Australia vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction & Betting Tips
It’s been a disappointing start to the Twenty20 World Cup for the defending champions - the Baggy Greens were demolished by the Kiwis in the opener. Can they hit back? Our Australia vs Sri Lanka betting tips are ready to go ahead of a crucial clash!
By contrast, Sri Lanka are showing signs of replicating their September form after a terrible opening day defeat to Namibia. They made a slow start to proceedings in their triumphant Asia Cup tournament, too! They ended up winning that!
The game gets underway from 4.30 pm IST on Tuesday 25th October at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Before engaging in cricket betting online, go through our full match betting preview for some additional insight. We analyse each of the squads, examine the need-to-know stats, and pick out some attractively-priced bets.
Australia vs Sri Lanka Betting Tips - Australia To Win
Our Australia vs Sri Lanka betting tips revolve around a win for the hosts - and there are several reasons why. They cannot afford to lose here - defeat would make an uphill task to qualify even tougher. They have the better side on paper - the Aussie quick trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins are good enough to dominate any batting line-up in the world.
From a Lions perspective, they totally swept Ireland aside in their opener - winning by nine wickets - making a potential banana skin look like a walk in the park.
The odds are heavily siding with the Aussies - at Pure Win, you can back them at odds of 1.22, while Sri Lanka are available at odds of 4.1. We wouldn’t recommend a large bet at these skinny odds, but there is no reason why the 2021 World Cup winners can’t get the job done.
Need some further cricket predictions with bigger odds and bigger returns. We cover some longer shot prices below!
Best Bet: Tim David Top Australia Batsman
From the pitches of Singapore to the Australian first XI - Tim David has been on a unique cricketing journey. The explosive hitter is showing glimpses of what he can do - one massive six against New Zealand was an eye-opener.
When you dig deeper into his stats, it’s clear to see why Australian selectors have been so keen to shoehorn him into their side! In this year’s Indian Premier League, nobody with more than 100 runs scored at a faster rate than he. His international record reads frighteningly for bowling attacks too - in 2022, he has hit 167 runs at an average of 20.87 and an astonishing strike rate of 163.72.
We know he scores quickly and we know the Australian top order has not had the best times of late, with failures against England in the build-up before the defeat to the Kiwis.
That’s why we’re predicting Tim David to top score for Australia at 9.0.
Australia Need To Fight Back!
There weren’t many that saw such a humbling defeat coming for Australia - although we did predict a win for the Kiwis in our Australia vs New Zealand betting preview article.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty in the Australian camp that are confident of a bounce back victory over Sri Lanka.
Mitchell Marsh, who could be used as a fifth bowler by skipper Aaron Finch, is pressing home the importance to squad unity. He told reporters in the lead up to the clash: “We don't really have a choice. The nature of the tournament...you lose one game, your back is up against the wall and we know what's in front of us. It's just really important to stick together."
The 31 year-old anticipates an in-your-face response to the New Zealand defeat: “We'll certainly have an aggressive approach. We know that the three big bowlers when they get going, they're very hard to stop. I think certainly after the other night we'll see a big response from them.”
They’ll need one! These World Cup tournaments can rest on a net run rate, and only a giant win can remedy the damage done to them on Saturday.
Team selectors have a fully fit squad to choose from!
Player to Watch: Mitchell Starc
The pitches at Perth have always suited the quicks, and Starc is one of the best speedsters in world cricket.
He has bagged 14 Twenty20 international wickets against Sri Lanka - he’s only snared more victims against Pakistan in this format (15).
He could be a good bet to finish top of the bowling rankings for the Baggy Greens at odds of 3.8.
Predicted Playing XI
Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Sri Lanka Are Back In The Groove
You can never write off a country with the proud cricketing pedigree of Sri Lanka! They may not be blessed with world-beating talents of yesteryear, but there is still some exciting talent in the ranks - none more exciting than Kusal Mendis.
He was in fine form against Ireland - smashing 68 not out to see his side to a commanding nine-wicket victory and massively boost their net run rate to 2.467.
The victory over the team from the Emerald Isle was even more impressive given it came without their talismanic opener Pathum Nissanka and key seamer Pramod Madushanka. They are both likely to make returns to the XI after sitting out the last game with some injuries.
Player to Watch: Kusal Mendis
The 27 year-old opener is currently on top of the run-making pile in the tournament, with 171 runs to his name. He has scored 304 of his 1,007 T20I runs in this format in Australia at an average of 30.40.
If you fancy him to make his mark here, you can back him to top score for the Lions at odds of 3.7.
Predicted Playing XI
Kusal Mendis (w), Pathum Nissanka, Bhanuka Rajapasksa, Kasun Rajitha, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando
Australia vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head
The Australia vs Sri Lanka head to head record currently reads 15-10 to the former, although the Lions have won two of their last four against the Baggy Greens.
Typically, this is a fixture whereby the team chasing a target will win the game. Of the 25 results, only nine of them have gone to a team setting a score.
Perth Pitch Primed For Pace
Although little is known about this relatively new venue, we can expect it to be a fast, bouncy pitch that will cater to Australia’s imposing bowlers. Of the three Twenty20 internationals at this venue, two of them has resulted in the team batting first posting fewer than 120 runs.
Conclusion
They are extremely short in the betting, but Australia should win this game. There’s too much on the line for them to afford to lose. However you decide to bet, please make sure you do so responsibly with Pure Win!
