Friday's clash with Sri Lanka is anything but a dead rubber

Friday's clash with Sri Lanka is anything but a dead rubber, according to Adam Gilchrist, as Australia aims to head into the finals of the Commonwealth Bank Series on a winning note.

While Sri Lanka only has pride to play for after bowing out of the finals race with a loss to India in Hobart on Tuesday, Gilchrist dispelled talk Australia would treat the final preliminary-round match as a practice match, declaring the 'finals series starts now'.

"You could say it'd be better not playing the game to get a clear run into the finals and preparation but we've got this game to use how we want to use it," he said.

"And it's not as a practice game because we've made that decision if we get lethargic and let lethargy creep in, we lose momentum. We want to win it and we want to keep building that momentum we've got. We're using it as a positive manner."

Some Glimpses of SL VS AUS ..

The Australians have welcomed back left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson into the squad after he was rested for last Sunday's match in Sydney.

Every player in the side, Gilchrist said, had areas of their game they were looking to improve ahead of the finals series against India starting in Sydney on Sunday.

"I'm sure Ricky will want to back up now the runs that he's score and Symmo. I've had a few teens and 20s scores since my hundred in Perth so it'd be nice to get a bit of momentum back up," he said. "We've all got little things to work on."

Despite the spice provided by the off-field controversy which has dogged the summer, Gilchrist said the Australians did not need any extra motivation to win the tournament.

"We've got a couple of guys finishing careers. We don't have that trophy in the cabinet and it's the last tri-series that we'll probably ever be," he said.

"Although it's become tired and everybody's ready to move onto a different format this triangular series when it used to be called the World Series Cup, countries used to covet this trophy and love to be here."

"It's a got a lot of history, a lot of prestige so it'd be nice, a perfect way to finish and close it out."

But he warned 'when you start to play on emotion that's when you don't play well. You've got to play on skill'.

Gilchrist, who will be playing his final match on the MCG on Friday, said Australia's come-from-behind wins over England in a tri-series final in January 2003 and in the Boxing Day Test against India later that year were his favourite matches at the venue.

"Those sort of turnaround victories are the ones you look back on with great fondness. I personally didn't do a great deal in those games but to be a part of it was huge," he said.

"It's been wonderful to play on this ground, such a famous venue. That is a big thrill in my career."