Australia face Wanindu Hasaranga challenge in must-win clash

For Australia, the equation is simple: there's a reasonable chance that to win consecutive World Cups now means winning six games in a row, with another slip-up potentially meaning the end of the road

Australia and Sri Lanka both began their T20 World Cup campaigns with emphatic, shock defeats. Sri Lanka recovered from theirs – the 55-run reversal against Namibia – to take their place in the Super 12s, where they started by hammering Ireland.

The question for Australia, the hosts and reigning champions, is how they come back from their setback, a crushing loss against a New Zealand side that, 12 months previously, Aaron Finch's charges had brushed aside to win a tournament where, at one point in the group stage, they found themselves cornered a little like they are now.

Then, it was a battering by England that put them effectively at match point. This time, it was the clinical perfection of Kane Williamson's men, from Finn Allen at the top of the innings to Glenn Phillips on the cover boundary.

"We don't really have a choice now," said Mitchell Marsh on Monday. "It's the nature of the tournament: you lose one game, your back is up against the wall. We know what's in front of us now."

^{New Zealand hammered Australia in their tournament opener (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)}

What's in front of them is a simple equation: there's a reasonable chance that to win consecutive World Cups now means winning six games in a row, with another slip-up potentially meaning the end of the road.

"I think what's really important for us, and we've spoken about it, is not looking too far ahead," added Marsh. "We have Sri Lanka tomorrow night. That's all that matters for us. Hopefully we play well and get past that, and then we move on to England."

As Mark Wood showed in England's opening game at Perth Stadium, where he unleashed the fastest-ever T20 World Cup spell on Afghanistan's young batting line-up, there is plenty of pace to be mined from a new ground attempting to replicate the characteristics of the WACA.

THE BIG MATCH

Who: Australia v Sri Lanka

Where: Perth Stadium, Perth

When: Tuesday, October 25 (7pm local time, 12pm BST)

Prediction: Australia

That ought to play into Australia's hands, with the long square boundaries giving encouragement – if any was needed – for Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins to target a similarly uncomfortable length to Wood, in the knowledge that the boundaries will be well protected and, as England showed, provide plenty of wicket-taking opportunities.

Sri Lanka, then, will be frustrated to be taking on Australia without their own chief weapon; Dushmantha Chameera is out of the tournament with an injury sustained during the dying embers of a comfortable win over United Arab Emirates. Dilshan Madushanka has also had his competition curtailed, so the pace stocks will rely on Binura Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne and Lahiru Kumara.

There was enough turn and bounce on Saturday for Afghanistan's bowlers to prevent England from running away with their five-wicket win: in 11 overs between them, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi conceded a single boundary and managed 26 dot-balls. Those numbers will intrigue Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, the focal point of Sri Lanka's bowling attack and already the leading and second-highest wicket-takers in this year's competition. Only against Pakistan has Hasaranga taken more T20I wickets than Australia.

^{Wanindu Hasaranga is the tournament's leading wicket-taker (Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)}

"We have a simple plan always," said Theekshana, speaking of his relationship with the leg-spinner, whose stock has risen so sharply in the last two years.

"I think if we bowl the right length, it doesn't matter with the wicket. Always if you've got a spinning wicket or you've got bouncy or not, I think the right length is the key in Australia."

Marsh countered those comments with a hope that spin doesn't play too much of a part on Tuesday. "They are their two key bowlers," he said. "If we can get on top of them, then I think we'll be ahead of the game.

"I'm looking forward to that challenge, but we know that they're two world class bowlers. And Sri Lanka are a very dangerous side, so we'll have to get our matchups right and make sure that we're on."

If they're not, they know what it could mean.

Related Topics

• Afghanistan searching for the complete performance as New Zealand come into view

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.