Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
Australia
Sri Lanka
Australia
Sri Lanka
Man of the Match: David Warner
As Sri Lanka stare at the white-wash after two humiliating defeats, can they rejuvenate before the final game of the T20I series?
Australia to win the match!
T&Cs apply, 18+
When Sri Lanka lost the first game, they were heavily criticized for their errors in various aspects ranging from selections to decision of batting first. By including Isuru Udana in the playing XI, and electing to bat first, they hoped that they would be able to turn the table in the second game. However, like the first T20, the second match too flaunted the dominance of the team Australia.
It was 2 in 2 for Australia and David Warner, who was awarded the second time the player of the match award in the series. Sri Lanka stares at the whitewash as none of their bowlers and batsmen could stand up for the team. The expectations which they had built-up after the tour of Pakistan have vanished.
*Our match preview predictions are fully researched and provided in good faith but no profits are guaranteed. Please gamble responsibly, you should only ever gamble with money you can afford to lose.
Australia won the second match with as much ease and supremacy as they had won the first match of the tournament, against feeble looking Sri Lanka. In the first game, the hosts defeated Sri Lanka by the record margin of 134 runs thanks to David Warner’s maiden T20I century and half-centuries from Finch and Maxwell. Out of 233 runs scored, 160 came through boundaries as the top-three batsmen scored at the strike rate of 175 or higher. Adam Zampa (3 for 14), Starc (2 for 18) and Cummins (2 for 27) did not allow the visitors to touch the triple-digit score.
Finch lost the toss again in the second game as Aussies were asked to bowl first this time. Stanlake, Cummins, Agar and Zampa took two wickets each and provided their batsmen with a comfortable target of 118 runs. David Warner was once again the top-scorer, with his unbeaten 60 off 41 that included 9 boundaries. In his first innings after years, Smith smashed 53 off 36 runs. Warner (160 in two innings), and Glenn Maxwell (403 runs in last 10 innings) are the key batsmen for the hosts, while Adam Zampa (11 wickets in previous 10 games) is the top bowler in terms of wickets, followed by Stanlake (9 wickets in 5 matches).
AJ Turner, Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey, KW Richardson, Ashton Agar, Ben McDermott, Steven Smith, David Warner, Adam Zampa
![]() |
R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
D Warner | 60 | 41 | 9 | 0 | 146.34 |
S Smith | 53 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 147.22 |
A Finch | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
![]() |
O | M | R | W | Econ |
B Stanlake | 4.0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 5.75 |
P Cummins | 4.0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 7.25 |
A Agar | 4.0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 6.75 |
![]() |
O | M | R | W | Econ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
B Stanlake | 4.0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 5.75 |
P Cummins | 4.0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 7.25 |
A Agar | 4.0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 6.75 |
It seems Lasith Malinga has accepted the fact that they are no match for Australia. In contrast to the T20I series in Pakistan, Sri Lanka faced steep challenges from the hosts in all the departments. Against Australian attack, they could not even cross 100 runs in the first T20I game at Adelaide, while they were chasing a mammoth total of 233 runs.
Sri Lankan bowlers conceded more than 9 runs per over except Nuwan Pradeep at Adelaide. In the second game, they tried to revert to the formula of batting first, which gave them success in their preceding tour. However, baring Perera (10 balls 27) and Gunathilaka (21 runs off 22 balls), none of the batsmen cross 20 runs. The target of 118 was not challenging enough for a team like Australia though Malinga removed Finch for a first-ball duck right in the first over. While all the bowlers together just took 3 Australian wickets from the previous 2 games, no Sri Lankan batsman crossed 30 runs so far in this tournament. Malinga and the team surely wish for a win before their departure, but it won't be anything short of a miracle if that happens.
Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Kumara, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kusal Mendis , Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga
On the match day, the weather is forecasted to be breezy and very warm with clouds and sunshine. The daytime temperature is going to reach 32 °c and the temperature is going to dip to 20 °c at night.
The venue for this match is Melbourne Cricket Ground. The pitch here generally helped to bowlers and batsmen almost equally. The ground hosted the famous 1992 World Cup Final between Pakistan and England, numerous other famous matches.
The surface is very good for batting, especially in the first innings. The highest total at this venue in a T20I game is 184/3 by India against Australia. The average scores batting first and second are 139 and 129. While the highest total chased on this ground is 172. Out of 12 matches played here, six times the teams batting first won, while five times the chasing teams won, and one game was abandoned. It is recommended to bat first after winning the toss.
With two wins in a row, Australia has already secured the series, and the third game just appears to be a formality before Aussies lift the trophy and take revenge for their T20 series loss against the visitors back in 2017.
Sri Lanka is lagging the hosts in bowling and batting departments. Their batsmen seem to have nothing to offer against the Australian bowling attack, while their bowlers do not have answers to the likes of Warner, Finch, Maxwell or Smith. Looking at the current flow and the forms of the players, Australia look to be a much stronger team compared to Sri Lanka. We predict that Australia would defeat Sri Lanka in the second T20I match of the series and secure the title.
Australia to win the match!
MSK Prasad is the only person who could get replaced as Sarandeep Singh, Jatin Paranjpe and Devang Gandhi are set to continue in their roles for another year until their term ends in 2020. Here are fi... Read more
India is set to begin the World Cup on the 5th of June of against South Africa. Read CricBettingBuzz team preview for India and our cricket betting tips and predictions for India games in this year's... Read more
New Zealand had an amazing start of the Cricket World Cup on the 1st of June winning against Sri Lanka by 10 wickets. Read CricBettingBuzz team preview for New Zealand and our cricket betting tips and... Read more