Road to change began in Sri Lanka

There is no more poignant image to illustrate the extent of change Australia’s men’s Test team has undergone than that captured in the Sri Lankan hill stronghold of Kandy just 30 months ago.

It was a low-key, private presentation of the ICC’s Test Championship mace to then captain Steve Smith confirming that Australia had completed the nominal cut-off date atop the global rankings and would therefore receive the trophy, along with its $US 1 million purse.

It was reported that the ceremony was held at the touring team’s hotel rather than on-field at nearby Pallekele where the opening match of the three-match series against Sri Lanka was about to start because local administrators did not approve of adulation being piled upon the visitors.

Or perhaps it was because they cannily foresaw it would be but a temporary honour.

Within weeks, Sri Lanka had swept to a 3-0 whitewash on pitches tailor-made for their spin bowling strengths, and Australia were duly deposed by India as world’s best Test team.

A ranking they have not regained since, during a period of escalating tumult in Australian cricket.

Symbolising that climate of unrest is the personnel changes that Australia have experienced in the less than three years since they were humbled by the left-arm finger spin of Sri Lanka’s now retired genius, Rangana Herath.

A humbling series loss that saw Smith declare sweeping changes were needed to the way Australia teams were picked.

He could not have known those winds would claim both him and his vice-captain David Warner.

But the fact Australia will field just two players who took part in the final Test of that 2016 Sri Lanka tour – Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – in the Domain Series re-match that starts at the Gabba on Thursday speaks volumes.

Missing from the XI that were humbled by 163 runs at Colombo are banned duo Smith and Warner, as well as Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Jon Holland and injured quick Josh Hazlewood.

In the course of 27 Tests that have followed that series finale at Colombo’s SSC Ground, Australia’s selectors have issued new Baggy Green Caps to a dozen debutants.

There’s a strong chance that newbies club will grow by another three on Thursday afternoon, with a growing case for Jhye Richardson, Kurtis Patterson and Will Pucovski to earn their starts in the Test arena.

Over the same period, Sri Lanka – so often a byword for selectorial flux – has introduced 11 players to Test cricket and could possibly field more than half the team (up to six players) who took the field to complete the clean sweep at home in July, 2016.

Such a rate of change among Australia’s Test line-up is unusual, though scarcely unprecedented.

After all, it’s barely three months since the last trio of new Baggy Greens were distributed on the first day of a Test – against Pakistan in Dubai last October, when Aaron Finch, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne were added to the honour roll.

But it’s difficult to remember a time when so many spots were up for grabs that, even two days out from a Test match starting, it’s impossible to sketch out Australia’s top six with any degree of surety.

The fact there exists four potential openers among the seven specialist batters in the 14-man squad – Marcus Harris, Matthew Renshaw, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja – only highlights the permutations being mulled by selectors ahead of Thursday’s coin toss.

Then there’s the appointment of two newly minted vice-captains - Pat Cummins and Head – to cover the loss of the previous deputies Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh, which further underscores how ephemeral Test tenure has become.

It remains unclear if Australia’s starting XI will be announced before Thursday’s start, with Paine scheduled to hold a pre-game media conference tomorrow afternoon.

Regardless of the latest iteration of the Test line-up, Labuschagne claims there is friendly competition rather than fierce rivalry among those eight batters who are vying for six berths in the final XI to take on Sri Lanka.

“There is some good competition around and that is always good to have in a team when it is competitive for spots because it means that you have to keep performing to stay in the team," Labuschagne said today.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a strange feeling, it’s a good thing to have that competitiveness around the squad.

“We’re all happy for each other and we all want each other to play, but at the end of the day there’s only eleven that get to walk onto the field.

"If you’re in that eleven or not in that eleven, you still have a job to contribute to the team and ensure that the team gets the win.”

Domain Test Series v Sri Lanka

Australia: Tim Paine (c/wk), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha

Jan 24-28: First Test, Gabba (D/N)

Feb 1-5: Second Test, Canberra