Agar to return home, replaced in squad by Holland

Australia are down a spin bowler for the final match of their tour of Sri Lanka with Ashton Agar flying home early having been unable to recover from a side strain.

Jon Holland, who is still nursing an injury of his own, has been formally added to the squad after medical staff conceded Agar would not be available for Friday's second Test in Galle.

It continues a luckless run for the West Australian who did not play a single match on Australia's tour of Pakistan earlier this year after catching COVID-19 during the white-ball leg.

He had appeared a strong chance to play in the Tests against Sri Lanka alongside Nathan Lyon but his injury ensured Mitchell Swepson held his spot to play in Australia's 10-wicket win this week. 

Holland could come into contention to play the second Test but Swepson took five wickets and although he went at close to four-and-a-half runs per over, he earned praise from captain Pat Cummins for how he bowled.

All but one of Swepson's victims were top-order batters and he cracked open Sri Lanka's middle order when he dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal in consecutive deliveries when the pitch was at its best on the opening day.

The leg-spinner had previously gone 514 balls without a Test wicket, though the majority of those were delivered on benign batter-friendly surfaces in Karachi and Lahore.

"Really happy with Swepo," Cummins said on Friday after the Aussies' rapid win inside three days. "A couple of key breakthroughs in the first innings and then today, top-order wickets.

"Really valuable, I thought he controlled the tempo of the game, he had some batters come really hard at him. I thought he bowled beautifully."

Another second-Test option for Australia would be to play three spinners in Lyon, Swepson and Holland, and just one specialist fast bowler.

The dominance of spin bowlers on the first Test pitch was apparent when Cummins, the world's No.1 Test bowler, did not bring himself on to bowl in Sri Lanka's second innings as his side routed the hosts in just 22.5 overs.

Allrounder Cameron Green also did not bowl at all in the first Test, while part-time off-spinner Travis Head snared four wickets in 17 balls having never previously taken a Test wicket.

Holland was out bowling on the used Galle surface shortly after the visitors had wrapped up the win on Friday and the finger injury he suffered before the second Australia A four-day match against Sri Lanka A is on the mend.

The 35-year-old had been rushed to Hambantota from Melbourne for that game due to Agar's injury having not bowled since the Sheffield Shield final in March.

Uncapped left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann had initially been preferred to Holland for the A squad but coach Andrew McDonald insisted they had not forgotten about the veteran who played the last of his four Tests in 2018.

"He's always been there and thereabouts, purely through his domestic performances," McDonald said earlier this week of Holland who made his Test debut in Galle six years ago.

"He got called in late. Was he a little underdone when he got into the A series? There's no doubt about that. But we feel as though he can bowl his way into the form we potentially need."

Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Jeffrey Vandersay. Standby players: Dunith Wellalage, Lakshitha Rasanjana.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. Standby players: Matthew Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy

June 29 - July 3: Australia won by 10 wickets

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

Sri Lanka v Australia Test matches will be screened live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports