After defeating the hosts, and World Cup favourites, England in the first warm-up, Australia will look to sustain their brilliance against a hurting Sri Lankan outfit in their second warm-up fixture at The Rose Bowl in Southampton today.

With recent one-day international series wins against India and Pakistan, Australia gave a glimpse of what they can do at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
After their win over England in their first warm-up game, they’ve sounded out a downright warning to other teams.

Steve Smith is in sublime form. His 116 against England in Southampton was a lesson in pacing an innings, as he progressed from caution to chaos. 

Others, such as David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey also scored some solid runs.

While the signs are clear from the five-time World Cup winners, they’re not as bright from Sri Lanka’s perspective. 

In their first warm-up fixture, they conceded 338 to South Africa and then folded for 251.

On a positive note, Dimuth Karunaratne found runs once again, with a valiant 87, while the experienced Angelo Mathews notched up 64. 

Sri Lanka will hope that runs from the leadership group can have a positive impact on the others.

If Sri Lanka are to do well at the World Cup, they’ll need their most experienced batsman to be among the runs. 

Angelo Mathews’ knock against South Africa had signs of a man in form, and if he scores well against Australia’s top-quality bowling attack, it’ll further boost his confidence.

 (ICC)