Cricket Australia has announced a 16-player squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on January 29. Star batsman Steve Smith will lead the Test team in Sri Lanka while regular captain Pat Cummins remains in the team. country for the birth of their second child.

Australia’s Test series will be their last red-ball assignment before the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The team has already secured qualification for the WTC final, which will be held at Lord’s in June. They advanced to their second consecutive WTC final in the prestigious red-ball tournament.

Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell unlikely to feature again in Australian Tests

Veteran cricketers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh were left out of the Australia squad. According to Cricket Australia, Hazlewood is recovering from a calf injury. Both players will focus on preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in February-March.

All-rounder Glenn Maxwell’s hopes of returning to the Test have been dimmed as he was not selected for the tour. Teenage opener Sam Konstas and all-rounder Beau Webster kept their places in the team after an impressive Test debut against India. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland will lead the bowling attack.

Cooper Connolly receives first Test call-up for Sri Lanka tour

The selectors included 21-year-old all-rounder Cooper Connolly in the team. Connolly, an orthodox left-arm bowler, received his first call-up to the Test team. He will be with specialist spinners Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann in the slow bowling line-up for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The team also features uncapped players Sean Abbott and Josh Inglis, who were part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy team. Nathan McSweeney, who lost his place over the summer at home, has been withdrawn. McSweeney previously played three Test matches during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia squad for Sri Lanka Tests: Steve Smith (c), 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

Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour – George Bailey

Australia chief selector George Bailey said Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour. He mentioned that the team has flexibility in the playing eleven depending on the field. Bailey expressed excitement about the opportunity for the team’s emerging players to further develop their skills.

“Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour given the different conditions players can experience,” said George Bailey. “This team offers several ways to structure the XI depending on the type of wickets they can find in each match.

“We are excited about the opportunity for team members who are at the beginning of their Test careers to continue to grow their games in subcontinental conditions where we will have a number of major tours in the coming years.”

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