The two Test matches of their tour to Sri Lanka by Australia will be played at Galle in late January. Both the teams badly need these two Tests to seal their qualification to the final of the World Test Championship, and they will do that by playing them. These two Tests are to be played on January 29-February 2 and February 6-10, and there’s one ODI to follow after this, scheduled on February 13, for which no venue has been finalized yet.
Importance To The World Test Championship
Depending on how this five-match Border-Gavaskar series plays out, this Sri Lanka tour could prove to be crucial for Australia and Sri Lanka both in terms of gaining qualification for the World Test Championship final to be played at Lord’s in June.
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Performance Against Sri Lanka Overseas
In their last tour of Sri Lanka in 2022, the Test series was drawn 1-1. Australia won the first Test dramatically, but Prabath Jayasuriya’s excellent 12-wicket debut performance leveled the series in the second Test.
Availability Of Pat Cummins
Captain Pat Cummins may miss part or all of the tour because he is set to welcome his second child. Head coach Andrew McDonald said, “If he wants to miss a Test for family reasons, that’s fine with us.”
Selection For Sri Lankan Conditions
As hinted by McDonald and chairman of selectors George Bailey, he is now looking for suitable players that can come forth and compete in the climatic conditions of Sri Lanka. He may be a glimmer of hope about Glenn Maxwell’s inclusion in this match. Further on, with the significance gained by the left arm of spinners in sub-continental countries, it looks like that left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann too may feature in this encounter to bolster Nathan Lyon further.
Preparation Towards Spinner
Former Australia spinner Steve O’Keefe has advised selectors to look at red-ball practice for the spinners going along with Lyon. He says that the practice with a red ball is what these spinners need and should be done instead of competing in the Big Bash League “If we’re serious about the young spinners going over there, then we should encourage them to practice adequately before the tour,” he said.
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