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Mitchell Johnson will make his debut in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Brisbane on Thursday after beating Ben Hilfenhaus for a spot in the team. Johnson forms part of Australia’s new-look outfit, which also includes the opener Phil Jaques and Stuart MacGill, who is back after an 18-month break.

Ricky Ponting announced the team at a wet Gabba and was looking forward to seeing Johnson in action. “I’ve been really excited about Mitch over the last couple of years,” he said. “He’ll be a bit nervous, but he’s got everything there to be successful at this level. He can bowl at 150kph and swing the ball.”

Ponting does not expect Australia to lose its winning habit after the retirements of Warne, McGrath and Langer and will not adopt a more conservative attitude. “Australia only knows one way to play,” he said. “We’re out there to win games. We’ve had a great record without those guys in, but the fact is they’re not there now and we have to find a way to win games without them.”

Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Phil Jaques, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Stuart MacGill.

Source:Cricket News