Each team to field 12 players:

A game with a difference at the Manuka Oval

Elmo RODRIGOPUALLE reporting from Australia

It is going to be a game with a difference. The Three-day game between Sri Lanka and the Chairman’s X1 at the Manuka Oval beginning today at 10.30 a.m.

The teams have agreed to field 12 players a side, the reason being to give every player a workout. The Sri Lankan cricketers will be happy with this arrangement, because it will those vying for a place in the Test team to stake their claims.

The Sri Lankans arrived on Tuesday and were greeted by High Commissioner Thisara Samarasinghe who entertained them to a sumptuous lunch and then left to their hotel. The cricketers seemed to be suffering from a bit of jet lag and had a net on Wednesday.

According to Manager Charith Senanayake, all players are fit and well and rarin’ to go and the game will give the youngsters in the team an opportunity to get bat on ball.

The Sri Lankans who surprisingly conceded victory to the New Zealanders in the final Test at the P.Sara, are determined to get that defeat out of their system and be worthy opponents to the Australians in the Three Test series beginning with the First Test in Hobart.

Here in Canberra it is blowing hot and cold and the Lankan cricketers will certainly not find the cold conditions to their liking coming from warm Sri Lanka.

While the Sri Lankans would probably have settled for the playing eleven in the Test match, this game will be of more than ordinary interest to two players in the Chairman’s X1 vying to grab the spot left vacant with the retirement of Ricky Ponting.

The two players are former Aussie player Usman Khawaja who is leading the Chairman’s X1 and a hard hitting batsman Alex Doolan. If they get big scores they will certainly come into the frame and the selectors will have to give their credentials a very close look.

But from reports, Phil Hughes also a former Aussie batsman is tipped to slot into Ponting’s vacancy. But it will be interesting to see how the Aussie selectors decide Watching the game with keen interest will be Sri Lanka’s sporting High Commissioner in Australia, based in Canberra Thisara Samarasinghe who was an outstanding cricketer at Royal College and whose son Harith Samarasinghe is going great guns for Royal following in the footsteps of his illustrious father.