Samaraweera has been helping prepare the Australian team for their tour of Sri Lanka

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Cricket Australia have appointed former Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera as their batting consultant ahead of the Baggy Greens’ tour of Sri Lanka.

Samaraweera, though, will only work with the Australian team at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane from June to August.

In the time he has been there, the 39-year-old has already worked with Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Jackson Bird.

“At the moment I’m involved with the National Cricket Academy in Brisbane,” Samaraweera said. “I’m working with a few Test players who are not involved in that West Indies tri-series. They are just coming here to train.”

Samaraweera admitted that he is unlikely to travel to Sri Lanka with the Australian team as he is also working with players in the Australia A squad.

In order to prepare their players for the forthcoming tour, Cricket Australia have prepared two turning pitches at the academy, which emulates the conditions in Sri Lanka.

“I’ve had a hit on the spin wicket here and it’s very good – very similar to what you get on the subcontinent and it was a challenging net session,” Marsh said. “Samaraweera was throwing a few offies as well, and it’s been really good to chat to him and get a bit of an insight into the sort of conditions we’ll be facing in the next couple of months. He’s been helping with advice on how to play spin, he’s good to chat about that with.”