Twists and turners for ODI opener

Australia face a further trial by spin and the likely appearance of another mystery witness for the prosecution after Sri Lanka sprung a couple of surprises on the eve of the five-match ODI Series that starts today.

The first, less than 48 hours before this afternoon’s coin toss for the day-night series opener at Premadasa Stadium, was the release of the host nation’s 16-man squad that included another couple of fresh faces.

Teenage batsman Avishwa Fernando has yet to play at senior level but has been rushed into the national ODI outfit as a development player who might even get an opportunity to earn an international cap as the series progresses.

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More likely to get his first run for Sri Lanka, possibly even in today’s fixture, is 23-year-old left-arm orthodox bowler Amila Aponso, who is also yet to represent his country but looms as a potential inclusion because of the difficulties that fellow left-hander Rangana Herath posed for Australia’s bewildered batters in the recent Test series.

And because of the second surprise that awaited the Australians when half of their squad arrived at Premadasa for an optional training session under lights on Saturday evening, the pitch for today’s match that had taken a decided turn towards spin.

The even cover of grass that the pitch sported on Friday afternoon had been totally shaved, and the track that Australian allrounder James Faulkner described as "a pretty consistent one-day pitch" before he had a chance to inspect its changed nature yesterday is now expected to take turn from the outset.

"It can obviously change a fair bit in the space of 24 to 36 hours," Faulkner said presciently before being one of eight players to take part in the 90-minute centre-wicket session under lights at Premadasa.

"It (the match strip) looked pretty similar to the wickets on either side that we trained on (Friday).

"They still spun, and there was a little bit of seam as well so it will be a big challenge."

So intent was coach and national selector Darren Lehmann on getting a feel for the changed strip, he donned a pad, grabbed a bat and faced an over or two from the local net (spin) bowlers as the Australians delayed naming a starting XI until shortly before the coin toss at 6.30pm AEST today.

While the pace bowlers (overworked Test pair Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood as well Nathan Coulter-Nile who has been experiencing back soreness) were absent from yesterday’s session, so too was Test off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who bowled a series-high 154 overs in the Tests.

And skipper Steve Smith, upon whom the three-nil Test defeat has weighed so heavily. The captain opted out of a training run for one of the few times in his international career throughout which he has gained a reputation as an obsessive trainer.

In addition to Aponso, Test off-spinner Dilruwan Perera and the left-arm ‘mystery’ wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan (brought in for his Test debut at Pallekele last month), Sri Lanka also boasts spin-bowling allrounders Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana and recalled veteran (and ex-national skipper) Tillakaratne Dilshan.

While the Australians admitted they struggled to pick Sandakan’s variations in the first Test where he claimed seven wickets, Faulkner claimed there was sufficient video material of most bowlers in world cricket – even those such as Aponso who has played only 27 first-class matches and no internationals – to lessen the shock element.

"Before every series we go through the players as a group," Faulkner said today.

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"We’ve also got access to all different kinds of footage, if you want to have that on hard drives through iPads, computers, iPhones – the way that technology works these days.

"It’s just a matter that certain players pick different aspects of other players’ games they want to study, and who they come up against.

"It’s the same in every sport.

"That’s the beauty of it - you have to try and get better and try and improve and come up with something different.

"And that’s it – studying different players, how to get them out and how to score off them."

By contrast to their hosts, Australia has only two specialist spinners – Lyon and legspinner Adam Zampa – with occasional tweakers Travis Head, Aaron Finch and Smith rounding out a bowling attack built on seamers, with the three quicks mentioned above plus allrounders Faulkner and Moises Henriques.

But while the toss of the coin – which fell the way of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews in all three Tests – was important in the long-form matches, it might not be quite so clear cut in the 50-over format.

Since the 2011 World Cup that was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the skipper who has won the toss in 19 ODIs at Premadasa has opted to bat first on 14 occasions.

But only eight of those have led their team to victory, with Australia’s previous two matches at the stadium in 2011 being won by the team batting second.

The first of those coming when then Sri Lanka skipper Dilshan chose to bat and his team was skittled for 132 in less than 40 overs, with Australian left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty claiming 4-28 to be named man of the match.

Perhaps a reason why the Sri Lankan selectors have chosen to rush in an uncapped left-arm spinner from their national emerging team’s tour to South Africa with a strong suspicion he could line up later today.