Australia playing 11 for Galle test: Andrew McDonald has talked about the prospect of playing three spinners together against Sri Lanka in Galle.
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After winning the test series against Pakistan, the Australian team would aim to win another series in the sub-continent against Sri Lanka. Australia travelled to Sri Lanka last in 2016, where the Sri Lankan team completed a 3-0 whitewash in the Test series.
Sri Lanka is a venue where the spinners always play a big part, especially at the Galle International Ground in Galle. Australia have included three spinners in their squad in Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar. On the Pakistan tour, Australia played two spinners at max in their eleven in Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson.
Both tests of the series will be played in Galle only this time around. Ahead of the tests, 3 T20Is and 5 ODIs will also take place.
Andrew McDonald talks about Australia playing 11 for Galle test
Australian national selector George Bailey has said that the team is open to the idea of playing three spinners in the side. Head coach Andrew McDonald also said that it is obviously a possibility, and that’s why they have picked three spinners in their playing eleven.
“It’s always there (possibility of playing three spinners),” McDonald said.
“You pick three spinners in your squad for that exact reason. We challenged ourselves on it in Pakistan but the information we had leading into the games there was probably two spinners at best.”
If three spinners have to be played in the eleven, Mitchell Starc has to be left out in the side. Mitchell Starc was amazing on the last Sri Lankan tour, where he scalped 24 wickets in the series and was the 2nd highest wicket-taker.
Andrew McDonald agreed that the pitch in Galle will definitely be challenging and they have the combination to play in any conditions. On the 2016 tour, Rangana Herath was the highest wicket-taker with 28 wickets, whereas Nathan Lyon and Dilruwan Perera scalped 16 wickets and 15 wickets, respectively.
In the four tests played at Galle last year, spinner Lasith Embuldeniya scalped 28 wickets, whereas Ramesh Mendis scalped 20 wickets in three games.
