Agar experiment continues, Australia elect to bowl

The fourth Dettol T20I is being broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and live streamed on Kayo Sports

Jhye Richardson will play his first match for Australia since the Adelaide Test while Adam Zampa has also returned for the fourth Dettol T20I against Sri Lanka at the MCG.

Aussie skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bowl first on a chilly Melbourne evening with the series already squared away after the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead in Canberra earlier this week.

Star fast-bowling trio Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have all dropped out of the Aussie squad for the final matches of the home summer as they rest up ahead of the upcoming tour of Pakistan.

Ashton Agar will be given another crack at opening the batting while Finch will continue at No.3 as the T20 world champions tinker with their side in the ongoing absence of David Warner and Mitch Marsh (both rested for this series).

Australia are chasing a record eighth consecutive win in the format.

Sri Lanka have lost promising slinger Nuwan Thushara to a side strain he suffered after bowling just seven balls during Tuesday's third T20I, with speedster Lahiru Kumara in for his first game of the tour.

Star leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga remains in isolation having become the third member of the Sri Lankan touring party to contract COVID-19 in Australia.

Richardson bowled his side to a final-day victory at Adelaide Oval in December against England but a shin injury and the emergence of Scott Boland conspired to keep him out of the Test side for the rest of the Ashes.

The whippy paceman, who has battled shoulder injuries, has a white-ball focus for the time-being after not being considered for the Test series in Pakistan.

Zampa sat out the third T20I in Canberra to give fellow spinner Agar a deserved return to the side after he was an unfortunate casualty of Australia's decision to only play four specialist bowlers during the T20 World Cup.

Now in the team alongside Zampa, Agar hopes the experiment to open with him could help win him a permanent spot in the XI.

"It’s not something I’ve done a lot of," the allrounder said after he added a run-a-ball 13 to his miserly haul of 1-14 in Canberra.

"But it was really cool opportunity. Something new to think about and I think another area to try and improve on.

"Totally different experience having a swinging ball, ball moving around a bit more in the Powerplay.

"It’s about trying to build on that and present that option if that (opportunity) does come again."

Australia XI: Ashton Agar, Ben McDermott, Aaron Finch (c), Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Daniel Sams, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa

Sri Lanka XI: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara

Dettol T20 Series v Sri Lanka 2022

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Josh Inglis, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa

Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Kamil Mishara, Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Shiran Fernando

Game 1: Australia won by 20 runs (DLS)

Game 2: Australia won in a Super Over

Game 3: Australia won by six wickets

February 18: Fourth T20, MCG, 7.10pm AEDT

February 20: Fifth T20, MCG, 5.10pm AEDT

All matches broadcast exclusively on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports. Radio coverage by ABC Grandstand, Triple M and SEN