The 34-year-old spinning great has 517 Test wickets and is just 11 away from overtaking Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan's world record 527 Test wickets in the Darwin and Cairns Tests over the next fortnight.

Warne has what is shaping as his best chance to claim the record, if only briefly, after Muralitharan, with age on his side, pulled out of the Australian tour citing undisclosed personal reasons.

Gilchrist, leading the Australian team with regular skipper Ricky Ponting unavailable due to a family bereavement, scotched any suggestions that teammates will be concentrating on getting Warne the wickets to topple Murali.

"No, certainly not from my perspective, and I would be really surprised if Shane Warne answered any other way too, it's not the way the team operates," wicketkeeper Gilchrist told a match-eve press conference here on Wednesday.

"Ricky's stated that very strongly around the time that (West Indian) Brian Lara went on to get that batting world record.

"It's just not the way we play, Matty Hayden got that opportunity (for a world batting record) against Zimbabwe some months ago as a result of the way we were playing, that is because he batted so aggressively that he got it within five sessions.

"So if you can achieve these personal milestones within our game plan then so be it."

Warne had a spectacular Test comeback from a year's drug ban in the three-Test series in Sri Lanka last March taking 26 wickets, but Sri Lanka's Australian coach John Dyson is one who believes Warne cannot reproduce that wicket-taking form here.

"Warne bowled superbly in Sri Lanka, you couldn't ask for a better comeback. But I have to ask: can he bowl as well as that throughout another two games?" Dyson told reporters.

"I think it's very difficult to bowl as well as he did in that series continuously. I know he's a great bowler, everyone knows that, but he bowled superbly in Sri Lanka and I don't think this pitch or the one in Cairns will give him as much help."

Australia have chosen Matthew Elliott as Ponting's replacement at No.3 in the batting order for the Darwin Test on a drop-in pitch and named leg-spinner Stuart MacGill as 12th man.

Gilchrist is expecting a tough challenge from the Sri Lankans after their competitive series last March.

"There's no doubt that Sri Lanka came very close and they were outstanding Test matches," Gilchrist said reflecting on the last series.

Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu said he had recovered from a back complaint and would play, although the final composition of his team won't be known until the toss on Thursday.

TEAMS
AUSTRALIA: Adam Gilchrist (captain), Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Matthew Elliott, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Simon Katich, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath, Stuart MacGill (12th man).

SRI LANKA (from): Marvan Atapattu (captain), Russel Arnold, Upul Chandana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Rangana Herath, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawar-dene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa.