Cricket Australia on the cusp of naming Prime Minister's XI captain

But who will lead the political power broker's Prime Minister's XI into a Twenty20 showdown with Sri Lanka at Manuka Oval on October 24?

Cricket Australia could name a captain as early as this week for the annual clash with the squad likely to contain a host of big names and stars of the future with a distinct local flavour.

But who will it be? Cricket Australia are desperate to lure fans back to Manuka Oval for the launch of the men's international season with tickets on sale for the clash in Canberra.

Let's run through a list of candidates for the top job.

Australia's greatest off-spinner has rocketed into third on the nation's list of all-time Test wickets.

But there is no doubt Nathan Lyon feels as though he has a point to prove in the shorter formats of the game.

The former ACT Comets captain led the Prime Minister's XI last year and endured a night to forget after he was smashed for 34 runs in one over. There could be no better stage to make amends.

Oh, and have we ever mentioned he used to work as an apprentice groundsman at Manuka Oval?

One half of the Brisbane Heat's famous "bash brothers" has taken a step back from other forms of cricket to focus on the fast-paced Twenty20 arena.

Chris Lynn is targeting the Afghanistan Premier League before the BBL campaign gets underway, and the Prime Minister's XI may just fall in the perfect timeslot.

Lynn has quickly emerged as one of the country's most exciting batsmen and would leave fans on the edge of their seats.

Peter Siddle may well have played his final Test for Australia during the recent Ashes series abroad.

But to completely put a line through his name would be absurd, for he would relish another chance to test himself against international opposition.

The 34-year-old fast bowler is not one to give in, and would undoubtedly play a key role if this game goes down to the wire.

The Tuggeranong Valley product is certainly no stranger to the Prime Minister's XI format.

He made his debut for the representative side when he was plying his trade for the Comets and returned again last summer with a scintillating spell that laid the platform for a stunning win over South Africa.

Behrendorff's performance paved the way for his return to the Australian side and he emerged as a bona fide international quick with a superb five-wicket haul against England at Lord's in the World Cup.

Veteran batsman Cameron White has been handed a Big Bash lifeline by the Adelaide Strikers - and there can be little doubt as to why.

The man that won all three domestic titles last season is a leader, a calm head whose value in the fast-paced nature of Twenty20 cricket cannot be understated.

White played 47 Twenty20 internationals for Australia and has long been one of the format's finest on the domestic circuit.

Anyone who needs to be convinced about the Western Australian batsman's ability clearly hasn't seen highlights of the day he scored 257 runs from 148 balls in the domestic one-day competition.

D'Arcy Short boasts a strike rate of 120 in Twenty20 internationals - enough to suggest he might send a few Kookaburras over the fence at Manuka Oval if he gets the nod.

Short was the BBL's leading run scorer two seasons ago in a breakout tournament that earned him an IPL deal and an Australian call-up.

If a good leader leads by their actions, look no further than Dan Christian.

Not even a dodgy prawn that saw him hospitalised with gastro on the morning of a game could stop the man from orchestrating a match-winning knock in the BBL last summer.

Christian has played in 293 Twenty20 matches throughout his career and has just linked up with the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League.

Michael Klinger has made a habit out of winding back the clock, so why not do it just one more time?

The veteran batsman's decorated 21-year career has just come to a close with Gloucestershire. Through it all he made a habit of showing all the flair of a youngster fresh on the scene.

Make no mistake about it, the 39-year-old still has it - he scored an unbeaten 102 in his third last game in England.

Ask George Bailey about the Prime Minister's XI and he will tell you it is a game with no downside.

He knows as well as anyone - he played in it a decade ago and scored a century against New Zealand that set him on a path towards an international cap.

Bailey was back again as he captained the Prime Minister's to a stunning win over the Proteas last season - and fans would love to go home celebrating another win this time around.

Nic Maddinson's introduction to international cricket wasn't the boyhood dream he wanted it to be.

So he is desperate to set the record straight and start forcing his way back into the conversation.

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin hails Maddinson "one of the excitement machines" in the Twenty20 format - so why not put him to the test in Canberra?

PRIME MINISTER'S XI

Thursday, October 24: Twenty20 tour match - Prime Minister's XI v Sri Lanka at Manuka Oval, 7.10pm. Tickets from Ticketek.