Team Australia are back again in Sri Lanka to play a T20, ODI and test series in June and July.
The contest between the two giants of world cricket will start with the three-match T20 series starting on June 7 in Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday. And Australia has announced their playing XI for the first T20.
Big guns of Australia, like David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh, who previously missed the T20Is at home to Sri Lanka early this year and the one-off T20I against Pakistan in April made their return to the playing XI for the opening T20I game.
Speaking about the team composition, Australia’s limited overs skipper Aaron Finch said that there was a temptation to play two spinners but with rain around in the last couple of days, they decided to go in with three fast bowlers.
“There was a temptation there (to play two spinners) but having seen the conditions over the last couple of days, the square is quite green, there’s been a lot of rain around and the outfield is quite heavy,” Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Monday.
“Expecting there to be a bit of spin there but it might be a tacky sort of spin. It’s not a dry square, it’s not a dry surface by any stretch.
“There hasn’t been a huge amount of cricket here and with it being the wet season, the wickets are under covers a lot more than what they generally would.
“If Sri Lanka had their preference, it’d probably be on the drier side. But they’ve (had) a fantastic fast bowling attack over the last couple of years, led by (Dushmantha) Chameera.”
The first two games of the 3-match T20 series will take place at the Premadasa Stadium and the 3rd and final match will be played at the Pallekele on June 11. After the T20 series, Australia will play a 5-match ODI series followed by two tests.
Australia playing XI for first T20I v Sri Lanka:
Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood.
