Australia has assembled their full squad in Galle ahead of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting on Wednesday, but the host nation faces uncertainty with injury clouds over a couple of prominent players.
A late evening arrival into Colombo after training in the UAE on Friday afternoon meant a bulk of the Australia touring party didn't get to Galle until after 2am this morning, which put paid to plans for a light training run at the Test venue on Saturday afternoon.
However, the squad was able to catch up with left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann who had remained in Australia until Friday to get the all-clear after fracturing his right thumb in a fielding mishap during BBL|14.
Kuhnemann is wearing a sizeable brace on his injured thumb and, having practiced without significant discomfort in Brisbane over recent days, he will be subjected to even more rigorous scrutiny at Australia's first training run in Galle tomorrow.
While the 16-man Australia touring party is designed to cover all likely contingencies in the two Tests at Galle starting January 29 and February 6 respectively, the even larger Sri Lanka squad reflects uncertainty over some members.
The main concern is the fitness of opener Pathum Nissanka who sustained a groin injury while batting in an ODI against New Zealand at Auckland earlier this month.
The 26-year-old has been included in the Test squad subject to fitness, indicating he will be required to prove his availability in coming days.
Uncapped batter Lahiru Udara – who played one T20 International against Afghanistan in 2023 – has been named in the extended squad as potential cover for Nissanka, who was part of Sri Lanka's XI in the previous series against Australia in 2022.
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva is also racing to prove his fitness having retired hurt while batting in the domestic three-day competition earlier this month after suffering a side strain.
It is believed his withdrawal from that match might have been a precautionary measure given his all-round value to the Test outfit.
And star batter Kamindu Mendis – who yesterday was named as the sole Sri Lanka representative in the ICC's men's Test team of 2024 – is recovering from split webbing on his hand from a fielding injury also sustained in the domestic Major Clubs tournament.
The 29-year-old, who scored a polished 61 on debut when added to Sri Lanka's line-up for the second Test against Australia in 2022, has been in stunning form over the past year.
The left-hander has scored 1049 runs at 74.92 with five centuries including a best of 182 not out in his team's 2-0 clean sweep of New Zealand at Galle last September.
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, named player of the series against New Zealand with 18 wickets at 21.38, also looms as a significant threat having claimed match figures of 12-177 when he also debuted in the second Test against Australia three years ago.
Jayasuriya is expected to bowl a bulk of Sri Lanka's overs, with support from skipper and fellow finger spinners Dhananjaya (fitness willing) and Nishan Peiris while leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay has also been named in the squad.
Despite high rainfall in Galle throughout the usually drier month of January, the pitch for both Tests is tipped to favour spin given the bowling strengths of the host team.
However, Sri Lanka have also named four specialist seamers – Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Milan Rathnayake – while Australia has Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Sean Abbott with back-up from seam-bowling allrounder Beau Webster.
Sri Lanka seems likely to stick with the same top-order batting line-up that struggled against South Africa's pace bowlers in their 0-2 away Test series defeat late last year.
Veteran Dinesh Chandimal – who plundered a career-high 206no in Sri Lanka's innings win over Australia when the teams last met in 2022 – was the only batter to average 35-plus against the Proteas quicks.
But the Sri Lanka selectors are expected to stick with an experienced batting line-up led by Dhananjaya, Kamindu Mendis and Chandimal along with former skippers Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis.
Along with Udara, the other previously uncapped member of the Sri Lanka squad that will assemble in Galle over the weekend is 24-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder Sonal Dinusha.
Australia currently holds the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy contested in Tests between the teams, having won the most recent series in Australia in 2019 before the 1-1 drawn campaign at Galle three years ago.
Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka
Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka (subject to fitness), Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Rathnayake
First Test: January 29-February 2, Galle (3.30pm AEDT)
Second Test: February 6-10, Galle (3.30pm AEDT)
First ODI: February 12, Colombo (3.30pm AEDT)
Second ODI: February 14, Colombo (3.30pm AEDT)