Aus in SL: Upul Tharanga likely to be included in the middle order

Sri Lanka stand-in skipper Dinesh Chandimal said that they are mindful that a victory in tomorrow’s game would spur the Lankan cricket fan base in spite of the series loss and that they would do everything within their powers to win the game when the Lankans take on Australia in their final ODI at Pallekelle Stadium. 

Chandimal said “We somewhat lost the plot when especially George Bailey and Mathew Wade used the reverse shot extensively during the limited overs series. However it compounded immensely when Angelo Mathews got injured in the decider and we had to go in with only one front line seamer to go in with during the power-play during the last game”. 

Chandimal admitted that there would be more than one change for tomorrow’s game. 

He said that though they have not decided what the final playing Xl would be and they would do so only after the toss, it would be good if there is an experienced hand in their midst. 

He said that there is a likelihood of Southpaw Upul Tharanga being drafted into the middle order to fill the void created by the absence of Angelo Mathews. 

He also said that the chances are great that Niroshan Dickwella being pushed to the top of the batting line-up. 

“We are under pressure in every game to do well, but, as young players we are ready to take up that challenge and do well. We need at least four frontline bowlers for tomorrow’s game. During the last game we felt that void. Besides there is a strong possibility that there would be one or two specialist seamers being included. However at the same time as generally Lankan wickets are dry the attack would be tilted towards a spin heavy one. Nevertheless the biggest challenge would be to win the game in question.”