Sri Lanka win toss, bowl in first Australia T20

Sri Lanka skipper Dusan Shanaka won the toss and opted to bowl in the first of a five-match Twenty20 series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

It is the first outing for Australia since they won the World Cup in November, with two changes to the team that lifted the trophy -- David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will be rested.

In Warner's absence, the Big Bash League's top run-scorer Ben McDermott will open alongside skipper Aaron Finch while Josh Inglis makes his debut at number three.

Pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood returns for the first time since the opening Ashes Test against England in December after struggling with injury.

Danushka Gunathilaka is back for Sri Lanka after a ban for breaching Covid-19 rules during a tour of England last June, but fellow opener Kusal Mendis is unavailable after testing positive for Covid, with Pathum Nissanka included instead at the top of the order.

Teams

Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), Ben McDermott, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando

Umpires: Sam Nogajski (AUS) and Shawn Craig (AUS)

TV Umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)

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