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Sri Lanka vs Australia 2016 1st Test at Pallekele: No key battles

This upcoming Warne-Muralitharan Trophy 2016 looks as a battle of two greatly unmatched teams.

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Steven Smith (left) and David Warner (background) have interesting weeks ahead © AFP
Steven Smith (left) and David Warner (background) have interesting weeks ahead © AFP

Australia are all set to kick-start their tour of Sri Lanka 2016, which consists of 3 Tests, 5 ODIs and 2 T20Is. While a strong touring party under Steven Smith and David Warner will be eager to make most of Sri Lanka’s prolonged rebuilding phase, there are a few boxes Australia will want to tick right. This tour presents the young Australian side a chance to make sure their red-ball skills get optimum with the India tour early next year carrying greater importance. But for Sri Lanka, the possibility of a series defeat that looks realistic provides them enough reason to get their act together. Full Cricket Scorecard, Sri Lanka vs Australia 2016, 1st Test at Pallekele

The hosts have been struggling with their new players for quite some time, and their previous assignment in England did no good to their future. Instead, a young and inexperienced Sri Lanka was exposed across formats, and their woes remain where they were before the start of the tour. ALSO READ – Steven Smith: Australia ready to take Sri Lanka challenge

However, there are many in the Sri Lankan camp who had been bestowed with key responsibilities long ago, but have not been able to give desired results. But the worst for the hosts has been the injuries to strike bowlers Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera and Shaminda Eranga, forcing selectors to flow in young cricketers from the Sri Lanka A’s ongoing tour of England.

The 18-year-old fast bowler Asitha Fernando, Chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan and another pacer in Vishwa Fernando and batsman Roshen Silva are the freshest faces in the Sri Lankan side. While it remains to be seen what kind of bowling combination Sri Lanka decide to go with, it is needless to say a great deal of responsibility will be on the venerable Rangana Herath.

The batting looks pretty decent for the hosts, with latest addition being Roshen — a right-handed batsman with more than 5,500 runs in 87 First-Class matches at an impressive 50.58. And then there are the experienced captain Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva. Two of Kusal Perera’s 4 Tests have been at home, and the explosive left-handed batsman will be eager to take giant strides — provided he is picked.

This upcoming Warne-Muralitharan Trophy 2016 looks as a battle of two greatly unmatched teams. Australia, on their part, looked extremely solid with Mitchell Starc up and running and firing all cylinders. David Warner has declared himself fit for the first Test as well.

Both Australia and Sri Lanka will be prepared with their list of objectives for this three-Test affair. For the tourists the most obvious one would be to see where their batsmen are on flat and turning wickets — which have embarrassed them in the past. Nathan Lyon (who had taken a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket five years back, in Sri Lanka, dismissing Kumar Sangakkara, no less) will be keenly watched, and Stephen O’Keefe’s improved bowling will also be a matter of great interest.

This will be Smith’s first Test assignment as leader of the Australian side in the Indian subcontinent, following the cancellation of their Bangladesh tour last year. While Smith would be aware of the fact that Australia had won their last series in Sri Lanka in 2011, the mistakes of 2012-13 in India will be still be deeply engraved in minds.

More than just winning, Australia’s insistence will be to get rid of any factor which may bring them down in Indian subcontinent.

(Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)

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