Plans for ‘A’ tour of NZ ahead of 2023 Ashes

Confident a chastening defeat at the hands of a depleted Sri Lankan team will be a valuable lesson for their India mission next year, Australia have hatched a parallel plan to prepare for their other major overseas Test assignment next year – the Ashes.

The performances of newcomers Cameron Green, Alex Carey and Mitchell Swepson away against Pakistan and Sri Lanka have encouraged a Test outfit content with their return of two wins, two draws and a loss from the two tours.

Australia hope it will have those players primed to contribute alongside their more seasoned teammates when they tour India in February for the first time since 2017.

But, after a successful Australia A tour of Sri Lanka was also quietly completed last month, there are believed to be further plans in place to fast-track the development of those on the team's fringes ahead of next year's Ashes.

Another Australia A tour, consisting of two four-day games to be played in New Zealand with the Dukes ball that is used for Tests in England, is understood to be on the cards for the backend of the coming home season.

That could follow more first-class 'A' fixtures in Australia this summer, with a strong emphasis being placed on reviving an 'A' program that went dormant during the height of the pandemic.

There is a hope that schooling leading domestic performers in foreign conditions could help to avoid the type of batting collapses that plagued Australia in Galle this week.

Their inability to initially bat big despite getting best use of the Galle pitch came back to bite them on Monday as the home team defied a COVID-19 outbreak that claimed six players to surge to an innings-and-39-run victory.

"The reality is some of our players haven't been here before," said coach Andrew McDonald after the series was drawn 1-1. "So you could call it a reality check, because it's a first experience. It's a sample size of one (for those players)."

The batting returns in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from Carey (268 runs at 53.60 across the five Tests) and Green (259 runs at 43.16) came despite the former having played just three first-class games abroad (two in England, one in India) and the latter none.

At the other end of the experience scale are openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner.

Khawaja has been a revelation since slotting into the opening role – he averaged 105.50 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka – though Warner has been short of his best, averaging below 30 with two half-centuries from nine innings.

Both turn 36 this summer and while McDonald was at pains to point out their age is just a number if they are still performing, he believes the upcoming 'A' program will help to find their longer-term replacements.

"Everyone talks about the wrong side of 35. Is there such a thing as the right side of 35?" he said.

"We've seen players perform on the other side of 35 as well. So we don't look at the right or wrong side of 35. We look at the performances they're putting out and we still think they have a lot of time left in them with the challenges that we've got in front of us.

"Will we have to be careful in terms of when they do go, if they go together? One-hundred per cent.

"That's what the 'A' program is about. We've exposed some players to different conditions here. We've got a New Zealand tour. We've got some home content for Australia A as well.

"That's where they'll get their grounding and it's great to see that program back up and running."

Travis Head meanwhile is the biggest question mark for Australia's top order going to India next year.

McDonald suggested performances on the two subcontinental tours will not necessarily inform selection for upcoming home Tests against South Africa and West Indies, and selectors will not have forgotten the No.5's player-of-the-series effort from last summer's Ashes.

But his returns in Pakistan and Sri Lanka – 91 runs at 15.16 in seven innings with a top score of 26 – will be a consideration next year in India, particularly given he has previously been exposed to subcontinental conditions on separate 'A' tours to India as well as his debut Test series in the UAE.

It could mean Glenn Maxwell, the only current Australian player apart from Steve Smith that has scored a Test century in India, remains in the Test frame.

"(Head) is here for the first time. He's been exposed to conditions that are very foreign," McDonald said of the South Australian, who was clean bowled in both innings in Galle.

"We saw him add the sweep shot in during this innings. He's been working incredibly hard on his game.

"Sometimes, you make one small error and you are not there to actually see if your method works or not. The first 20-odd balls here is always difficult and challenging and it's hard to judge when you don't actually get through that.

"There's definitely been a shift in his game in terms of how he wants to play in these conditions. So, we are optimistic that across the journey, if given more time, that that can no doubt work."

Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan

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: Sri Lanka won by an innings and 39 runs

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