Nielsen looking for Australia turnaround

With Australia set to play their first full bilateral series since the Ashes, in Sri Lanka, their coach Tim Nielsen believes the team has an opportunity to turn public opinion on the state of Australian cricket around. Australia have been on a break since they played three ODIs in Bangladesh in April, which Nielsen said had helped the players recover from the disappointment of the Ashes loss and the exit at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup.

"The most important thing is it gives us the opportunity to get our cricket, especially publicly, heading back in the right direction," he told AAP.

The series will also be the first opportunity for Michael Clarke to captain Australia in Tests, and Nielsen said it would be a test for him. "Michael's very clear on how he feels the team should be playing. We've got some new staff, a new captain, a new vice-captain, so all of those things lead to a different voice and a different idea."

The new leadership though does not mean former captain Ricky Ponting, who remains in the squad as a player, will not be looked to for advice, Nielsen said. He also said Ponting was professional enough not to let his presence in the team undermine Clarke's status.

"We haven't had a lot of cricket since he [Ponting] handed over the reins to Michael. It's been beneficial for Punter to have a bit of a break, I'm sure, and think about how he attacks the role. He's an experienced man, he and Michael got on well as captain and vice-captain in the past so they obviously can work together very closely.

"The worst thing we could do is not listen to Ricky again because he's not captain or expect him not to do things that could help the team and Michael's very supportive of that."

Australia will play two Twenty20 internationals, five ODIs and three Tests in Sri Lanka and Nielsen was wary of how good Sri Lanka are in their home conditions.

"They played in the World Cup final, so they're an excellent one-day team; their Twenty20 cricket is strong and their Test match cricket is strong. They are certainly one of those teams that revel in their own conditions."

Nielsen said his team was looking forward to a season in which they will also tour South Africa and host India. "We couldn't get a better opportunity or challenge, playing three of the top four nations inside the next 12 months away and at home."