Sri Lanka-Australia Starts WC Prepration in T20

Perth: Australia will look to get back into form when they meet Sri Lanka in a KFC Twenty20 international at the WACA on Sunday.

The home side will be hoping for a strong showing against Sri Lanka to regain some confidence ahead of a big summer of cricket, after losing their past three Twenty20 internationals and failing to win a game during their Indian tour.

But Australian Twenty20 captain Michael Clarke was expecting the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 runners-up and 2010 semi-finalists to provide a tough test.

"Sri Lanka have got a very good team and they've shown in Twenty20 cricket how strong they are, so we'll have to be at our best," he said.

The country and the players are looking forward to the Ashes series, but it's important that we concentrate firstly on this Twenty20 match and build some momentum.

Peter Siddle and Brad Haddin will make their international returns from long-term injury absences, while Victorian fast bowlers John Hastings and Clint McKay will make their Twenty20 international debuts if selected.

Clarke said the National Selection Panel hasn't told him he's under pressure to keep his place in the Twenty20 team, despite averaging just 21.45 with the bat in his 33 internationals.

Australia's side only contains players from New South Wales and Victoria, reflecting the dominance of the two sides domestically. No other state has won the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.

Sri Lanka were restricted to 87 runs, losing by 81, when the sides met in the ICC World Twenty20 in May, but captain Kumar Sangakkara said he was confident his team would fare much better this time.

"If we can execute what we've talked about and what we've trained, hopefully tomorrow will go well for us," he said.

It's a challenging series that we look forward to. But nothing comes easy here in Australia.

Team from

Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, Brad Haddin (wk), John Hastings, David Hussey, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes, Stephen O'Keefe, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv, Dammika Prasad, Dinesh Chandimal.

Pitch and conditions
It's easy to think of Perth, speed and bounce together, but the combination hasn't happened a lot lately. If the pitch is springy it will aid the home team, although Lasith Malinga might also have some fun. The weather forecast is sunny with a maximum of 29C.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have won eight matches in Australia against the hosts in all formats, but have never taken a series
• In a throwback to the 1800s, all of Australia's squad comes from New South Wales or Victoria
• Australia lead the head-to-head contests with two wins in three matches
• Australia have lost their past three Tests, three T20s, and one ODI

Match facts
Sunday, October 31, 2010 (day/night)
Start time 17:35 local (09:35 GMT)