Patterson, Doran pummel Sri Lanka

All eyes were on the Cricket Australia XI batters in the national Test squad, but a brilliant 219-run partnership between Kurtis Patterson and Jake Doran stole the show for the home side.

Test aspirants Joe Burns, Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne all fell within the first 11 overs of the Cricket Australia XI innings as Sri Lanka's seamers made the most of the new pink-ball in this three-day, day-night clash in Hobart.

But after that first hour and a short burst to start the second session, Sri Lanka's bowlers were flat as Patterson put his name in lights with an unbeaten 157 and Doran raced to his first significant score of the summer with an unbeaten 102.

The CA XI declared their innings at 5-316 at the agreed cut-off of 75 overs, but Sri Lanka's openers survived a couple of early scares to bat out the 13 overs under lights to reach stumps at 0-38.

The trio of Queenslanders will be eager for an improved showing in the second innings at some stage on Friday after Burns (4), Renshaw (7) and Labuschagne (6) all squandered chances to nail down a spot in next week's Test team.

Will Pucovski, the fourth member of this CA XI side vying for a Baggy Green cap, made a confident start with 23 from 54 balls batting at No.5 until he was all too eager to fall into Sri Lanka's short-ball trap, skying a hook shot to the man on the fine leg boundary.

Jason Sangha followed suit, caught hooking for three, but Patterson and Doran both looked at ease from the start of their respective innings.

Perhaps it is not without coincidence the two batters to adjust quickest to the pink ball and white clothes were those whose involvement in T20 cricket has been minimal.

The counter-argument is form is form, regardless of the format. Patterson has not played a KFC BBL game this summer, but in NSW Premier Cricket last weekend scored an unbeaten 167 from 147 balls for St George in a 50-over contest.

Doran made his debut for the Hobart Hurricanes earlier this week, but this knock has been a releasing of the shackles for the youngster whose performances have never quite matched the enormous potential he's long been labelled with.

Patterson consistently found gaps in the field on both the off and leg sides and while he will not earn a Baggy Green at the Gabba next week unless there are some exceptional circumstances, his knock cannot have harmed his chances of a trip to the UK next winter for the Ashes defence.

Australia Test captain Tim Paine was in attendance for part of this first day's play to witness the early dismissals of his Test squad teammates, and would have noted with interest the confident manner with which Patterson handled the Sri Lankans.

Doran may also have inadvertently aided Australia's Test side after a powerful pull shot struck Kusal Mendis at short-leg, sending the Sri Lankan middle-order batter from the field in clear distress with what looked to be an injury to the right pinkie finger.

It was the second injury blow for the visitors in this match, with Nuwan Pradeep able to bowl just 11 balls before he pulled up clutching his left hamstring. He finished the over, but quickly exited the field and did not return.

Pradeep last played a Test in October 2017, so was unlikely to face the Australians anyway, but if his injury is significant it will leave Sri Lanka's squad thin.

Following the early flurry of wickets Patterson had put on a promising partnership of 63 with Puckovski as they set about the rebuild after the CA XI suffered an early wobble in Hobart.

The 20-year-old Pucovski, who Ricky Ponting has said should bat at No.6 in next week's Test match, joined Patterson rebuild after the trio of top-order Queenslanders in the CA XI all departed cheaply within the first hour.

Pucovski was slow to get going, taking 10 balls to get off the mark, before unfurling a gorgeous straight drive off Suranga Lakmal for the shot of the day so far.

The Sri Lankans introduced spin in the 24th over, with Dilruwan Perera promptly cut for a boundary by the Victorian.

With the Sri Lanka seamers getting the pink Kookaburra ball to nip about after being asked to bowl, Burns, Labuschagne and Renshaw all fell – in that order – as the CA XI slipped to 3-25 in the 11th over.

Burns was the first to fall for four from 13 balls as he slashed with minimal footwork at a wider ball from Kasun Rajitha and it flew towards the vacant fourth slip region only for Dhananjaya De Silva to fling himself to his right from third slip and reel in a great catch.

Labuschagne, batting at No.3 in the position he occupied against India after a surprise recall for the SCG Test against India, cut hard to the boundary when he received a similar ball in his innings.

But a rising delivery from Dushmantha Chameera, who finished with 3-57, saw him stand up on his toes and attempt to force off the back foot, only to find an inside edge that chopped down onto his off-stump as he exited for six from 13 balls.

And it was Chameera that struck again when he had Matthew Renshaw edging to first slip where Dimuth Karunaratne took a good low catch coming forward.

Renshaw had been circumspect in scoring seven from 35 balls, surviving a strong shout for a catch behind earlier in his innings, and his only boundary came off an edge that he played with soft hands to guide down and between the slips fielders.

There had been some animated discussion between captains Burns and Dinesh Chandimal before the coin toss as they thrashed out the rules of engagement for this three-day, day-night clash.

Sri Lanka had opted to use their full squad in the match, as is their right as the visiting team, but the Australians were insistent on a coin toss to determine who would bat first.

Shorn of first-class status the match may be, but for the Test hopefuls in the Cricket Australia XI, this game carries significant weight.

Cricket Australia XI: Joe Burns (c), Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Kurtis Patterson (vc), Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, Jake Doran, Michael Neser, Chris Tremain, Scott Boland, Jon Holland

Sri Lanka squad: 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

Domain Test Series v Sri Lanka

Australia: Tim Paine (c/wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, 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

CA XI: Joe Burns (c), Kurtis Patterson (vc), Scott Boland, Jake Doran (wk), Jon Holland, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, Matt Renshaw, Chris Tremain

Jan 17-19: Tour match, CA XI v SL, Hobart (D/N)

Jan 24-28: First Test, Gabba (D/N)

Feb 1-5: Second Test, Canberra