New Delhi: The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) confirmed the addition of an extra match to their upcoming home series against Australia on Wednesday, January 15. The tour will start on January 29 in Galle.
The tour was originally comprised of the two-match Test series and one ODI before the Australian team travel to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The two Test matches are part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Australia and South Africa have already qualified for the WTC final.
Australia defeated India by 6 wickets in Sydney Test to qualify while South Africa beat Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test to book their spot in the WTC Final. The Aussies are the defending champions of the WTC and will look to clinch the trophy for the second time while the Proteas Men will look to win their maiden WTC trophy.
The SLC in a released statement said that the board has revised its schedule for the Australia series, which now see both sides compete in the two Test matches and as many ODI matches. Steve Smith and Co. are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on January 24, after having a pre-tour camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Galle International Stadium will host the two Test matches from January 29 to February 10. Sri Lanka will take on Australia in the first ODI at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 12 and the newly added match will be played at the same venue on February 14.
The extra ODI is crucial for Australia who will open their Champions Trophy campaign against England on February 22. The Aussies are placed in Group B along with South Africa, Afghanistan and England. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the tournament after falling short of the qualification criteria in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Australia’s squad for two-match Test series
Australia have announced their squad for a two-match Test series. Steve Smith will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins who is unavailable due to the birth of his second child and ankle injury. Nathan McSweeney and Cooper Connolly are also included in the squad along with Beau Webster and Sam Konstas.
Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Board confirmed the addition of another match to their upcoming home series against Australia on Wednesday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
