With the Tillakaratne Dilshan ODI farewell done, Sri Lanka will look to get back on level terms in the one-day international series against Australia when the two teams meet in the 4th ODI in Dambulla on Wednesday.
Dilshan retired from ODI cricket after the third match of the series, which was won by Australia, thanks to some handy bowling and patient batting. After all five of the Australia bowlers chipped in to bowl Sri Lanka out for 226, George Bailey anchored the chase, albeit a nervy one, to give the visitors a 2-1 lead in the series.
Australia will want to bulge that lead to 3-1 and with it clinch the series, when the 4th ODI comes into play. The Aussies, though, will have to do it without Shaun Marsh, who has flown back after breaking a finger during the third match.
"Shaun suffered an injury to his left little finger whilst fielding in the match," Australia physio David Beakley said. "An x-ray after the match confirmed a fracture and Shaun will now return to Perth to allow time for this to heal."
That means an opportunity for Usman Khawaja, who has been a spectator so far in the limited-overs series. With Aaron Finch and captain David Warner, standing in for Steve Smith, who has flown back to Australia to rest up, set to open, Khawaja should slot in at No.3.
"It was a difficult time for everyone, not just Usman himself," Warner, who has also struggled for form in Sri Lanka, told reporters when asked about Khawaja's mindset. "We all have to have a bit of a reality check sometimes in regards to the way we play our game.
"It's such a tough environment to be over here. Unfortunately he did get dropped from the Test series. He took that very, very well. He's been training his backside off in the nets. He's been doing everything he can to put his hand up for selection. He accepts that he didn't have the runs on the board and he's been doing everything he can to get back in the team.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing him come out and play the way he does. He scored a lovely 90 in the Caribbean and he played fantastic there, I'm hoping he can come out here and do the same thing (in the fourth one-dayer)."
Sri Lanka have the difficult task of replacing Dilshan, and the onus will fall on Danushka Gunathilaka to add consistency to his game. Gunathilaka is expected to be joined at the top of the innings by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Where to Watch Live
Sri Lanka vs Australia 4th ODI is set to begin at 2.30 p.m. local time (2.30 p.m. IST, 10 a.m. BST, 7 p.m. AEDT). Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India, Sri Lanka and rest of sub continent: TV: Ten 3 and Ten 1 HD. Live Streaming: Ten Sports Live.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Online.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: TV: SuperSport5. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
