We want to win the series and build up strong team - Mahela

by Andrew Dent

CRICKET: BRISBANE, Australia, Feb 2, 2008: Australia and India will continue their recent bitter rivalry when the one-day triangular cricket series also involving Sri Lanka begins at the Gabba here Sunday.

The squads are coming off a hotly disputed four-Test series in which some searing on-field performances were overshadowed by an ugly dispute involving Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds.

Harbhajan was initially suspended for two Tests when match referee Mike Proctor ruled he had racially abused Symonds during the second Test in Sydney.

But that suspension was overturned on appeal this week, with the Indian spinner cleared of all but a minor charge of using abusive language, a decision that reportedly left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Australian squad. The dispute is threatening to derail a farewell tour by Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who is retiring after the one-day series, and has overshadowed Sri Lanka's participation in the competition.

The Sri Lankans arrived in Australia last weekend and promptly thrashed Prime Minister's XI in a warm-up match in Canberra on Wednesday.

The series promises to be one of the best in years, with the teams evenly matched. Australia are the current one-day world champions after defeating Sri Lanka in last year's final, while India won the inaugural Twenty20 world championships last September and have brought most of that young squad here.

Batsman Suresh Raina, 21, returns to the one-day side after nearly a year, while 19-year-old paceman Ishant Sharma regained his berth after impressing during the recent Test series.

Australia has named a settled squad, with the only change from December's one-day series against New Zealand being the inclusion of fast bowler Stuart Clark for Shawn Tait, who has taken an extended break from the game for health reasons.

Final tour

Sri Lankan veteran Sanath Jayasuriya makes his final tour of Australia before retirement, but the youngsters outnumber the veterans in the Sri Lankan squad.

"We have a very good young side that has put in a lot of hard work at practice," captain Mahela Jayawardene said. "We want to win the series and use it as a platform to build a strong team for the future."

The 15-man squad includes six fast bowlers, with Test cricket's leading bowler Muttiah Muralitharan the lone specialist spinner in the squad.

The series starts in Brisbane on Sunday with each team playing eight preliminary matches before the best-of-three finals in Sydney (March 2), Brisbane (March 4) and Adelaide (March 7, if required).

Squads

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla, Pravin Kumar.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Dilruwan Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Chanaka Welegedara, Ishara Amarasinghe.

AFP