Sri Lanka v Australia - 1st Test

[brod]

Sri Lanka's attack has been given a major overhaul ahead of the first Test against Australia, with the uncapped Shaminda Eranga and Seekkuge Prasanna among those vying for a position. The Sri Lankans have named a 16-man squad for the Test series, which begins in Galle next Wednesday, and there was no room for Thisara Perera.

Test squad Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Angelo Mathews, Suraj Randiv, Suranga Lakmal, Chanaka Welegedara, Dhammika Prasad, Shaminda Eranga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath

[Gozu]

Starts 2pm Wednesday with the pre-match show from 1:30pm.

Our squad:

Michael Clarke (c)
Shane Watson (vc)
Michael Beer
Trent Copeland
Brad Haddin
Ryan Harris
Phillip Hughes
Mike Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Usman Khawaja
Nathan Lyon
Shaun Marsh
James Pattinson
Ricky Ponting
Peter Siddle

[Jim05]

Lyon and Copeland named to play

[Lightning McQueen]

Lyon and Copeland named to play

Where?????

[Lightning McQueen]

OK, found it, got this off of cric-info.

Seamer Trent Copeland and offspinner Nathan Lyon will make their Test debuts for Australia in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Usman Khawaja edged Shaun Marsh out of the side, and will get his chance to bat at No. 6 in a line-up that was named one day early.

Lyon, who won the tussle for the lone spinner's spot with Michael Beer, is trained as a groundsman, and was seen in conversation with Greg Chappell, the selector on duty, before making a close inspection of the pitch. He extracted useful turn from the practice wickets either side of the match strip, though, appeared no more dangerous than Copeland, who beat the bat frequently.

It has been a most extraordinary rise for the 23-year-old Lyon, who until the first day of the tour match against Sri Lanka Board XI had never bowled in front of his captain Michael Clarke. Lyon made his debut for South Australia in the domestic Twenty20 tournament last year, where his performances won him rapid promotion to his state's Shield team and the Australia A team on the limited-overs leg of a tour of Zimbabwe. To date, he has taken 14 wickets in five first-class matches.

While there, he impressed all with his flight, loop and spin, and these aggressive attributes pushed him ahead of Beer, who played his first Test at the SCG at the conclusion of the Ashes. Lyon becomes the 12th spin bowler to be tried for Australia since Shane Warne retired in 2007. He will be used as an attacking, wicket-taking option by the tourists, who have arguably been given that option by Copeland's emergence as a stingy seam-up type not seen in Australian colours since Stuart Clark's time was up.

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said that while the surface will take spin, its dry nature would aid reverse-swing. The breeze from the Indian Ocean is also known to help the fast bowlers. Copeland is likely be used for long, tight spells while Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris tear in at the other end.

Michael Clarke acknowledged Copeland's strengths, which have also been cited by numerous locals, as likely to be exceptionally useful in Sri Lankan wickets. Also central to his thinking is the fact that Johnson and Harris will be more capable of slipping in quick, aggressive spells with the support of Copeland.

"The greatest advantage Copes has is his statistics in first-class cricket don't tell a lie," Clarke said. "There's a reason he's had success there and I'm certain it'll be the same reason he [will] have success for Australia. He's got great control. Very rarely do you see too many blokes hitting him with the middle of the bat consistently and I think that's because he's got good height and he just wobbles the ball enough. I'm a big wrap for him - I love his control, I love the way he bowled in the first game.

"He bowls a lot of overs for not many runs, so that's a great strength. In these conditions if the wickets are flat, it gives you the option to set fields he can bowl to. Because his pace is a little bit slower, he generally has more control so he can bowl more to a field than someone who is bowling at 150km/h."

There have been 12 outright results from the 17 Test matches played at the Galle International Stadium since 1998, nine of them enjoyed by the hosts. Only when rain intervenes, as it did when the Australians first played here in 1999, do the chances of a firm outcome dissipate.

Clarke, in his first Test as Australia's fully-fledged Test captain, could not help but notice the lack of grass on a good length at either end of the pitch. Whatever excess foliage remained in the middle had been shaved off by the ground staff by the time the Australians returned for their final training session.

"It looked dry at the ends yesterday; it looked like they had cut the grass off the ends but left the grass in the middle of the wicket," Clarke said. "But I got a phone call last night saying when we left the ground they shaved that as well. I don't know what happened after training but the wicket seemed to have changed.

"It's pretty hard as well; it will definitely spin but I don't know if it will spin [from] day one or day two. There might be a bit more pace and bounce than what we had in the practice game. It will spin, but it is just a matter of how early or how much."

Australia have misread overseas pitches before, no more disastrously than the dry surface for the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval in 2009, when no specialist spinner was chosen. However Clarke said it was important the tourists did not get spooked by the perceived threat of the conditions, and chose the combination most likely to succeed in the team's first Test since the horrors of the previous home summer.

"I just think with the first match of the series we've got to get the right combination," Clarke said. "If we think the quicks are going to be our best solution to take 20 wickets then we have to go with three fast bowlers no matter what Sri Lanka do, or no matter if we think it's going to spin. Looking at that wicket yesterday looks quite hard and dry and that will bring reverse-swing into play ... if it's hard there might be a bit more carry into play as well."

Australia XI for Galle: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phil Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Usman Khawaja, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Trent Copeland, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon. (12th man - Michael Beer)

[Brodlach]

Good luck to Lyon, big step up for him over the past 12 months.

[Media Park]

Awesome for Lyon and Copeland!!!

