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Watch Sri Lanka Vs. Australia Cricket Live Stream: First ODI Start Time, Preview — Stunned Australia Looks To Bounce Back

By Jonathan Vankin
Published on: 20:45 PST, Aug 20, 2016

Resurgent Sri Lanka look to continue their shocking dominance over world cricket powerhouse Australia in the First One Day International match, a match that will stream live Sunday following an unexpected 3-0 whitewash by the hosts in Test cricket series on the Emerald Isle.

But Australia are not only reigning World Cup champions in the ODI 50-overs format, the Kangaroos also sit firmly atop the ICC world ODI rankings, well ahead of sixth-ranked Sri Lanka.

Australia is also coming off a trophy-winning performance in an international ODI tri-series in the West Indies, topping the hosts in the final and also seeing off South Africa in the process.

Sri Lanka Captain Angelo Mathews expects to field a relatively youthful XI, possibly even including a debut by 18-year-old Aviksha Fernando, a potential superstar batsman of the future for Sri Lanka.

Mathews spoke about Fernando on Saturday.

“Avishka looked really good in the center yesterday. Most importantly we wanted to share that dressing room atmosphere and the experience with a younger player like him. Especially because we’re playing at home we have the advantage of bringing in an Under-19 player to share the dressing room with the likes of the Tillakaratne Dilshans and Dinesh Chandimals. That’s our main idea, but if there’s a chance he’ll play as well.”

Watch Mathews himself preview the five-match ODI series in the video below.

To find out how to watch a live stream of the first Sri Lanka vs. Australia ODI cricket match, see the streaming links at the bottom of this article. First ball is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. India Standard Time at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, August 21.

For fans in the United States, the live stream will get underway at 5 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 2 a.m. Pacific. In Australia, the match will begin to stream live at 7 p.m. Australian Eastern Time, 5 p.m. Western.

The Sri Lanka dominance over Australia in the Test series has set off a whole new wave of cricket fever in Sri Lanka. The 35,000-seat R. Premadasa Stadium is reportedly sold out, with no tickets available at the gate for the First ODI match.

Australia have dropped Mitchell Marsh from the ODI squad, bringing in short-form specialists James Faulkner and Aaron Finch as well as 24-year-old baby-faced legspin bowling specialist Adam Zampa — whose omission from the Test side made Captain Steve Smith and the team’s selectors the target of pointed criticism Down Under.

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Can Sri Lanka continue their shocking dominance over Australia into their five-ODI series against the world champions? Or will Australia, the ICC top-ranked ODI squad in the world, rally to claim a face-saving victory, starting with the first ODI match in Colombo on Sunday? The best way to find out is to watch the Sri Lanka vs. Australia First ODI cricket match from R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, live online in the United States via Willow TV Xtra, available via this YouTube link with a monthly subscription fee as well as on Willow TV’s own site, accessible by clicking here.

But there are legal ways to watch Willow TV and Willow TV Xtra for free. Certain promotional offers make it possible to watch the all-cricket network, including the first ODI match of the Sri Lanka vs. Australia five-ODI cricket series, for a limited period of time, such as the offer at this link — or try the one-month free trial of Sling TV’s International Sports Package, which includes Willow TV and Willow TV Xtra as well as the Sri Lanka Vs. Australia First ODI cricket match. Information on that deal can be found at this link. Another live stream link can be accessed by clicking here, and live text commentary on the First ODI match is available from Star Sports at this link.

Fans in Australia can catch the live stream of their national cricket team’s First ODI against Sri Lanka via FoxTel Play available at this link. The service, which normally costs a subscription fee of $50 (Australian) per month now offers a two-week free trial, allowing fans to watch the entire five-match Sri Lanka vs. Australia ODI series at no charge.

[Photo By Rick Mycroft/Associated Press]

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