The mighty Aussies would be aiming to continue their dominance in the current ICC WTC 2023-25 cycle. Travis Head, the explosive left-handed batter has been a thorn in the flesh for world cricket and especially for India which we witnessed in BGT 2024-25. Travis Head though would be tested on turning tracks in Sri Lanka as his ultra-attacking approach can backfire very badly.
There is a chance for the stand-in skipper Steven Smith to achieve the huge milestone of 10,000 Test runs who needs a solitary run. It won’t be wrong to say that Sri Lanka has got everything to play for because this Test series is named after Muttiah Muralitharan- Shane Warne (*deceased). Aussies currently are the holders of the trophy as in 2022 Test series, they had squared the series by 1-1.
This group has got some really good players- Travis Head
Travis Head was having an interaction with the reporters and stated that the batting line up would be changed according to the situation of the game. Travis Head pointed out that why can’t the team be brave enough to try out new combinations and play in different roles.
“I don’t know where I’m going to bat at this stage. We’ll see how that wicket plays out over the next couple of days. It’s been a topic of conversation for the last little bit in this team on whether the Australian first innings, second innings, why doesn’t the order change?” said Travis Head.
“Why can’t we be flexible? What moves? How can we be brave? That hasn’t played out as such yet. Is this the tour to do it? We’ll wait and see. I feel like this group’s experienced enough and got some really good players that can play in different roles and in different situations of the game, we may draw on different people,” he added.
Uphill road for Australia
Steven Smith & Usman Khawaja will have to do the bulk of the scoring as both the Test matches are going to be played at Galle where the ball turns sharply. Australia hasn’t won a Test series in Sri Lanka since 2011 which is quite a long period for the current ICC WTC champions. The Test match commencing from 29th January promises to be a humdinger as Australia & Sri Lanka have quality spinners.
Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya would be keen to end the ICC WTC 2023-25 cycle on a high note. The island nation’s performance against South Africa (*lost both Test matches) was quite below par and that hurt their chances of qualifying for the ICC WTC 2023-25 final. With a lot of reports coming of 2 Tier Test systems, this Test series gives the island nation to make a statement that they can also excel.
Also Read: SL vs AUS : Steven Smith’s Blunt Reply To Trolls Before Captaincy Return For Sri Lanka Tests