'Good to start with best teams' - Sri Lanka's Athapaththu ready for Australia after India

India first, Australia second. No, that wasn't an early prediction for the finals, just simply Sri Lanka's first two matches at this World Cup. It should only get easier from here but for a Sri Lankan outfit that, despite having played 31 ODIs between the 2022 World Cup and this one, has been crying out for consistent, high-level competition, this upcoming game will lay the most accurate marker yet on their upward trajectory over the past couple of years.

Having challenged the hosts India in the tournament opener, they fell short at key moments in that game, perhaps succumbing to the pressure of the occasion. And that pressure will only be cranked up against an imposing Australian outfit, one with so many avenues to hurt you, it's hard to pinpoint any single weak point that opponents could potentially prey on.

For Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu both these matches have come at the right time - at the start of the tournament - and she hopes they will serve as a building block for her side's ambitions.

"Yes, we're playing against the two best teams in the first two games, but that's really good for us," Athapaththu said ahead of Saturday's match against Australia in Colombo.

"Because then we have some games against teams - like South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan Bangladesh - that we have beaten during the last 12-15 months. So it's good to start with best teams so that we can prepare well and learn from our mistakes and bounce back."

That resilience to bounce back from setbacks is what has driven this Sri Lankan team over the past couple of years. Between October 2019 and June 2022, they didn't play a single ODI. Since then, they've surged forward, culminating in their T20 Asia Cup title in 2024.

Game time has helped, even if parity with the men's team remains distant. Sri Lanka played 31 WODIs and 61 WT20Is between the 2022 and 2025 World Cups. Still, matches against elite sides like Australia remain rare. Before this tournament, Sri Lanka hadn't played an international for four months; they prepared with domestic fixtures and games against youth teams.

"Everyone knows the Australians are the best team and they have a very experienced side," Athapaththu said. "In 2019 we played a series against them and I scored a century in Brisbane. After that we never played against Australia because of Covid and some other various reasons. So we missed playing against Australia.

"We know we haven't played international games during the past few months, but we played some domestic cricket. There are things that I cannot control as a captain but I'll control my bat and ball. Our preparation is good, because we played some games against national youth teams."

Australia's preparation, meanwhile, has been ideal. They won a hard-fought series in India in September and several of their players have gained exposure to Indian conditions through the WPL. They arrived in Colombo on Thursday afternoon, well in time to recover and prepare for Saturday.

"It's been good, positive vibes," said opener Phoebe Litchfield when asked about the team's mood following their journey from Indore. "Woke up this morning, hit the gym, got to the ground and hopefully have some food and get started into training. The commute was fine. It was pretty stock standard but the bodies feel great all around so we're keen to play tomorrow."

Litchfield struck a 31-ball 45 against New Zealand to set the tone for Australia's innings in Indore, but with conditions in Colombo unlikely to be as conducive to batting, she knows a more considered approach might be required.

"I think we'll see when we get out there," Litchfield said. "I'm not going to swing from the limbs first ball. Going to assess conditions, see how it's playing. And if we think it's a 300 wicket, it's a 300 wicket and we'll play our way. But also know that we might have to adapt depending on the conditions that we face.

Litchfield has played just the solitary match against Sri Lanka - a WT20I last year - but Australia know what to expect for the most part.

"Their opening bowlers pose a threat but their spin attack is where their work gets done. They've got four spinners that are completely different to each other. That'll probably be the biggest threat to us."