Captain Dimuth Karunaratne will lead a strong side with the addition of Jeffrey Vandersay to the spin brigade of Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayavikrama and Ramesh Mendis. The hosts secured a 50-over series by bowling more than 40 overs of spin in the fourth ODI, giving a glimpse of what the Australian batsmen can expect to face in the longer format.
Sri Lanka, on their last visit in 2016, had defeated Australia in the three-Test series as Rangana Herath took 28 wickets in that series. Sri Lanka are on a high after a 1-0 series win over Bangladesh last month and a win over Australia would bring some welcome cheer for the island nation which is battling a severe economic crisis.
In the final ODI in Colombo last week, several Sri Lankan supporters wore yellow Australian shirts and held banners thanking tourists for visiting the country. Australia’s premier spinner Nathan Lyon, who took 16 wickets in 2016 compared to domestic hero Rangana Herath’s 28, said he expects the wicket to start showing its game from day one.
Glenn Maxwell has been an expert in the white ball but has played only seven Tests since his debut in 2013, the last being in Bangladesh nearly five years ago.
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is also doubtful but both Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith are expected to be fit for the first test match. Led by Pat Cummins, Australia will rely on Galle as they look to avenge their 2016 defeat, having won the three-Test series 1-0 in Pakistan earlier this year.