Aussies unchanged for Canberra Test

Australia captain Tim Paine has confirmed an unchanged team for Friday's second and final Test against Sri Lanka at Canberra's Manuka Oval.

Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc is expected to retain his new-ball role in Australia's Test team to play Sri Lanka. (AAP)

Australia won't change the winning formula they found in Brisbane in pursuit of claiming their first piece of silverware of the summer against Sri Lanka in Canberra.

After rolling the visitors inside three days last weekend, Australia's captain Tim Paine confirmed they would take same side into the second and final Test at Manuka Oval, where a win or draw will secure the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.

It means allrounder Marcus Stoinis will miss out on a Test debut on Friday, with Marnus Labuschagne to be used as a fifth bowling option.

Crucially Mitchell Starc will also again take the new ball, despite pressure from the likes of Brett Lee and Shane Warne in the past month for it to be handed to the in-form Pat Cummins alongside Jhye Richardson.

"We've used Starcy for a long time with the new ball," Paine said ahead of what will be Australia's last Test before this year's Ashes.

"We think he is still our best new-ball bowler when he gets it right so we'll always give him the first few.

"Hopefully he can swing a few and if he does he's more than likely to get an early breakthrough. But what we have done is bring Pat on a lot earlier than we have in the past."

Paine said there'd also never been any consideration to dropping Starc, although the left-arm quick has endured the toughest home summer of his career with 15 wickets at 36.46.

"He's not 100 per cent at his best but I think that's a sign of how good a bowler he is that he's still finding ways to pick up wickets," Paine said.

Without a trophy to their name through five separate Test, one-day and Twenty20 series this summer, Australia are desperate not to let this one slip.

They also haven't won back-to-back Tests since last summer, and have suffered heavy floggings in the games after their wins in Perth against India, and a gutsy draw with Pakistan in Dubai.

"We've spoken a little bit about our attitude, we touched on how we had a great win in Perth against India and then I thought we turned up pretty poorly and were really flat in Melbourne," Paine said.

"It's just been making sure our attitude to this Test is spot on."

Sri Lanka will make at least two changes to their team, after quick bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara went home injured after the Gabba thrashing.

They have endured a tumultuous week, with coach Chandika Hathurusingha removed from having any official selection input.

Australia: Marcus Harris, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Tim Paine, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson.


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Source: AAP


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Aussies unchanged for Canberra Test | SBS News