Rookie Dimuth Karunaratne was picked to open the Sri Lankan batting with veteran Tillakaratne Dilshan in the first Test against Australia in Hobart on Friday.
The 24-year-old will be making only his second Test appearance on an expected lively Bellerive Oval wicket in the first of three Tests.
Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga and Chanaka Welegedara will lead the pace attack supported by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and the swing bowling of Angelo Mathews in a team announced Thursday.
Former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg has rubbished the Sri Lankan quicks as the "worst ever" to come to Australia, with Kulasekara, Eranga and Welegedara only having 38 Tests and 99 wickets between them.
Skipper Mahela Jayawardene said injuries and retirements had forced Sri Lanka to overhaul their new-ball attack, but he was confident his pace brigade could do the job against the third-ranked Australians.
"Teams have to start somewhere. I think we've lost some fast bowlers in the past and some with injuries and this is an attack that is probably different," Jayawardene said.
"We don't probably have the pace that you [Australia] think is required to win Test matches in Australia, but we've got guys who will bowl good line and length and create opportunities and if we keep to that I think we stand a good chance."
Meanwhile, paceman Mitchell Johnson has been left out of the Australian team with Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle returning to bolster the side.
The 31-year-old left-armer, who has 196 wickets in 48 Tests, missed out despite taking six wickets against South Africa in Perth last week.
Australia go into the series opener with a three-prong pace attack of Hilfenhaus, Siddle and left-armer Mitchell Starc, became 16 for two when in-form Cook got a dubious decision from umpire Kumar Dharmasena
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