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A new-look Australian side will feature in the opening ODI against a Sri Lankan side looking to avenge their 3-0 rout in the Tests.
We’ll bring you the live scores and blog of the action throughout this game, with play to begin at 2.20 pm AEST on Friday.
After the woes of the Test series that they lost 3-0, Sri Lanka will be hoping for a better start to the limited overs leg of the tour.
Helping them in that respect will be the inclusion of two of the finest specialists of the limited overs setup, Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis.
Also lending balance to the side will be the hard-hitting all-rounder Thisara Perera, who has been acclimatizing in Australia all this while with the Big Bash League.
Where they could hope for some positive reinforcements is in the batting.
The loss of Kumar Sangakkara to a fractured hand puts the responsibility on the shoulders of two other senior pros; Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene.
Opening batsman Upul Tharanga, wicket-keeping all-rounder Dinesh Chandimal and in-form middle-order bat Lahiru Thirimanne will need to come to the party, however, given how poorly Sri Lanka batted as a team in the last couple of Tests.
Australia have made some changes of their own. Some have been forced, others were borne out of the need to rotate while at least one of them is somewhat of a shock.
Shane Watson’s injury put him out of the reckoning while captain Michael Clarke, wicket-keeper Matthew Wade and opening basher Dave Warner have all been rested.
For a cricketer who in reasonably good form and looking to play in his last international series, an axe from the first three games makes little sense to the outsiders.
Michael Hussey’s exclusion from the ODI squad has left many nonplussed including former teammate Brett Lee who expressed dismay at the decision to leave him out:
“The nice thing to do for the sake of one series would be to send him out on a high and finish his career in one-day cricket knowing that he has been an absolute legend of the game, rather than being dropped for his last series.”
In the absence of Clarke, Watson and Warner, George Bailey gets the chance to lead the side and more vitally try and cement his place in the ODI setup.
Brad Haddin makes his way back for the first time since the Adelaide Test last January while Usman Khwaja and Aaron Finch should make it to the top-order along with Phil Hughes.
The bowling attack will consist of two of those who featured in the Sydney Test against Sri Lanka, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc. Clint McKay should get a nod over Ben Cutting as the third seamer with Xavier Doherty going in as the frontline spinner.
Sri Lanka have had a decent recent record against Australia in this format, winning six of the last 10 games they have played. Expect nothing short of a fighting performance from the visitors.
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