Kuhnemann's rapid rise puts spinner in Test frame

Neither Hambantota, the port city on Sri Lanka's south coast where Matthew Kuhnemann was on Wednesday afternoon, nor Kandy, where he made his international debut less than 24 hours later, were part of the cricketing plans the spin bowler had initially laid out for himself this year.

Kuhnemann travelled between those cities on Thursday morning to join Australia's 50-over squad before getting the nod to play the second ODI as the injured Ashton Agar's replacement when the team arrived at the Pallekele Stadium after midday.

The 25-year-old who had been bowling with a red ball until tea of the previous day's Australia A match was suddenly, after an emotional cap presentation from fellow Queenslander Marnus Labuschagne, bowling with the new white Kookaburra against Sri Lanka's main side in front of more than 30,000 fans.

It was a world away from the English league cricket stint in north London Kuhnemann had signed on for last Christmas and which he presumed would be his main off-season cricket activity in 2022.

That he still plans to play for Shenley Village in the Hertfordshire League at the end of his unexpected Sri Lankan odyssey highlights his remarkable surge from fringe state spinner to international cricketer.

"Everything's up in the wind at the moment but that's the plan," he told cricket.com.au after claiming 2-48 in Australia's 26-run defeat.

"It's crazy. I'll have to reflect on it tonight and take it all in. It's just so hard, everything's just going at 100 miles an hour at the moment."

If his head was not already spinning when speedster Dusmantha Chameera clean bowled him to seal the match, the arrival of a frenzied Sri Lankan fan who had sprinted to his side in an attempt to pinch his disturbed woodwork would have made sure of it.

Kuhnemann might finally have a moment to reflect on the Australian team bus that was en route to Colombo in the wee hours of Friday morning, with the island's capital marking his third city in under 24 hours.

Despite the unusual circumstances of his first match, it was a tidy first outing in national colours for Kuhnemann, who snared the wickets of Pathun Nissanka and Chamika Karunaratne and did enough to suggest he should feature again in this series.

And maybe be kept on for the Test series if Agar's side injury does not heal in time.

"Test cricket would be a dream but I'm not looking ahead of myself," he said.

Hailing from the Gold Coast where he went to The Southport School, Kuhnemann was a promising junior prospect when he was rookie contracted as a 19-year-old with Queensland in 2016 having played for the state's U19 side and toured Sri Lanka with the Australian U19s.

But a first-class debut was not forthcoming for almost five years given even lead spinner Mitchell Swepson at times struggled to get a game on juicy green home Gabba decks.

Kuhnemann also had to work hard on tweaking his bowling action to maximise his effectiveness.

"He's always been a good athlete but it's been a real journey for him to develop a blueprint for his bowling and to find an effective technique in Australian conditions as a starting point," Brisbane-based spin guru Jon Davison told cricket.com.au last month.

"And he's worked really hard at it. He's very professional, very popular among his teammates and someone who's always looking to develop, which has been the best part of working with him."

Those changes helped Kuhnemann finally earn a maroon cap last year, before shining in the absence of Swepson (who was away for national duties for most of the recent Shield summer) as he snared 25 wickets at 31 during the recent summer's Marsh Sheffield Shield.

It was the strongest return by a spin bowler in the competition, with his summer highlighted by an 10-wicket haul against Tasmania that marked the best bowling figures by a Bulls spinner in more than 40 years.

"You'd say he was quite loose in his technique and undercut the ball a fair bit, so we've worked really hard on tightening him up and getting him driving over his front leg, rather than bowling around it," explained Davison.

"It's worked really well in Australian conditions. The challenge going to Sri Lanka is working out the ideal shape to bowl with there but the beauty of his journey is he can slip back into different arm positions and different ball shapes.

"It will be exciting for him to bowl in conditions that are going to assist him."

Still there remains a determination within Kuhnemann to find room to improve by any possible means.

After learning that he would be going to Sri Lanka with the Australia A squad instead of the UK for club cricket earlier this year, Kuhnemann flew to Sydney to bowl on synthetic nets with and pick the brains of left-arm spinner Stephen O'Keefe.

O'Keefe had had a brief but successful career at Test level, including one Test in Sri Lanka on Australia's last tour in 2016.

Part of his effectiveness on the subcontinent stemmed from his ability to hit the stumps and bowl with a lower arm path, which became a focus of Kuhnemann's when he spent a month in Brisbane in the nets under the eye of Davison in the lead-in to the tour.

"I was naturally a bit squarer probably three or four years ago and we worked hard to get that overspin, pretty much like Nathan Lyon," said Kuhnemann, who fittingly played alongside Swepson on Thursday.

"We got together, myself and Davo, Swepo (before the tour) where I was actually trying to go the opposite, trying to back to being squarer.

"Having both those options in the bag is good over here … just trying to change the pace and seam angle helps heaps."

Kuhnemann's work ethic was referenced in the cap presentation by Labuschagne, who had joined the Bulls squad in the same 2016 intake as Kuhnemann and remains one of his close friends.

"To see your journey from the start with Queensland, your development, your appetite to learn and grow as a player," said Labuschagne, who made mention of Kuhnemann's family that had been unable to witness his debut given the unusually short notice.

"My favourite attribute is your competitiveness; it doesn't matter who's at the other end. It doesn't matter who you're coming up against, even if you're under the pump, you always trust your skills."

Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka, 2022

June 7: Australia won first T20 by 10 wickets

June 8: Australia won second T20 by three wickets

June 11: Sri Lanka won third T20 by four wickets

Sri Lanka ODI squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Niroshan Dickwella, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Madushanka, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan

Australia ODI squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

June 14: Australia won by two wickets (DLS)

June 16: Sri Lanka won by 26 runs (DLS)

June 19: Third ODI, Colombo, 7pm AEST

June 21: Fourth ODI, Colombo, 7pm AEST

June 24: Fifth ODI, Colombo, 7pm AEST

Sri Lanka Test squad (provisional): Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Chamika Karunaratne, Ramesh Mendis, Mohamed Shiraz, Shiran Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lakshitha Rasanjana, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Suminda Lakshan

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

June 29 - July 3: First Test, Galle, 2.30pm AEST

July 8-12: Second Test, Galle, 2.30pm AEST

All Sri Lanka v Australia international fixtures will be screened live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports

Australia A fixtures

Australia A squad: Scott Boland, Aaron Hardie, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Todd Murphy, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Mark Steketee

Sri Lanka A one-day squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Udara, Lasith Croospulle, Oshada Fernando, Pabasara Waduge, Kamindu Mendis, Ashen Bandara, Janitha Liyanage, Sahan Arachchi, Pulina Tharanga, Dunith Wellalage, Dananjaya Lakshan, Shiran Fernando (will not play due to injury), Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan, Nishan Madushka, Ashen Daniel,Nisala Tharaka

June 8: Australia A won by seven wickets

June 10: Sri Lanka A won by four wickets

June 14-17: four-day match v Sri Lanka A, Hambantota

June 21-24: four-day match v Sri Lanka A, Hambantota