Sri Lanka vs Australia: 5 key player battles to watch out for

#2 Rangana Herath vs Steven Smith

The wily spinner will be a threat

The Australian captain is without a doubt the best batsman against spin in the line-up and he should ideally stand up and take up the mantle on the spinning and sluggish tracks which will be dished out.

He will be up against Rangana Herath, who is a match-winner in his own right, and on his day can dismantle any opposition. Playing at home, the stocky spinner has picked up 203 wickets in 38 matches with an impressive average of 24.58.

The visitors will know that he cannot be underestimated by any means, and thus Smith will have to show the way forward. He has the technique and the required footwork to counter spin, and all his prowess will be needed against Herath's bag of tricks.