New Delhi: The Australia men’s cricket team will travel to Sri Lanka in the January-February window next year to play Test and One-Day International series, the development was confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket. This will be after Australia complete their nearly two-month long Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India.
Australia will play two Test matches against Sri Lanka followed by a solitary One-Day International matches from January 29 to February 13. The Test series is part of the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, which will be the final shot for both teams to vie for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, the only ODI match is scheduled for both teams to prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9.
The Galle International Stadium will host both the Test matches. The first Test match will be played from January 29 to February 2, and the second Test is between February 6 and 10. However, there was no confirmation over the venue for the ODI match and will be revealed later.
Pat Cummins likely to miss Sri Lanka tour
Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins could miss the complete tour of Sri Lanka or one or two matches. He is expecting the birth of his second child, and thus there is no confirmation over his availability on the tour.
“We’ll see what that looks like closer to the time. We’ve got a couple of players in Mitch Marsh and Travis Head taking paternity leave at the moment,” said Australia head coach Andrew McDonald, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“So we respect that if that was to unfold for that particular time and if he wants to miss a Test. If (Cummins) he’s got bigger things to take care of than a Test match in Sri Lanka, then that’s fine with us,” he added.
Australia are expected to reach Sri Lanka on January 20 to prepare for the Tests. A lot will depend on what folds up in the five-match Test series against India between November 22 and January 7.
