Australia and Sri Lanka aim to secure their first victory in the 2023 Cricket World Cup as they meet in match 14 at Ekana Sports City in Lucknow on Monday, October 16, at 2:30 pm Bangladesh time. After losing the first two matches, both teams understand the imperative nature of the situation, treating each subsequent game as a virtual knockout match to revive their World Cup campaign. Preview of Australia vs. Sri Lanka ODI in the 2023 ICC World Cup Team Australia did not start the competition well. They lost their first game to India, and it wasn't a good sign. But things got worse in their second match against South Africa. They didn't play well and lost by a huge margin of 134 runs. The main problem for Australia has been with their batting. None of their main players have given their best yet. Surprisingly, no one from the team has scored fifty runs in any match so far. Now, they are facing Sri Lanka, a team that beat them 3-2 the last time they played in June 2022. Looking at how Australia has played in the first two games, they really need to step up their game. If they don't give their best against Sri Lanka, their chances of moving to the next round might be in trouble even before the middle of the competition. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023 Tickets: How to Buy Online, Booking, Prices, Starting Dates and Timings On the other hand, even though Sri Lanka lost their first two matches in the tournament, it's worth acknowledging their efforts. In the first game, they faced a strong South African team that set a new record for the highest score in the ICC World Cup history, reaching 428/5 in 50 overs. Although Sri Lanka couldn't chase down this huge score, they managed to score 326 runs, which would have been a winning total on most other days. Three days later, on October 10, Sri Lanka faced Pakistan and played excellent with the bat again, setting a target of 345. However, Pakistan managed to chase it down. Although Sri Lanka has been strong with their batting, they need to do better when it comes to bowling. They have only taken nine wickets in their last two matches. Sri Lanka beat Australia in June 2022, and considering Australia's current struggles, Sri Lanka believe they have a good chance of winning this match and getting their first victory in the tournament. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023: Schedule, Fixtures, Venues, Team List Team News It's fair to say that Australia hasn't been the same without Usman Khawaja opening the innings. Trying Mitchell Marsh in that role hasn't worked well, as he has only scored seven runs in the competition so far. Because of this, Cummins might be thinking about bringing in Travis Head. This change could allow Marsh to move to the middle order, where he has performed well in recent months. Further, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and David Warner have had decent starts in the last two matches and are likely to stay in the team. However, the pressure is on them to score big in this upcoming game. On the other hand, Sri Lanka has felt the absence of leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, who couldn't play in the World Cup due to a hamstring injury. In the last match, Matheesha Pathirana gave 90 runs in his nine overs. Because of this, Dasun Shanaka might consider giving Kasun Rajitha a chance as the first change bowling option in the upcoming game. Australia vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head Records in ODI So Far Australia and Sri Lanka have played each other in 103 ODI matches. Out of these, Australia has won 63 times, while Sri Lanka has emerged victorious on 36 occasions. Additionally, 4 matches concluded without a result. Table: Australia vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head ODI Matches So Far Matches Australia Won Sri Lanka Won No Result 103 63 36 4 Probable Playing XI for Australia David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023: Australia Men's ODI Squad Analysis Probable Playing XI for Sri Lanka Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka. Key Australian Players to Watch Marnus Labuschagne Even though he's not in his best form, Marnus Labuschagne was the highest scorer with 46 runs for Australia in the last game and has the potential to play a substantial innings in the upcoming match. In India, Marnus has an average of 40 runs, showcasing his ability to adjust to challenging conditions. Moreover, he has scored 30 or more runs in five out of the last eight matches. Mitchell Starc Mitchell Starc remains one of the premier ODI bowlers globally, known for his lethal toe-crushing yorkers and challenging left-arm swing that troubles batsmen. Against Sri Lanka, the fast bowler maintains an average of taking two wickets per match. He has played 14 matches against Sri Lanka and grabbed 27 wickets. Starc has a remarkable record in World Cups, being a specialist in the format, having secured an impressive 52 wickets in 20 tournament matches on the grandest stage. Adam Zampa Adam Zampa is the only designated spinner in Australia's World Cup squad. Since the tournament is taking place on spin friendly pitch, Australia’s performance will highly depend on Zampa’s bowling. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023 Venues: Cities and Stadiums in India Key Sri Lankan Players to Watch Kusal Mendis Kusal Mendis is currently in the best form of his career for Sri Lanka, scoring 122, 76, and 17 runs in his last three ODI innings. As a star player at the number three position, Mendis excels in the white ball format, displaying a skill for constructing his innings. His record for playing against Australia is evident, boasting an average of 50.33 runs across 11 matches against them. Dilshan Madushanka In the process of developing his career, Dilshan Madushanka is demonstrating notable consistency for the Sri Lankan team, securing two wickets in each of their World Cup games thus far. As a pace bowler, Madushanka possesses the ability to generate swing on the ball even during the latter part of the innings. Despite being underrated, he has maintained an average of two wickets per match over the past year in ODI. Final Words Australia has been in poor form, losing seven out of its last 10 ODI matches. They now face Sri Lanka, who have emerged victorious in three of the last five meetings between the two teams. While Sri Lanka have a good chance of winning this match, considering Australia's inconsistent form, it might be safer to consider the AUS vs. SL World Cup 2023 match is likely to be a closely contested match. Read more: ICC World Cup 2023 Live Streaming: How and Where to Watch all matches Online