ODI Betting: Jayawardene can steer Sri Lanka to the finals

ODI preview / Andrew Hughes / 01 March 2012 / Leave a Comment

Jayawardene can lead the way to the finals

"Sri Lanka have already beaten Australia twice and they are quite capable of doing so again, particularly given that the Aussies do not need to win in Melbourne."

There's a simple equation for Sri Lanka in Melbourne: win the game to reach the finals and Andrew Hughes thinks they can do it.

March 2, Australia v Sri Lanka, Melbourne, Live on Sky Sports 1, 03:20 GMT

Team News
Australia's main selection dilemma is whether to risk captain Michael Clarke as he recovers from a hamstring injury. The signs are that he will be fit, but selectors may decide to give him an extra couple of days rehabilitation. Quick bowler James Pattinson is back in the squad and should come into the side for Ryan Harris.

Sri Lanka had been going well in this competition until their shock defeat by India on Tuesday, so they will not want to change things too much. They will though have to replace the injured Fervez Maharoof and are likely to go with another seam bowler such as Dhammika Prasad rather than a second spinner.

Venue and Conditions
The MCG surface should offer something for quick bowlers prepared to bend their backs but, based on what we saw in the opening game at the venue when Australia raced to 216 in 32 overs, this will be a batting-friendly pitch, with the true bounce enabling the more expansive strokeplayers to express themselves. There will be some cloud around on Friday, but no rain is forecast.

Match Odds
Tuesday's result has turned this final game from a gentle formality to a nail-biting eliminator. Sri Lanka's inability to defend a total of 320 against India will also have dented their confidence. The way that Virat Kohli was able to score at will from the bowling of Lasith Malinga was particularly worrying and both Mahela Jayawardene's use of the Powerplays and his bowling changes have been criticised

But I don't think punters should overreact on the basis of one result. Sri Lanka have played well throughout this tournament and it is in the nature of limited overs cricket that one brilliant performance like Kohli's can decide a game. Sri Lanka have already beaten Australia twice and they are quite capable of doing so again, particularly given that the Aussies do not need to win in Melbourne. At odds of [2.6] I'll be backing the wily Jayawardene to take his team to the finals.

Top Australian Batsman
Shane Watson struggled in his brief innings last Sunday and there have to be doubts over whether Australia will risk their captain for this game, so there aren't too many options in this market. David Hussey scored another half-century, but now that he finally seems to have discovered his touch, the tentative selection is David Warner, who should be suited by the MCG pitch and can be backed at [4.75] or better.

Top Sri Lankan BatsmanI
t was good news for Sri Lanka that Kumar Sangakkara finally got amongst the runs on Tuesday and he can be backed at [4.5] but the men to rely on in this market are the openers. Tillakaratne Dilshan hit a stunning 160 against India, but I'll be siding with Jayawardene. I'd expect him to respond to criticism of his captaincy with a solid batting performance and he is worth backing at [4.5] or better.

Featured Market
With a good batting surface expected at the MCG and some big hitters like Warner and Dilshan in form, the scene is set for plenty of runs. Backing 'Over 82.5' in the Highest Individual Score market at [2.0] is the way to go.

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Michael Vaughan: Strauss and Jayawardene to shine

England Cricket / Michael Vaughan / 25 May 2011 / Leave a Comment

Mahela Jayawardene is a class act who can score heavily when set

"As for Sri Lanka, you could make a case for any of Tillekaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene. They’re the class acts in this batting line-up and the ones who have previous experience of playing in conditions where the ball will swing. My preference goes for the latter of the three at [4.9]."

Michael Vaughan tells us why Andrew Strauss will be so keen to make an impact in this First Test and how Mahela Jayawardene is the obvious choice to top score for Sri Lanka in the first innings.

There will be plenty of people very keen on keeping Alastair Cook on their side after his heroics in Australia. You can't really blame them and it's pretty incredible to think that, just over a year ago, he was probably just one failure away from being dropped. The Essex man is now seen as one of the rocks in this superb England side.

After the way he batted in that England Lions Match, Eoin Morgan will be carrying some punters' money too. But my own hard-earned will be on Andrew Strauss. He'll be desperate to get this new phase of his career in which he's solely the Test captain off to the best possible start. Strauss is in pretty decent nick too, having already scored two centuries for Middlesex this season, one of which was against Sri Lanka in a warm-up match. That means he's not only had a good look at their bowling line-up, he's also taken them apart! He's the sort of captain who likes to lead by example at the top of the innings and, at [4.8], looks the outstanding choice in this market.

As for Sri Lanka, you could make a case for any of Tillekaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene. They're the class acts in this batting line-up and the ones who have previous experience of playing in conditions where the ball will swing. My preference goes for the latter of the three at [4.9]. Dilshan will have the pressure of the captaincy weighing him down a bit given he's just taken up the role, not to mention the fact he'll have to face a new ball that may be moving around early on. Sangakkara bats at three so he might have to face a swinging ball too and I've seen him struggle in the past when that's been the case. I've said already that batting might get easier as the match progresses so because of his class and the fact he'll come in at four, I'm siding with Jayawardene.

Recommended Bets:

Back Andrew Strauss to be first innings top England batsman at [4.8]
Back Mahela Jayawardene to be first innings top Sri Lankan batsman at [4.9]

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