7th June 2009
Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed his side to bounce back strongly in their must-win World Twenty20 game against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge.
Ponting's side lost their opening game against West Indies and another defeat would put them out of the competition.
Australia face some difficult selection decisions after their seam attack was belted to all corners of The Oval by West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher on Saturday.
Fast bowler Brett Lee, in particular, came in for severe punishment, conceding 56 off his four overs, including 27 from one when Gayle struck three huge sixes.
Australia could turn instead to Peter Siddle or Ben Hilfenhaus but Ponting insisted he was satisfied with Lee's progress since returning to the squad after ankle surgery.
One plus point for Australia was an innings of 63 off 53 balls by opener David Warner, who might not had played had Andrew Symonds not been sent home for disciplinary reasons.
The match will be Sri Lanka's first international fixture since their team bus was attacked by gunmen in Lahore in March, an incident which left seven players and an assistant coach injured.
They are happy to be focusing on cricket again and captain Kumar Sangakkara has urged his players to hit the ground running.
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