Australia announce unchanged squad for the series against Sri Lanka

It's hard for any team now to face a rampaging Australia - the most in-form team in the world at present. They have whitewashed the opponents for fun. The latest one to have borne the brunt of Australia is West Indies. No doubt the hosts were handicapped with the loss of few players but that takes nothing away from Australia,who displayed ruthlessness when it comes to trouncing the opponents.



The next challenge for Australia is Sri Lanka and Australia have named an unchanged squad to take on them for a three-match T20Is, followed by an equal number of ODIs.



"We haven’t played against them for quite some time now. The last summer we played against them soon after the World Cup. A couple of years now. It’s a unique challenge for our team," said Rachael Haynes, the vice-captain of Australia.



"They have certainly got a lot of players that can be dangerous on their day. We certainly saw that first hand in the World Cup (2017) when (Chamari) Atapattu came out and whacked a pretty good hundred against us. So we are not underestimating them by any stretch of the imagination. We are looking forward to the Australian summer."



Australia have ticked the majority of the boxes leading up to the T20 World Cup early next summer. But there are a few players, who might be given a few chances going ahead to see what they can bring to the table.



"This is all part of it (the lead-up to the T20 World Cup). We have got maybe seven games leading into the tournament. I know the players are keen to put out some strong performances and put their name forward for the selection in the big tournaments later on in the year."



Matthew Mott, the head coach of Australia, spoke about a possible tinkering of combinations going ahead and Haynes is ready to comfortably slot in where the team wants her to be.



"Potentially nice to get up the order in T20s. I probably batted once or twice the last series just simply because our top four is so dominant. I think a lot of batters would like to get opportunities upfront," she said. "It’s really a great indication of how well our team is doing and how dominant we have been. Some people are trying to fit in the middle. But the same combination will be ideal throughout the series."



Australia are hungrier than ever and Haynes credits the team culture as the main factor for them doing so well in recent times.



"Yeah, definitely a happy team makes for a pretty nice environment on the field. It helps people to be nice and relaxed. I think we are seeing that in how we are playing and those sorts of things and there is a real willingness in the team and keep challenging ourselves and make sure we are heading in right direction, preparing really well for what is a really big summer for the Australian cricket team. Yeah, it’s a nice place to be and pretty competitive sport to get into."



Australia begin their tour with a T20I game against Sri Lanka on Sunday (September 29).



 T20I squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham



ODI squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham