Ekana Cricket Stadium Lucknow Pitch Report For AUS vs SL World Cup Match 

The Ekana Stadium (Twitter)

Australia stay put at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow for their next match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. The struggling five-time champions face off against Sri Lanka on Monday (October 16) after a painstaking defeat to South Africa on a dry surface at the venue. 

Pat Cummins & company suffered a heavy loss at the hands of tournament hosts India in Chennai before being battered and bruised by the Proteas in the most one-sided result of the competition. They stand in urgent need of recovery from the slump to bring their campaign on track. 

Despite the string of poor recent performances, however, the Aussies start as massive favourites for the clash with the brittle Lankan Lions, who continue to reel with inexperience and are short of substance and consistency in either department. 

Sri Lanka are also winless as they head to Lucknow for their next match after defeats at the hands of South Africa and Pakistan and are missing key players who may have helped their cause to give Australia a tough fight. 

Ekana Cricket Stadium Lucknow Pitch Report

The surface at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow is a spinners' paradise. The track plays extensively dry as the match progresses, offering the spinners sharp turn alongside uneven bounce for the pacers to exploit. 

Tall seamers in the Australian camp might find some lateral movement with the new-ball in the afternoon. However, the cracks tend to widen up as the game goes deeper, which makes the toss a decisive factor. 

Australia learnt the hard way why chasing is an arduous task in Lucknow after shockingly opting to field first upon calling it right at the toss. While Proteas enjoyed the best of batting conditions to make an imposing score of 311/7 in their 50 overs, the Aussies collapsed to a paltry 177 all out inside 41 overs.