A weak Australian team playing in the absence of Steven Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood is now in a state of embarrassment, as they lost the first two T20 matches against Sri Lanka. As the third game will be played on February 22, 2017, at the Adelaide Oval, the primary aim of the hosts will be nothing other than avoiding a shameful whitewash on the home soil.
Final scores:
Australia wins by 41 runs
Sri Lanka 146 all-out in 16 overs
Australia 187/6 in 20 overs. (Klinger 63, Flinch 53)
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first
The biggest problem with Australia is the absence of their key players who are now in India for an upcoming four-match Test series.
No other players except Michael Klinger, Ben Dunk, and Moises Henriques have succeeded in finding the rhythm in this series. Even Captain Aaron Finch was knocked out for a meager 12 in the previous game which adds up the worries in the Aussie dressing room.
The hosts are also facing significant problems in the bowling department too. Australian fast bowling spearhead Pat Cummins conceded 28 runs in his spell of three overs in the previous game, and the same was the case of Andrew Tye (37 runs in four overs) and James Faulkner (32 runs in four overs).
Australia finish the #AusvSL series on a high as they win the 3rd T20I by 41 runs: https://t.co/9EQGvXpHkF pic.twitter.com/8HbE2yyHFP
— ICC (@ICC) February 22, 2017
Confident Sri Lanka aiming a whitewash
On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be trying to mark a win in the third T20 too, so that they can clinch a memorable whitewash in the Australian soil.
The major blow faced by Sri Lanka ahead of this match is the exclusion of Niroshan Dickwella from the playing eleven, as he was given a two-match suspension for showing his displeasure on the umpire's decision in the previous game.
Television Telecast and online streaming
Watch SL vs Aus 2nd T20 live streaming on https://t.co/vEZKHYYsKz here->https://t.co/o4BqYWWFgp pic.twitter.com/gndSUGkhTp
— PanAsiaBiz (@panasiabiz) February 19, 2017
Fox Sports is showing the match live in Australia.
In India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, this final T20 game can be enjoyed live on Star Sports. For the live streaming, visit the official website of Star Sports or Hotstar.
Viewers in the United States can watch the game live on Willow TV.
Pitch conditions
Experts predict a high-scoring match in Adelaide, as the surface is flat. There are no grass or cracks in the pitch which will, in turn, allow the ball to come on to the bat directly.