[brod]

- The last time Ricky Ponting played a Test series not as captain - against India in 2003-04 - he made two double-centuries and averaged 100.85

- Ponting is the only member of Australia's squad to have played a Test in Sri Lanka, while five of Sri Lanka's players remain from the most recent tour in 2004

- Kumar Sangakkara needs 113 runs to move into 15th place on the list of all-time leading Test run scorers. As it stands, he's the only man in the top 20 to have played less than 100 Tests

[brod]

"Things have changed since our disappointing Ashes series. For anyone who played last summer that's still in our minds. But the reality is we've wiped the slate clean to some extent"
Michael Clarke

[Webbing]

Is there any online radio coverage of the game?

[Lightning McQueen]

Watson (vc)
Hughes
Ponting
Clarke (c)
M.Hussey
Khawaja
Haddin
Johnson
Harris
Copeland
Lyon
12th Beer

Although there's some selection debates that have merit either way, I am excited about the approach the selectors have taken. The line up has a bit of everything in it, it has a good blend of youth and experience, batting depth and bowling variety, even if we don't win it's good to see some direction happening.
Some debates could be about the following:

Hughes vs Katich
Katich was probably the scapegoat for the ageing list and has made way for someone to carve a career for themselves, I don't think there's any better opposition for Hughes to work on his flaws than against Sri Lanka on their decks.
Lyon vs Beer/ Hauritz/ Doherty
The selectors have gone with raw talent, untried on the big stage, others have had the opportunity and failed, the Sri Lankan decks will give Lyon the best opportunity to show us what he has, I wish him well.
Copeland vs Siddle/Bollinger
Youth has won out again, Harris looks a more likely wicket-taker than Siddle and if bowlers are facing Johnson with ease it makes Bollinger's task harder to be successful, here's to hoping Mitch hits his straps. We have good variation and hopefully we bowl well in partnerships.

It's hard to say we've got a winning formula there, there is a good blueprint for the future though.

[Swervyn]

- Ponting is the only member of Australia's squad to have played a Test in Sri Lanka... that suprises me! Has it been that long since we have played a test match there!?!? jeeez.

Copeland - hope he is ready to bowl some overs, because he could be bowling 50+ in the first innings straight from one end.

Actually pretty well rounded bowling attack we have - Harris, Johnson, Lyon all attack & Coepland, Watson to dry up one end....I hope it works well! However, I have my reservations & am looking forward to seeing Kumar bat for 2 days

[Pottsy]

Well here we go hey.

How's the attack - an erratic leader, an injury prone fast man returning from injury (with only 5 tests under his belt), and two debutants with a total of 23 first class matches between them.

I know the cupboard is pretty bare, but geez that looks rough on paper. I hope they can get some early wickets, because otherwise we're going to be staring down the barrell of a Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan rifle pointed straight at us.

Come on the Oz, show something here!

[Lightning McQueen]

Well here we go hey.

How's the attack - an erratic leader, an injury prone fast man returning from injury (with only 5 tests under his belt), and two debutants with a total of 23 first class matches between them.

I know the cupboard is pretty bare, but geez that looks rough on paper. I hope they can get some early wickets, because otherwise we're going to be staring down the barrell of a Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan rifle pointed straight at us.

Come on the Oz, show something here!

I don't know how to take that post Mr Webber, I'll go with the last line

[Media Park]

Watson (vc)- best player in the side
Hughes- hit and miss, but the best option
Ponting- one of his last series, unless he has a tendulkar-like re-birth
Clarke (c)- can play
M.Hussey- tripe
Khawaja- young talent, needs a go
Haddin- solid
Johnson- hit and miss
Harris- gun when fit
Copeland- we'll see
Lyon-we'll see

funnily enough, I like it...

[wristwatcher]

Yep fingers crossed for Garrys son in his debut

[Lightning McQueen]

Watson (vc)- best player in the side
Hughes- hit and miss, but the best option *Best option on a CA contract
Ponting- one of his last series, unless he has a tendulkar-like re-birth
Clarke (c)- can play
M.Hussey- tripe *Interesting assessment after he saved us from embarassment in the ashes series
Khawaja- young talent, needs a go
Haddin- solid *Questionable
Johnson- hit and miss
Harris- gun when fit
Copeland- we'll see
Lyon-we'll see

funnily enough, I like it...

I like your overall assessment though

[Media Park]

Yeah Hussey's a tough one... The Steve Waugh saga from when he neared the end...
Was fantastic, then went through a tripe period, and everyone said he was done because of his age...
Honestly, that's why I make the Hussey call.

My worry would be that Marsh is 27 (i think), and if Huss plays on, as good as he's been, then time might pass Marsh by...

Hughes DEFINITELY behind Katich, bar the contract bit...

[Squids]

Going to be a delayed start, looks like the weather is going to play a massive part in this test match which is unfortunate.

[Rik E Boy]

Watson (vc)- best player in the side
Hughes- hit and miss, but the best option
Ponting- one of his last series, unless he has a tendulkar-like re-birth
Clarke (c)- can play
M.Hussey- tripe
Khawaja- young talent, needs a go
Haddin- solid
Johnson- hit and miss
Harris- gun when fit
Copeland- we'll see
Lyon-we'll see

funnily enough, I like it...

Watson (vc)- Can't convert and still too much of an LB candidate
Hughes- Shit technique a walking wicket
Ponting- Will rack em up now he's not skipper
Clarke (c)- Will rack em up now he's skipper
M.Hussey- Needs to make more starts
Khawaja- Bat him between the old farts, up one ahead of Hussey
Haddin- Piss him off and bring in Paine
Johnson- Not a test bowler
Harris- A Lemon
Copeland- Will go well
Lyon-Wrong spinner number 57

We'll do well to hold our number five ranking. We reek.

regards,

REB