Steve Smith has been named Australia’s captain Two match Test tour of Sri Lanka. Smith who has served as a captain for Australia for 38 test matches has served a 2-year ban from captaincy following his involvement in the 2018 ball tempering scandal. Smith will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins who is out on paternity leave and is also nursing ankle issue. Josh Hazelwood has also been left out to focus on preparing for Champions Trophy after a calf injury curtailed his India series.
Left arm Spinner Matt Conan and off spinner Todd Murphy will join Nathan Lyon to provide three front line spinners for what are expected to be favorable conditions in Sri Lanka. However, the test career of Mitchell Marsh is still in doubt after he couldn’t find a spot and was also dropped from the Sydney test against India. Australia has picked three specialist quick bowlers with incumbents Mitchel Starc and Scott Boland joined by Sean Abbott. The two match test series beginning 29 January will be played in Galla International Stadium. The last time Sri-Lanka and Australia went head to head in the Warne-Murlitharan Trophy was back in 2022. The series ended in a draw but it with reflected the ability of Sri-Lanka to not just play with but also give a tough competition to a tier-1 cricketing power like Australia.
The Trophy
The Warne–Muralidaran Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Australia–Sri Lanka Test cricket series from 2007–08 season onwards. The trophy is named after the two leading wicket takers in Test cricket, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia’s Shane Warne. The trophy celebrates the 25th anniversary of Australia–Sri Lanka Test cricket. The trophy features casts of the two bowlers’ right hands and match-used cricket balls bowled by them during their careers. The series is a 2-match test series and and ahs been played 6 times since 2007. Australia has been successful in clinching the title 4 times whereas Sri-Lanka won just once with a draw in the last edition.
Australia Squad
Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
