Live on Skysports 1: Sat 08.30: In what is surely the closest contest of the World Cup so far, Sri Lanka are 10/11 (bet365) to beat Australia.
Ponting’s men are actually available at an odds against 11/10 with 888sport which will immediately tempt but being bowled out for 262 by Zimbabwe didn’t cover them in glory but they did set about an demoralised New Zealand and won comfortably.
It’s very difficult to tell at this stage whether the Aussies’ first game shortcomings were down to nerves and whether their thrashing of NZ was out of their hands, making them an unknown quantity but what is known is that Mitchell Johnson has looked on top form so far – he is 11/4 with Coral to get the most wickets.
Slight preference does go to Sri Lanka though. At 10/11 (bet365), they are quite a nice price to win in front of a very partisan crowd. In Sri Lanka, they have won 11 of the last 13 matches but did lose out to Pakistan in this World Cup.
Sangakkara gets the nod with the bat, 7/2 to top score (888sport), while Malinga is the definite choice with the ball. He missed the chance to take wickets in the opening two games but exploded onto the scene against Kenya, taking 6. He is 9/4 with Ladbrokes to take the most here.
So, Sri Lanka must improve to beat Australia but it’s impossible to tell what stage the Aussies are at. It will be close, expect runs, but stick with Sri Lanka.
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