ICC World Cup 2019, Match 20 – Sri Lanka vs Australia – Sri Lanka's Predicted Playing XI

Match 20 of the ICC World Cup 2019 will see Sri Lanka go up against the defending champions Australia on June 15 (Saturday) at the Kennington Oval in London. The Lankans are currently in the fifth spot with one win and a couple of washouts from four matches so far in the tournament.

In their two completed games, Sri Lanka have not looked a very challenging side but could change perceptions about their chances with a solid performance against Australia. The batting has not managed to step up and need to apply themselves and back the bowlers who have been so far decent in the tournament.

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Sri Lanka will want their senior cricketers to stand up and deliver in this biggest occasion for their country.

Here is the predicted plying XI of Sri Lanka for match 20 of the ICC World Cup 2019 against Australia at the Kennington Oval, in London:

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Kusal Perera (wk)

Kusal Perera has not been among the runs in recent times and will have to hit the strides soon. The southpaw has a fair bit of experience and will want to make his presence felt at the most significant event.

Dimuth Karunaratne (c)

Dimuth Karunaratne has been among the runs, but the big score is yet to come. The Sri Lanka skipper will want to lead the team from the front with a big knock against Australia.

Lahiru Thirimanne

Lahiru Thirimanne has been among the runs in recent time, and Sri Lanka will badly want their experienced campaigners to provide good starts and raise their game from the front.

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis has got starts scoring the 25-30s, but the big score is yet to come in recent times. Mendis will have to understand his role in the team and take responsibility and play big knocks to help Sri Lanka post massive totals.

Dhananjaya de Silva

Dhananjaya de Silva is not in the best of form which sums of Sri Lanka’s performance in recent times. He will have to do the scoring and contribute to the team’s success to leave a mark at the biggest cricketing extravaganza.

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Angelo Matthews

Angelo Matthews is one of the experienced cricketers in this line-up. Matthews has blown hot and cold in recent times, and the management will want him to score some runs and lead Sri Lanka to few wins in this World Cup.

Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera has not been among the best of form in the ongoing ICC World Cup. Being a senior cricketer, Perera needs to contribute with both bat and ball as Sri Lanka aim for a top-four finish.

Jeevan Mendis

The 36-year-old Jeevan Mendis has been in and out of the team and has played only 50+ ODIs since making his debut in 2010. His leg-spin will come in handy for Sri Lanka along with his batting which will add value to the line-up.

Isuru Udana

Isuru Udana, who has only played a handful of ODI, will have a task at hand to stop the world-class Aussie batters. The left-arm can rake up some good pace and will want to chip in with early wickets to help Sri Lanka clinch a massive victory.

Suranga Lakmal

Suranga Lakmal has done an excellent job for Sri Lanka since making his debut. The right-arm fast bowler should be at his peak to restrict this heavyweight Australian team to a small total.

Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga has done a fair job so far in this World Cup. The veteran pacer will have to be at his personal best if Sri Lanka want to beat the defending champions who are high with confidence with back-to-back wins.