A rejuvinated Sri Lanka will look to exploit the injury problems and bowling woes of Australia when the two teams clash for the title in the third and last final of the cricket tri-series to be played in Adelaide on Thursday.
Just ahead of the decider, Australia have lost skipper Michael Clarke to a left hamstring problem and fast bowler James Pattinson to a buttock strain.
Australia's cup of injury woes is overflowing as opener David Warner, who now has two successive centuries in the series, is also battling a serious groin injury. Brett Lee too has soldiered on with a broken foot.
Australia have just not been able to gather momentum against the Lankans and solidity at the top is in danger too with injury rearing its head in the ranks.Watson has a huge task in Clarke's absence
It will be a huge task for stand-in captain Shane Watson to lift the team and stop a rampaging opponent.
The major disappointment for the World No 1 team is how ineffective their bowling has been in the series. They have thrice let teams chase totals in excess of 270 -- once by India and twice by Sri Lanka -- and their 321 at Gabba was barely good enough to prevail over the spirited Lankans.
Australia have rued the lack of solidity at the top and now that they have it, there is a worry that their lower half isn't able to shift gears in the final overs.Australian bowlers plundered in the death overs
Australia's strategy has been to keep wickets in hand for the final onslaught against the Sri Lankans but it has failed to work as Lasith Malinga has invariably held them back.
In the first final, Clarke had been left shaking his head in disgust by the manner in which they were unable to plug the run-leaks in the Powerplay and death overs. The second final on Tuesday only reconfirmed this worry as the Lankans posted their first 100 inside the first 16 overs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, now the top scorer of the series with runs in excess of 500 and skipper Mahela Jayawardene are proving an irresistible force at the top and are invariably providing a launch-pad which takes the game away from the hosts.Kulasekara, Prasad have come to Lanka's rescue
On the rare occasion that they have failed, like the first final in Gabba on Sunday, it's the lower order batsmen like Nuwan Kulasekara and Dhammika Prasad who have come to the rescue of the Lankan lions.
Such is the spirit running in the veins of the Lankans that Malinga completed his overs despite being in obvious discomfort during the Australian innings on Tuesday and ended up claiming 3 for 40 in his 10 overs.
Australia's dip in form has extended in the field and no-balls are being bowled at wrong times, such as the one last night when Clint McKay claimed Jayawardene in the second over itself, only to realize that he had bowled a no-ball.Both teams will look to end series on a high
So superior appear the Lankans that despite dropping half a dozen chances in the second final, they were still overwhelming winners by eight wickets.
Both the sides wish to finish the series on a high as they have a packed schedule ahead of them. Lankans head for Asia Cup in Bangladesh and then have a premium series against world's best Test side, England, at home.
Australia leave for the Caribbean within three days of finishing Thursday's final and play their first One-Day International at St. Vincent on March 16.
Australia have enjoyed a splendid summer after early setbacks against South Africa and New Zealand, whipping India 4-0 in the Test series and setting the pace early in the triangular series.
But it's all now coming apart at the seams with Ricky Ponting probably having played the last of his One-Day Internationals and Lee appearing no better than a shadow of his mighty self.
The Teams (from):
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Sachithra Senanayake, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad and Lahiru Thirumanne.
Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner.
Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and Bruce Oxenford (Aus).
Third umpire: Simon Fry (Aus).
Match referee: Chris Broad (Eng).
Match starts at 8.50 am (IST).
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