Australia will face off against Sri Lanka in what should shape up to be a grueling 2nd Test matchup on Wednesday.  Unfortunately for the Aussies, Michael Clarke may be on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.  If the team's captain isn't fit for competition, then all-rounder Shane Watson will likely get the start in his place. 

To top it off, Ben Hilfenhaus, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Ryan Harris, James Pattinson and Pat Cummins are also out of action.  Right-seamer Jackson Bird will likely make his first start in Test play.

"If I was a betting man I'd bet on Michael leading the team out on Boxing Day.  It will be a consultation between Michael and [physio] Alex Kountouris.  We've got a lot of faith in Jackson," coach Mickey Arthur told BBC.

If Bird indeed gets the call, then he would likely play alongside a strong three-seam attack that includes Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle.

"At the start of the summer we had a list of bowlers that we wanted to keep fresh and ready to go and Jackson was one of them, for the simple reason that he brings everything that we want... pace, swing and consistency.  We've got no issues about throwing the new ball to him," he added.

CLICK HERE to watch Australia face off against Sri Lanka via free live stream.  Coverage of the cricket matchup is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Dec. 26.  The probable lineups can be viewed below.

Lineups (Probable)

Australia:

David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke or Usman Khawaja, Mike Hussey, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird

Sri Lanka:

Dimuth Karunaratne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Chanaka Welegedara, Tharanga Paranavitana, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Suraj Randiv

Tags: Cricket