Sri Lanka boats one of the hottest Test batters on the planet in young gun Kamindu Mendis

A Sri Lankan batting star who scored 500 more Test runs than Australia’s top run-scorer in 2024 could shape the series in Galle.

The only Australian picked in the official ICC Test team of the year won’t be in Sri Lanka where the Aussies will confront a batting dynamo named the emerging player of 2024 who blasted five hundreds in the past 12 months, including 184 not out at Galle last September.

After not getting a single player picked in Wisden’s Test team of the year, despite Australia winning six of nine Test across four series, only Pat Cummins was picked in the ICC team, as captain, among a sparse number of compatriots even nominated for the prestigious end-of-year awards.

Cummins has skipped the Sri Lankan tour due to the birth of his second child and an ankle injury that could place in him some doubt for February’s Champions Trophy ODI tournament.

Travis Head, who starred across all formats for Australia, was among four nominations for ICC men’s player of the year, and Annabel Sutherland, who scored back-to-back ODI centuries in December, was nominated for the women’s player of the year.

A prolific run-scorer, who scored 1451 runs across formats at an average of just above 50 💥

Sri Lanka's star on the rise has taken out the ICC Emerging Men's Cricketer of the Year Award 🇱🇰 pic.twitter.com/qIrRy5Kpif

— ICC (@ICC) January 26, 2025

But the trio were the only Australians nominated across nine awards.

Breakthrough Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis, who was one of only six batters to score 1000 Test runs last year, was named as the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

The highest total runs of any Australian Test batter in 2024 was Head’s 608 runs from nine Tests, the same amount played by Mendis.

Mendis, 26, made his Test debut in 2022 against Australia and didn’t return to the team until 2024. He peeled off 1046 runs in nine Tests, including five hundreds and an epic unbeaten 182 not out against New Zealand in Galle, the sight of this week’s first Test against Australia that begins on Wednesday.

As well as making five centuries, Mendis made another three 50s among his staggering tally of runs, giving him a batting average of 75. He looms as a danger man for Australia across the two Tests, both being played in the seaside location.

In 2022, the two-Test series played in Galle was drawn, Australia losing the second Test by an innings and 39 runs despite both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne making first innings centuries.

Usman Khawaja in the nets in Galle, Sri Lanka. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Usman Khawaja, set to open the batting on what could be his final tour of the subcontinent, conceded to having a “love-hate” relationship with touring in the likes of Sri Lanka and India.

The 38-year-old made 136 in three innings in 2022, and this time will have an opening partner half his age in 19-year-old tyro Sam Konstas.

“(Playing on the subcontinent) has been a love-hate relationship,” he said.

“(But) there’s going to be times when you score runs, times you don’t score runs. You respect that the older you get.

“Cricket always ebbs and flows. I’m very attuned to that now.”

Australia looks set to add spinner Matt Kuhnemann to the line-up for the first Test after overcoming a broken thumb, with the home team including four frontline spinners in their squad.