Australia would be keen to keep the winning momentum going after thrashing India in BGT 2024-25 under the leadership of Pat Cummins. Cricket Australia (CA) has named Steven Smith, the skipper for 2 Test match series against Sri Lanka. This test series doesn’t carry much importance given that the Aussies have qualified for the WTC final. Still, the series between the two nations is named after the legendary spinners Shane Warne- Muttiah Muralitharan Trophy which would make the contest lively.
Australia have retained the trophy last time in 2022, the Test series which was played in Sri Lanka was squared by 1-1. Aussies have a chance to see how the next crop of spin players play out, the veteran Nathan Lyon is at the back end of his career and has been an integral part of the squad for a decade. It is tipped that Todd Murphy is the like-for-like replacement for Lyon who had performed quite well in BGT 2023 (*in India).
Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour- George Bailey
Chief Selector George Bailey was having an interaction with the media. George Bailey pointed out that the squad for the Sri Lanka Tests have been selected depending on what type of wickets. George Bailey hinted that this squad can be a part of upcoming sub-continent tours.
“Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour given the different conditions the players may experience. This squad provides several ways to structure the XI depending on what type of wickets they may encounter in each match,” said George Bailey.
“We are excited about the opportunity ahead for the squad members who are at the start of their Test careers to continue to grow their games in subcontinent conditions where we have a number of important tours in coming years,” he added.
Australia Test squad: Steven Smith (capt), 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.
Stern Test for Steven Smith’s Brigade
The 21-year-old Cooper Connolly’s inclusion in the squad can be said as a pleasant surprise given he hasn’t played an ample amount of domestic red ball cricket. Cooper Connolly made his white ball debut against England in 2024 and had shown promising signs. Connolly’s left arm off-spin could be effective in Galle where the ball spins sharply. The Test series commencing from 29th January can be an enthralling contest given Sri Lanka have been quite invincible at home.
The star-studded batter Steven Snith will have a golden chance of getting into the 10,000-run club, he missed it out by a whisker as of now he is stranded at 9,999 runs. Australia haven’t won a Test series in Sri Lanka since 2011, in 2016 they lost the Test series by 3-0. It was quite baffling to see Peter Handscomb not being a part of the squad who has succeeded in sub-continental conditions but CA have opted for Josh Inglis and also called back Nathan McSweeney after a topsy-turvy BGT 2024-25 Test series.
Also Read: BGT 2024-25 : Ravi Shastri Hails Australia Skipper Pat Cummins For His Leadership Heroics