Carey (WK)

Alex Carey will slot in at seven and is the specialist keeper. He is a good batter against spin bowling and needs to bring his shots into play against the Sri Lankan spinners. Josh Inglish was preferred over him against the Proteasd.

Pat Cummins (C)

Cummins will bat at eight and lengthen the batting. He scored 15 off 24 balls and ent for 33 in almost seven overs against India. Against South Africa, he scored 22 off 21 deliveries and went for 71 runs off his spell.

Mitchell Starc

Starc will bat at nine. He scored 27 off 51 balls and took his team to 177 after they were 70/6. He has over 50 wickets in World Cups and needs to be at his best against Sri Lanka.

Josh Hazlewood

Hazlewood will be the third seamer. He took the early wickets of Rohit and Shreyas Iyer to send India early jitters. Against South Africa, he went for 60 off his nine overs.

Adam Zampa

Zampa concludes the likely XI against South Africa. He was expensive against India going for 53 runs in his eight overs and went for 70 off his 10 overs against the Proteas. His being the only specialist spinner on the side is adding a lot of pressure on him.

Also Read: Australia Squad For ICC World Cup 2023, Schedule 2023, Match List, Team List