rangana herath
Rangana Herath is the top wicket-taker for Sri Lanka this series with 15 wickets Getty

Sri Lanka take on Australia in the third test match at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on 13 August (Saturday). The hosts lead the three-match series 2-0.

Where to watch live

Match starts at 5.30am BST. Live TV coverage of the match in the United Kingdom is available on British Eurosport 2.

Overview

Sri Lanka came into this series after suffering a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of England, performing disastrously with both bat and ball. However, in the space of two months, the hosts are geared up to complete a whitewash of their own, having won the first two tests against Australia.

Skipper Angelo Mathews has looked a happier man on the field, with his team showing just why they are a tough nut to crack at home. Mathews has the opportunity of joining Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene as the only Sri Lankan captains to lead such 3-0 sweeps.

Kusal Mendis, Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera have starred for the Lankans, with Mendis scoring while the two spinners have combined to take 26 wickets so far.

That Lankans' pace bowlers have only sent down 30 overs so far, compared to 221.2 overs bowled by the spinners, which show the nature of the surfaces on offer. The Sinhalese Sports Ground is expected to offer turn which will only delight the spinners.

mitchell starc
Mitchell Starc is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series with 17 wickets Getty

Australia came into the series on the back of some impressive performances over the past two seasons and are still the No 1 ranked test team in the world.

But the past two games have shown the Baggy Green how much they still have to improve in sub-continent conditions, with the batsmen in particular capitulating to the Lankan spinners.

Skipper Steve Smith came into this series, not having lost a single game since taking over the captaincy of the Australian test squad. He is now in danger of joining Tup Scott, Bill Lawry, Kim Hughes and Michael Clarke as captains to suffer a series loss.

Shaun Marsh is expected to get a chance with Usman Khawaja most likely to make way. Adam Voges is carrying hamstring tightness but trained on Wednesday and is expected to retain his place in the team.

Prediction

Sri Lanka to win

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Sri Lanka to win: 17/10
  • Draw: 9/5
  • Australia to win: 7/4

Team News

Sri Lanka

Possible XI: Kusal Perera, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando.

Australia

Possible XI: Joe Burns, David Warner, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Josh Hazelwood.

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