Australia begin Sri Lanka tour with eye on T20 title defence

It's been nearly seven months since Australia were crowned T20 world champions. But does that make them the strongest T20I team in the world? Are they really the best in the world when it comes to the shortest format?

These are questions that you'd expect Aaron Finch & Co. themselves to be pondering over as much as the rest of us have been ever since the Aussies pulled off what many thought was a coup in the UAE last year.

To start with the team that went on to lift the title in Dubai has rarely played together ever since. Not to forget that in a rather unique scenario-the first since Pakistan had to in 2010-Australia will have to defend their crown less than a year since they won it. And the three-match series in Sri Lanka will be their first stop towards not just preparing for that title defence but also furthering that self-discovery as a team into just where they really stand as a force.

The Australians of course have already won a lot of hearts even before the first game of their month-long tour kicks off in Colombo later tonight. They've after all arrived in Sri Lanka at a time when the country can do with every good vibe and every positive headline that comes its way. And the news that the tickets for the T20Is were sold out within hours of going up on sale further emphasized the significance of the Aussies being in Colombo currently, even as Sri Lankans look to get back to some sort of normalcy.

Now, it's over to Finch & Co. to add to that feeling of relief and gratitude towards their visit by producing the kind of cricket you'd expect from world champions, especially with the entire band more or less back together.

For the home team, this will be a chance to pit themselves against the might of Australia as they look to come out of the slump that their T20I team has been found itself in. Dasun Shanaka & Co. did run the Aussies close in a few of the five matches that they played Down Under earlier in the year. But they have a long way to go before being spoken of as a major team in the format as they prepare to go through the qualifying round 1 stage at yet another World Cup come October. They will take some heart though from some of their star players who've begun to make a mark in the global leagues, Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga in particular, as they enter a phase of their own self-discovery as a team much like their opponents.

When:Sri Lanka v Australia, 1st T20I, June 7, 19.00 hrs Local Time, 23:30 hrs AEST, 19:00 hrs IST

Where:R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

What to expect: The heavy rains that have lashed Colombo in the last few days have left the ground with a lot of moisture in place. Finch was quoted on radio this morning talking about there potentially being quite a bit on offer for the fast bowlers, especially considering the greenish nature of the square. But that would be quite a surprise considering this entire tour has been built around the expectation of there being a lot of assistance for the spinners across formats.

Team News

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka suddenly seem to have found the kind of raw and rare talents that they've been known to do historically. From Maheesh Theekshana to Matheesha Pathirana in the bowling department to Asalanka and Nissanka with the bat. And though they are missing a couple of key players, the likes of Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Kusal Mendis bring a level of experience and solidarity to the middle-order while Hasaranga remains their marquee player, the one that Australia will be wary of the most.

Probable XI: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Ramesh Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana

Australia

Finch's batting form has been under a cloud for a while now despite him having scored a half-century the last time Australia played a T20I, back in Lahore two months ago, but he'll be happy to be reunited with the in-form David Warner, coming off another successful IPL season. Mitchell Marsh's success at No. 3 has allowed Steve Smith meanwhile to play with more freedom and the batting line-up looks as strong as it ever has for Australia in this format. Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa aside, the bowling still remains world-class and well-rounded for whatever conditions that they'll have to contend with over the next week or so.

Playing XI:Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood