Australia vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Preview

It's been a long wait for Australian players and fans, but Test cricket is finally back this Thursday with the 1st Test against Sri Lanka kick-starting a summer full of hot cricket action!

This two match series against Sri Lanka for the brand new Warne-Muralitharan trophy should be an exciting one. The Sri Lankans are a side full of potential, and although dangerous in the one-day format, they are yet to prove themselves up to the challenge of defeating an Australian Test side on their home turf.

The Sri Lankans have brought a side featuring a great mix of talent, experience and enthusiasm. Their bowlers, led by anticipated world record holder Muttiah Muralitharan, have the strike power to take twenty wickets, however it's their batting which holds some doubt. Can they put enough runs on the board on bouncy Australian wickets to be competitive? A lot of the workload will fall on the shoulders of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara to score the bulk of their runs.

The Australians are coming off a successful tour of India but have not played much "red ball cricket" in recent times. It will be important for their batsman to control their natural aggression early to lay the foundations for a big score. Phil Jaques will be looking for a big score to make the opening spot his own, while the middle order of Clarke, Hussey and Symonds will want runs on the board early in the summer.

Australia's bowling lineup won't be decided close to the start of the match, but its certain Lee and Clarke will be joined by Mitchell Johnson who will debut in front of his home crowd. Stuart McGill is likely to get the nod as the spin option for his experience and wicket taking ability, with the unlucky Brad Hogg to carry the drinks.

A hard, fast and bouncy Gabba wicket will be too much for the Sri Lankan batsman to handle, and although they are sure to produce some exciting moments with the ball, the superior class and skill of the Australians will ensure they take an early lead in the series with victory in this Test match. At odds of $1.44 at SportsBet Australia represent value. They are pretty close to a sure thing here.

Here's some information about the key players to keep an eye out for this summer:

Matthew Hayden – Australia's opening batsman with a massive aura. Will look to dominate the bowling and rip the heart out of the Sri Lankans early.

Ricky Ponting – Is the Australian captain and currently the world's best batsman. In supreme form, he will be the main focus for the Sri Lankan attack.

Andrew Symonds – Talented all-rounder coming off brilliant tour of India, Symonds will want to consolidate his place in the test side with both runs and wickets.


Adam Gilchrist – Wicketkeeper and powerful batsman. If Australia can build a large score expect Gilchrist to take the game away from the opposition in quick time.

Brett Lee – Australia's strike weapon with the ball, Lee will be pushing the 150km/h barrier and will lead the new-look attack this summer.


Sri Lanka have brought a strong squad to Australia for this tour. Here are some of their key players:

Mahela Jayawardene – Sri Lankan captain and talented middle order batsman. Has experience playing in Australian conditions and will need to lead from the front.

Sanath Jayasuriya – Jayasuriya is a destructive batsman with great experience in all conditions. Has the ability to make big scores but, at 38 years of age, is he past it?

Kumar Sangakkara – World class wicketkeeper-batsman who will have an enormous role to play this summer keeping to Muralitharan while trying to score plenty of runs.

Chaminda Vaas – Crafty left arm pace bowler and handy lower order batsman. Vaas brings plenty of experience and if the pitch offers assistance he will be a handful.

Muttiah Muralitharan – Only nine wickets away from re-claiming his bowling world record, Murali is sure to confuse plenty of batsman and will be crucial to Sri Lanka's chances this summer.

• 
• 
• Email to a friend
• Print