Sri Lanka can spoil celebrations:

Mockery cricket on Australia Day

Full house expected at Olympic Park:

Elmo Rodrigopulle reporting from Australia

The Sri Lankan cricketers who were whitewashed in the Test series, and managed to square the five match one-day series 2-2, will now play the hosts on Australia day in the first of two Twenty20 games at the Sydney Olympic Park here today.

Twenty20 cricket is nothing but a mockery on the game and cricket fans who are starved of the thrills and the spills of cricket, will make a mad rush and fill the stadium soaking in the hit-every-ball action in 20 overs a side game.

Being Australia Day, the home team will be yearning to win and celebrate.

But the Sri Lankans who are no easy beats in this slog game, can spoil the celebrations if they play to form.

Playing a lot

Most of the Aussie Twenty20 squad has been playing a lot of this style of cricket during the Big Bah League which just ended, while the Lankans will enter the arena having figured in 50 over cricket.

The Lankan cricketers will not want to go back home empty handed. To win these two games will be some consolation. They played this game to a nicety to enter the Twenty20 World Cup final at home before losing to the West Indies.

If they can continue in that form, could upset the Aussies. They should not be overawed by the occasion or the big noise the Aussie cricket fans will make baying for their team to win.

Big band sounds

The Sri Lankan cricket fans in Sydney have also made preparations to come to the party bringing their big band sounds and having a ball. It is hoped that the rains will not spoil this one big Australia Day party.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene is in good touch he must open the batting with Tillakaratne Dilshan and show the way for a formidable score. The other batsmen – Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera are all good strikers of the ball and must endeavour to score off every ball and not play pat ball cricket.

Own backyard

Bowlers Nuwan Kulasekera, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera and whoever the spinner who plays must bowl tight, while the most important aspect in the game fielding must be spot on. Malinga will be the draw having excelled in the BBL.

The Aussies will want to savour victory. Defeat will be anathema to them playing on their own backyard and before their cricket crazy fans. They will come out firing all cylinders. The Australian selectors who have come in for a bit of bashing for rotating players, have put their best men out for battle. Ball bashers are Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Matthew Wade, George Bailey, the captain, David Warner and Adam Voges.

Finch has had a good bash in the Big Bash and will be looking to repeat. Warner enjoys and blasts, while Marsh, Bailey, James Faulkner and Wade can be destructive with the bat.

As for the bowling they have Mitchell Starc who can be menacing with the bat and ball like he showed in the 50 over games.

Ben Cutting, Glenn Maxwell and Xavier Doherty can also prove troublesome. Over then to the Sydney Olympic Park for thrill a minute, nail biting come or go Chicago style of play,that is best described as a mockery slapped on the game for the sake of BIG MONEY.