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Pat Cummins Out, Steve Smith To Lead; Australia Announce Squad For Sri Lanka Tests

Debashis Sarangi∙ Updated: Jan 9 2025, 9:19 AM

Smith will lead Australia in SL Tests [Source: AP]Smith will lead Australia in SL Tests [Source: AP]

In a significant development, Cricket Australia (CA) has announced a robust 16-member men's squad for the upcoming away Test series against Sri Lanka. After securing an emphatic 3-1 victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, Australia are gearing up to face the Lankan Lions in their backyard as their final dress rehearsal before the all-important World Test Championship (WTC) final. They have already qualified for the mega clash against South Africa at Lord's and would like to resolve a few grey areas before taking on the rampant Proteas. 

Pat Cummins To Miss SL Tour, Steve Smith To Lead

Australia's regular skipper Pat Cummins will miss the Sri Lanka tour as he is set to welcome his second child. In his absence, legendary batter Steve Smith will lead the tourists in the two-match series. 

Promising all-rounder Cooper Connolly has found a place in the side, as he can chip in with a few overs of left-arm off-spin apart from scoring crucial runs. Swashbuckling batter Travis Head has been named the vice-captain of the team, with Usman Khawaja retaining his place despite a string of ordinary outings in the BGT 2024. 

Young opener Sam Konstas forms Australia's solid top-order alongside Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne. Beau Webster has been included as the only seam bowling all-rounder, with Matthew Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy and Nathan Lyon being picked as the spinners to capitalise on the Sri Lankan conditions. 

In the absence of Cummins, ace speedster Mitchell Starc will lead Australia's pace battery with Scott Boland and Sean Abbott. 

Australia's Squad For Sri Lanka Tests

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