Thwarted by lifeless tracks, Johnson has shown patches of brilliance this summer rather than the sustained excellence of 12 months ago, but his form line is trending north again. Johnson did not play a game in January, due in part to a hamstring strain and the need to freshen up during a long campaign, but should now be ready to hit his straps.

If a four-wicket bag against Afghanistan failed to lift his confidence after his thrashing in New Zealand then a video of the 2012 Boxing Day Test should. Not only was he a match-winner with bat and ball, he struck fear into the Sri Lankans with a fearsome performance which left the great Kumar Sangakkara and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene nursing broken bones.

Johnson, like all bowlers, does not seek to hurt batsmen, but his reputation now precedes him. Mahela Jayawardene, the other half of Sri Lanka's champion modern day batting duo, said his team was not scarred by Johnson. Nor would they be intimidated by Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood, who both have the capacity to bowl in the high 140s.

Instead, he told Australia's express quicks to get it right or pay the price. "You can be quick, but if you are not accurate you can go for runs, as fast as they bowl," Jayawardene said. "We're excited about the challenge."

"In Test cricket you get a few guys hit, our guys have hit them as well. Those scars won't be there."

Aaron Finch believes pace will be a factor in toppling Sri Lanka's prolific batting line-up, which boasts four of the top eight leading run scorers from last year, but not as much as swing.

"At the moment we've got three guys in the side who played last game who can swing the ball and that's more of an effect than genuine out-and-out pace," Finch said. "When you combine the two together it's a pretty nice combination to have. It's going to be a valuable asset no doubt, but they've got some star players in great form."

Both sides are aware of the importance of the game, the loser of which faces a potential quarter-final with South Africa and a trip to New Zealand for the semi, but say they are not scared of the consequences of defeat.

Finch, after starting the World Cup with a century, has missed out twice but is confident he can quickly arrest the slide to avoid suffering the same fate as Shane Watson. "I'm still confident with the way I'm hitting the ball, I'm batting well in the nets and training as well as I possibly can, so I think it's only a matter of time before I get runs again," Finch said.

Pat Cummins is an unlikely starter against Sri Lanka as he recovers from a niggle to his side. The young gun completed a 45-minute solo running session at the SCG on Friday and is hoping to resume bowling on Saturday.

Sri Lanka have fared far worse on the injury front with middle order batsman Dimuth Karunaratne becoming the third player from their initial 15-man squad to be sent home.

Karunaratne is likely to need surgery to repair a hand he broke in a fielding drill on Thursday. Star spinner Rangana Herath has already been ruled out of Sunday's game due to split webbing in his left hand.

Sri Lanka, however, will draw comfort from their recent form at the SCG. They have won their last two completed games at the venue, while rain denied them the chance to chase down a modest 223 in their last game in 2013.