We’ve got pace to start with in the first over as Asitha Fernando gets set to take the new ball for Sri Lanka.

Usman Khawaja taking the first ball, Travis Head is out there with him.

Asitha getting some nice movement into both left-handers this over.

FOUR! Can’t bowl there to Travis Head. Asitha swings one onto his pads and that’s flicked away through square leg with ease.

FOUR! Terrible delivery. Asitha goes short and wide and Head flays him through the off side for a boundary.

FOUR! This one isn’t a bad delivery, but again too much width and Head opens the face of the bat and the ball flies past gully for the third boundary of the over.

13 runs off the first over. Great start for Australia.

Hi Drew,

Interesting point you raise. I’m not sure Australia would be looking all that far ahead.

Sam Konstas being dropped probably tells you more about Australia’s confidence in his ability to play spin.

It’s definitely an odd call and I can’t imagine it helps Konstas’s confidence at all. Although having said that, I don’t think anything impacts Konstas’s confidence either.

Hi Chris,

Hilarious stuff. I think we’re more of a chance of Sri Lanka playing four quicks in Galle.

Play not too far away now!

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is scratching his head at the team selection for this Test.

“Don’t like it. To be honest,” he said on Seven’s coverage.

“In two Test matches time they are playing in England and Konstas will be straight back into the side then.

“We have seen Travis Head open the batting in the sub-continent before and he did very well.

“No doubt he will look to get Australia off to a flyer and almost bat like he’s in one-day mode, (but) there is a missed opportunity for Australia to get to know more about Sam Konstas.

“If he is the player we all think he is, I would have loved to have seen him work out a way to play spin over the next few weeks.”

He adds he “thought Konstas had to play”.

Steve Smith correctly calls heads and Australia will bat first after winning the toss.

Smith says he is unsure how the wicket will play, calling the pitch “tacky” at first sight.

Both teams are going with three spinners.

Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva says he would have liked to bat first as well.

Here are the two confirmed line-ups. Sam Konstas has been dropped from Australia’s side.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (C), Josh Inglis, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (WK), Mitchell Starc, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kusal Mendis (WK), Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando

Josh Inglis will make his Test debut this afternoon, and he’s been presented his Baggy Green by Geoff Marsh.

The full Australian XI for the first Test will be confirmed shortly at the coin toss.

While we’ll be covering the match live here in this blog, here’s a bit of additional information on how and where to watch the Test.

Good afternoon and welcome to ABC Sport’s live coverage of the Test series between Sri Lanka and Australia.

This is a two-match series, with both being played at the wonderfully picturesque Galle International Cricket Stadium.

It is Australia’s first trip to Sri Lanka since 2022, a series which finished 1-1 with both matches played at the same venue.

The action is set to get underway in just over 45 minutes’ time, so strap yourselves in as we bring you all the news and the coin toss before live play.