ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia vs Sri Lanka - 5 things to look forward to

The stars are lining up. Things are falling into place. If there is ever a ground in Australia where the Sri Lankans can fancy their chances of humbling the mighty Aussies, then it is none other than the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) - the venue of the crucial Pool A clash on Sunday. The Lankans have won 4 of their last 6 games in Sydney. With Australia having an imposing outfit and being hungry for World Cup success and Sri Lanka’s fighting qualities always coming to the fore in these big tournaments, Sunday's encounter is going to be one to savour for ages. Here are 5 things to look forward to from the Australia vs Sri Lanka clash:

#1 Australian pace attack vs Sri Lankan batsmen

Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have all got ample speed at their disposal and impressed at various times in the tournament so far. Starc, in particular, has been in outstanding form, with 10 wickets from the 3 matches he has played in the World Cup so far.

But the Aussie pacers will be coming up against a batting lineup that has lost only two wickets in their last two games. Kumar Sangakkara hasn’t been dismissed in that time and Sri Lanka’s top four batsmen have all scored centuries.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Jeevan Mendis are both injured and out of the World Cup, which has strengthened Sri Lanka’s batting. Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal will bolster the middle order.

Mahela Jayawardene has said that the Sri Lankan batsmen won’t be intimidated by the Australian pacers, but one will have to wait and watch.

#2 Australian batting vs Sri Lankan spinners

Sri Lankan spinners have had reasonable success in Sydney in the recent past and that might prompt them to play two spinners against the Australians. Rangana Herath is out with a finger injury, hence Sachithra Senanayake is likely to take his place. Seekuge Prasanna has been approved as a replacement the Sri Lankan squad and he might get a chance to play as the second spinner.

From Australia’s perspective, Steven Smith and Michael Clarke will have to play instrumental roles considering their inherent ability to use their feet to the spinners and nullify them through the middle overs of an innings.

#3 Upul Tharanga\'s return

With Dimuth Karunaratne out of the rest of the World Cup owing to an injury, Upul Tharanga is likely to come into the playing XI provided that they opt to play 7 batsmen. Despite being an opener by trade, however, he might have to slot into the No.4 position with Lahiru Thirimanne doing extremely well at the top of the order.

It is also noteworthy to mention that Tharanga remained unbeaten on 86 in the last game that he played in Sydney. A good outing for him against Australia would ensure Sri Lanka has a settled batting order for the rest of the tournament.

#4 Glen Maxwell\'s scores to settle

The last time Glenn Maxwell faced the Lankans in Australia, an altercation brewed between him and the Sri Lankan team. In the second game of the two-match T20I series, Australia needed to hit four runs off the final ball with Maxwell on strike. The Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews took ages to set his field. Irked by the delay, Maxwell marched forward shouting “Bowl it. I’m going to hit it for four anyway”.

Subsequently, Thisara Perera went on to bowl a dot ball and the Sri Lankan players weren’t shy of having a go at Maxwell, exchanging heated words in the middle.

Both Mahela Jayawardene and Maxwell did apologize for the incident later and talked down the incident, saying it was in the heat of the moment. Maxwell had another chance to avenge the Sri Lankans during the 2013 Champions Trophy but failed. Will he get his revenge this time?

#5 James Faulkner\'s X factor

James Faulkner’s return to the Australian side ahead of this all-important encounter will act as a huge boost to their confidence. The all-rounder has been an integral part of Australia’s plans with the ball and gained a reputation for being a very good finisher with the bat. Faulkner injured himself during the tri-series, involving India and England, before the World Cup and was unavailable for the opening 3 games of Australia’s campaign.

He returned for the Afghanistan game, and while he didn’t contribute much to Australia’s thumping victory, there is no doubt of the value he brings to the side.