Cricket Australia has released the 16-member squad for their 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka, where Steve Smith is appointed as the interim captain in place of Pat Cummins. The Australian captain is on paternity leave and also has to take rest because of a slight ankle issue suffered during the recent BGT series. So now, Smith is responsible for the team after his consistent performance in the Test series against India.
Talking about the squad, under-19 captain Cooper Connolly gets his maiden call-up, while Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott are included in the squad. They have a chance of receiving their caps this time as Australia will experiment with their team in the series. There is no fear of losing the game since Australia have already qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 finals. The selectors have also kept Nathan McSweeney in the team despite his poor performance in the series against India.
Australia Squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place: George Bailey
Australia's chief selector George Bailey spoke about Sri Lanka and how they have evolved as a team in red-ball cricket. It's extremely difficult to beat them in their own home ground because of some great spinners like Maheesha Theekshana and Wahindu Hasaranga. Bailey shed light on the kind of team they have framed and how it is suitable for any type of wicket.
Australian chair of selectors George Bailey said, "Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour given the different conditions players may be presented with. This squad provides several ways to structure the XI depending on what type of wickets we may encounter in each match."
January 29 to February 2 - Galle
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