Australia swept away the Test match blues with a dominant performance in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, and now it is onto some Twenty20 action, starting with the first match in Pallekele on Tuesday.
While T20 series never really hold too much importance, from a big picture perspective, this series is an important one, for Sri Lanka and their fans. Tillakaratne Dilshan will bid goodbye to international cricket at the conclusion of the two-match T20 series, and if the fanfare that was seen in the batsman's final one-dayer is anything to go by, expect a fair few emotional moments over the next 80 overs of cricket.
Dilshan has been a mainstay in Sri Lanka's top order, and now with Angelo Mathews out of this T20 series due to injury, the onus will be on the veteran to end his career on a high, by scoring a couple of trademark-Dilshan innings.
The 39-year-old, who will turn 40 next month, is certainly capable of the ridiculous, so here's to hoping for a few more of those "Dilscoops" to come out of the locker over the next two matches.
Australia, however, will be thinking differently. They will, no doubt, target the early wicket of Dilshan, knowing that, with the Sri Lanka batting order still a bit suspect, early wickets will be key to continuing their winning momentum on this tour.
The Aussies certainly recovered brilliantly from the scathing Test series loss, going on to win the ODI rubber with a 4-1 margin. In the final one-day international of the series, the stand-in captain David Warner made a welcome return to form, scoring 106 from 126 balls, which bodes well for Australia going into the final two matches of the topsy-turvy tour.
"When I was out there it was obviously about trying to get the runs and stay there till the end and that's the way that I had to try and play," Warner said after Australia sealed the series with a comfortable five-wicket win. "It's obviously great to get a hundred but for me it was a bit of sigh of relief.
"I never doubted myself and kept backing and executing my plans."
Warner will have to make do without his usual opening partner – Aaron Finch – though after the former captain was ruled out of the T20 matches with a finger injury. Big-hitter Chris Lynn will also miss the series with a shoulder problem.
Where to Watch Live
Sri Lanka vs Australia is scheduled for a 7 p.m. local time (7 p.m. IST, 11.30 p.m. AEDT, 2.30 p.m. BST) start. TV and live streaming information of the first T20I is below.
India, Sri Lanka, sub continent: TV: Ten 3. 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: SuperSport. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
