Steve Smith (left) will be the team captain. Travis Head (right) will be vice-captain.
The Australian squad has been announced for the Test series against Sri Lanka. Cricket Australia announced the 16-member squad on Thursday. Steve Smith will captain the team in the absence of regular captain Pat Cummins. Cummins is about to become a father for the second time, so he’s on a break. He is also recovering from an ankle injury.
Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has no place in the team. He was injured during the Test series against India which prevented him from playing the final match. A series of 2 test matches will be played during the tour of Sri Lanka, which begins on January 29.
Connolly gets a chance for the first time. Cooper Connolly gets a chance in the Test squad for the first time. Opener Nathan McSweeney will return from this tour. He did not get a place in the team in the last two matches against India due to poor performances. Sam Constas and Beau Webster were included in the team after an excellent start to their careers. Both made their debut in the Test series against India.
All-rounder Beau Webster made his debut in the fifth Test against India. He scored 96 runs in the two innings of this match and took one wicket.
Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann, off-spinner Todd Murphy and Nathan Lyon are the three spinners included in the team. Players like Head, McSweeney, Webster also have great spin options in the team. Meanwhile, three specialist fast bowlers, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Sean Abbott, will accompany the team on this tour.
Australia v Sri Lanka team: Steve Smith (captain), Travis Head (vice-captain), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhneman, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
The WTC final will be played between Australia and South Africa. The World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final will be played between Australia and South Africa. The final match will be played at Lord’s ground from June 11. Australia reached the final for the second time in a row, but South Africa will be playing in the final for the first time. Australia beat India by 209 runs in the last match played in 2023.
Pant returns to top 10 batsmen in ICC Test rankings
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