Voges is one of five players chosen with international experience along with George Bailey, Joe Burns, James Pattinson and Daniel Worrall.

“It’s really pleasing to have a good blend of established players with international experience and some of the country’s brightest young talent representing the Prime Minister’s XI for this year’s match against Sri Lanka,” National Talent Manager Greg Chappell said.

“Adam Voges as captain will provide a wealth of experience, having played 20 Test matches and captained the Perth Scorchers to the recent Big Bash League title, as will George Bailey and Joe Burns, who have represented Australia in international cricket this season.

“James Pattinson is working his way back from injury and he’s a player of significant interest to the selection panel.

“Daniel Worrall is also coming back from injury and this is a chance for him to step up his preparation for the back-end of the season.”

Will Pucovski, who has recently made his Sheffield Shield debut for Victoria, is one of three teenagers named in the XI, alongside batsman Jason Sangha and spinner Arjun Nair. The PM XI will be coached by former Test captain Michael Clarke for the match at Manuka Oval on February 15. Prime Minister’s XI – Adam Voges (capt), George Bailey, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Arjun Nair, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Henry Thornton, Daniel Worrall. Matthew Gilkes (12th man) – AFP

Only four members – Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh and Peter Siddle – from the 14-member squad that played in Australia’s victorious Test series campaign against New Zealand earlier this year, have experienced Test cricket in the island nation. James Pattinson was in the squad that toured Sri Lanka in 2011 but he didn’t get a game.

“I was over there when Shaun Marsh made his debut hundred (in September 2011),” Warner told cricket.com.au on Wednesday (May 4). “I’ve seen first-hand how the wickets are there. I know Pallekele is a nice batting wicket with a bit of late turn in the innings. Galle is traditionally a slow turner and in Colombo it’s a very nice batting track. For us, as a batting group, it’s about batting long periods and building partnerships and putting on good totals to make sure that our bowlers are in play come the second innings, whether it’s through reverse (swing) or spin.” Two of Australia’s recent tours to the sub-continent ended in disaster as they lost 4-0 to India in 2013 and then 2-0 to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in 2014. Despite having a career strike rate of 76.92 in the format, Warner saw it come down to 50 in India three years ago. It was slightly better in the UAE, where he was scoring at a rate just under 60.

Warner reasoned that the batsmen can tend to get bogged down in sub-continental conditions and that attacking the spinners could end up working in the batting side’s favour. “Sometimes we can get caught being too defensive and forget about attacking a little bit,” he said. “Sometimes that can work in your favour if you attack a little bit more the bowler might have to take out a short leg or an extra slip and put it somewhere else. “We’ve got to be prepared to bat time and battle the demons of whether the ball can actually turn as much as you think. For us it’s our bat in front our pads and actually using our feet a bit more and looking to score. We’re going to have to come up with a game plan to suit those conditions and you’ve got to stick to your game plan.” Whether his teammates follow suit or not, Warner is sure about taking the aggressive route in Sri Lanka. “At the end of the day, for me, my best way of approaching the game is to look to score runs. “If I’m looking to score then I’m in the right frame of mind. That’s always going to be my positive energy and intent and that’s always to look to score first and defend second.”

The 25-year-old played the last of his 13 Tests against South Africa in March 2014 with his career stalled by chronic back and hamstring issues.

Pattinson said he was surprised to be added to Australia’s 13-man squad for the first-ever day-night Test in Adelaide, but with the sudden retirement of Johnson he is vying with Peter Siddle for a spot in the bowling attack.

“People who know me know that I go 100 miles an hour all the time… if I get injured I get injured,” he told reporters. AFP