KANDY: National selection chairman Rod Marsh has declared there is nothing more Cricket Australia can do to prepare the Test side to overcome its troubles on the sub-continent.As the tourists prepare for a pivotal second Test against Sri Lanka on a spin-friendly deck in Galle, beginning on Thursday, Marsh said it was "unbelievable" the Australians had lost by 106 runs in Kandy, having dismissed the hosts for 117 on day one.Australia have worked immeasurably to improve their preparation for the sub-continent, having won only one of their past 15 Tests, including losing six straight, in this part of the world before this series.At home, players spent time on specially prepared pitches at the national cricket academy in Brisbane, four players were sent to India to acclimatise to conditions before the team left for Sri Lanka, while the full squad arrived here early to have more than a fortnight of preparation.Despite this, skipper Steve Smith was the only Australian to pass 50 in the second innings in Kandy as the local spinners dominated and, along with Kusal Mendis' match-shaping 176, guided the seventh-ranked Test nation to victory."I don't think we can pick a better team. We've got all the people who deserve to be here on numbers. People talk about the way we play spin bowling. Well, there's no doubt about the fact we don't play it as well as the way we play pace bowling in Australia," Marsh said."But that's something that's a work in progress.  
Everyone's had the preparation for this tour, we couldn't have done anymore, and we had an opportunity after bowling them out for 117. We only make 200 - unbelievable."Marsh said there was nothing more in terms of resources CA could offer the players, who flew to Galle by helicopter."What else can we do really? We send them off to India, we send them to other parts of the world where the ball turns. We played an A series in India last year and they batted well against good spin bowling," he said."But it gets to a Test match and whether it's the extra pressure of it being a Test match, whether it's the fact that we historically haven't done well on turning pitches on the sub-continent, whether that plays on their minds, I'm not sure. But it's a work in progress."There was some positive signs as well. I thought Joe Burns played really well in that second innings after perhaps not looking too sound in the first innings. He went to plan B and he looked really good until he didn't hit one."Smith, who bemoaned his batsmen's lack of discipline, has urged his men to craft their own individual plans by Thursday. If Australia do lose this series, Marsh's comments will be particularly concerning, for there is a four-Test tour of India, who are ranked second in the world, to negotiate from   February.Marsh said he enjoyed the manner in which allrounder Mitch Marsh (31 and 25) batted, although he was unable to deliver a big innings. The West Australian's form with the bat rather than with the ball will be more important to the Australians throughout this campaign. "To look at the way he batted in this game, in the context of the game where, apart from a bloke who got 176, he was one of the best batsmen in the game. But he got 31 and 25 and that's the sad part," Marsh said."He started beautifully on both occasions ... he missed one in the first innings, which he wouldn't like, at least he's got his pad in front of this one [in the second innings], but he is in good nick."Marsh said there had been no concerns about David Warner heading into the series despite his lack of match play because of a broken left index finger. Warner (0 and 1) had the worst combined return of an Australian opener in a Test since Mark Taylor in Karachi in 1994."He wouldn't have played if he wasn't fit enough. Or we wouldn't have played him. You saw him field. His fielding was outstanding. He just missed out with the bat. And that can happen," Marsh said.