Colombo, Aug.19 (ANI): Australia cricket team coach Tim Nielsen believes his bowlers must make early inroads into the Sri Lanka batting line up get back to its winning ways when the fourth one-day international against Sri Lanka is played on Saturday.
Australia comfortably won the opening two games of the five-match series after strong bowling displays but a 139-run opening stand by Sri Lanka's Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan set the tone for the hosts' 78-run win on Tuesday.
Nielsen feels his team can return to their dominant ways with early scalps in game four at Colombo's cauldron-like Premadasa Stadium.
"We've played very good cricket in the first two one-dayers. In both games the fielding and the bowling, while they can improve, they were very, very good and we managed to put real pressure on Sri Lanka's top order which allowed us to bowl them out for good totals and then we were able to knock those runs off, what looked like it was done pretty easily although it's always hard work. The batsmen played very well," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Nielsen, as saying.
He added: "The difference in game three was we weren't able to make an impact with new ball and then unlike the first two games while we got a little partnership going, all of our top four got knocked over or got out and we were never able to get any momentum going our way."
Australia will get their first look at the pitch being prepared at the Premadasa when they hold a training run at the stadium on Friday afternoon after enjoying a day off on Thursday to recharge their batteries.
Sri Lanka meanwhile have endorsed Dilshan's captaincy of the team by appointing him in the role until at least December. (ANI)
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