Geelong will host the 2nd T20 between Australia and Sri Lanka in a monumental night for the city Sunday night. It will be the first Men’s International game for the coastal city, and the Aussies will be hoping they can open their Geelong account with a win to level the series here.
A last ball victory to Sri Lanka at the MCG Friday night put them 1-0 up in the series after Australia set a fairly ordinary target of just 168. Aaron Finch looked good early for the Aussies, putting on 43 off 49 balls, he failed to capitalise on his good start, however, which would have seen Australia go onto a bigger score. Michael Klinger also impressed in his first international cap, however, the middle order production let them down in the end.
Sri Lankan veteran Lasith Malinga returned to international cricket with a bang, claiming 2/29 off his 4 overs. After a wicket in the first over of the Sri Lankan innings, the pressure eased as Niroshan Dickwella and Dilshan Munaweera put on 74 for the 2nd wicket, leaving the touring side in control of the match. The innings was capped by a brilliant knock 52 off 41 balls be Asela Gunaratne to steer the Sri Lankans to a calculated last ball victory.
There could be a few Australians on the chopping block heading into game two, with fast bowler Billy Stanlake leading the pack after going for 42 off just 3 overs on Friday. West Australian Jhye Richardson seems the ready-made replacement, after being named in the squad but missing out on game one.
With the Test team in India preparing at the moment, the batsmen could be safe from axing, the only other batsman named in the squad was Hobart Hurricanes star Ben Dunk, who could possibly replace Ashton Turner if the selectors think his off-spin bowling isn’t necessary in a side that already has a part time spin option in Travis Head.
Sri Lanka should go in with an unchanged team for the 2nd game. With a great performance at home against South Africa followed up with a win over Australia, this core is choc full of confidence and they will expect to get another win here.
The bookmakers still heavily favour the Aussies, which is a bit surprising on the unknown quantity that will be the Simmons Stadium wicket. I’ve always thought T20’s are a bit of a tossup, as one player can win or lose a game for their team, so take the value in Sri Lanka here at $2.75 (bet365).
I backed him in in the first game and although it didn’t pan out exactly how I expected it, I still think James Faulkner should have a big impact in this game and this series. I like him to be the top Aussie wicket taker.
TIP: James Faulkner Top Australian Wicket Taker - $4 at Sportsbet
The most 6s bet came in very easily last game, with Australia hitting 4 to Sri Lanka’s one. While bet365’s odds have shortened marginally, you can still get a handy $1.53 for Australia to hit the most sixes on what is a much smaller ground square of the wicket than the MCG.
TIP: Australia to hit most 6s - $1.53 at bet365
Niroshan Dickwella will be disappointed he couldn’t go on to get a big score in the first innings. He has been in some blistering form over the last few series, however, and should look to continue it here. He hit four 4’s en route to 30 on Friday night and Sportsbet are offering $2.06 for him to hit over 2.5 in this game.
TIP: Niroshan Dickwella OVER 2.5 Fours - $2.06 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
