Spirited Sri Lanka aim to put a spanner in Australia's works

The last time David Warner came up against Sri Lanka in a T20I series, they couldn't get him out. They couldn't stop him either. To the extent that he ended up smashing 217 runs across three innings, which included a blistering ton at the Adelaide Oval.

So, there were no surprises that Warner laughed off suggestions regarding his poor form when they were brought up on the eve of Australia's T20 World Cup clash against the Sri Lankans. You'd feel pretty confident too about breaking your mini-rut if you were up against a team who you've conquered and dominated with no remorse or challenge.

Much like Warner, not to forget Glenn Maxwell, whose numbers against Sri Lanka are even more staggering. The Australians as a team have held sway against the Dasun Shanaka-led outfit in this format since 2016, having lost only twice in 8 matches in that period. And Aaron Finch's team were all smiles towards the end of their opening Super 12s clash last week, even if they did eventually have to sneak home against the South Africans.

Strangely enough though, despite the numbers being stacked against them, Sri Lanka could well be the team that holds the potential to derail the Aussie campaign in the UAE and briefly wipe the smiles off their faces. And there are a few factors that support that seemingly facetious argument.

To start with, Sri Lanka have been on a roll in this tournament. After having completely overwhelmed their first-round opponents, they showed great depth in