Steve Smith to Lead Australia in Sri Lanka Test Series

Steve Smith will captain Australia in the upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, replacing Pat Cummins, who is taking paternity leave for the birth of his second child. Notably, Smith, 35, resumes leadership after serving a two-year ban for his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Meanwhile, the squad includes several changes with Josh Hazlewood missing out as he recovers from a calf injury. Furthermore, Australia has handed Cooper Connolly, a spin-bowling all-rounder, his first Test call-up.

Connolly, 21, has minimal international experience, having played two ODIs and two T20s without taking a wicket. In addition, Nathan McSweeney retains his spot despite scoring just 72 runs in six innings while opening in the first three Tests of the recent series against India. Notably, Australia also selected 19-year-old Sam Konstas, who replaced McSweeney during that series. Moreover, the pace attack features Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Sean Abbott.

On the other hand, Australia dropped Mitchell Marsh after his poor performance in the India series and kept Beau Webster, who replaced Marsh in the final Test. The first Test starts on 29 January in Galle. Importantly, Australia riding high on their series win over India has already secured a place in the World Test Championship final. They will face South Africa at Lord’s from 11 to 15 June. Ultimately, this series allows Australia to test new talent and fine-tune their lineup ahead of the championship final.

Australia Test squad for Sri Lanka:

Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.