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T20 World Cup 2021: Australia ready for Sri Lanka clash, says Matthew Wade
Australia Wicketkeeper-Batter Matthew Wade feels his team can win their fixture with Sri Lanka but knows that it will not be easy as in the World Cup it`s always the best vs best.
Dubai UAE: Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has revealed that his side must win the spin battle against Sri Lanka if they want to make it two wins from two in the Super 12s of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Wade and Marcus Stoinis put on 40 in 26 balls to guide Australia to a five-wicket victory over South Africa in their opening game of the ICC Men's World T20 2021 and next up for Justin Langer's men in Group 1 is a Sri Lanka side who chased down 172 to beat Bangladesh and will come armed with several spinners at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE.
"I think every game in this tournament is going to be hard work. As we're seeing throughout the tournament, every team in the competition on their day are going to be hard to beat, so Sri Lanka is certainly no different. They have had a few more games leading in than what we have as well," said Wade in an official ICC release.
"No, they're a terrific team. They're going to challenge us with a fair bit of spin, I would've thought. There could be up to 12 overs of spin, I reckon, that we'll probably face. And it's going to be hard work. And we'll have to be at our best to beat any team in this tournament, and Sri Lanka will certainly be no different. They have some terrific spin options and match winners, especially. We'll have to be at the top of our game against the spin," he added.
Wade revealed Australia are leaving no stone unturned in their preparation and reckons most fans do not appreciate the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in the shortest form of the game."There's plenty of planning that goes into T20. I'd love a lot of the public and the fans to see actually how much planning goes in. It's probably the most planned format, I think, over the three," said Wade.
"The bowlers and Andrew McDonald, the bowling coach, spent a lot of time with the batters. And Kusal Perera is a world-class hitter, and he'll be looking to go hard against our bowlers. But that's the great thing about T20 and about World Cups, the best versus the best," he added.