Steve Smith will lead the Australian cricket squad for the two Test tour of Sri Lanka while Pat Cummins is on paternity leave and focusing on an ankle issue which he endured through the series win over India.
Josh Hazlewood misses out with his calf injury while Mitchell Marsh was omitted, with both focussing on the Champion’s Trophy which immediately follows the Sri Lanka tour.
There is a first Test squad call up for allrounder Cooper Connolly who bowls left-arm spin and can potentially slot into the No.6 position as the Australian team starts planning for Nathan Lyon’s eventual retirement.
Cooper Connolly of Perth Scorchers hits a boundary. (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)
The 21-year-old played four white-ball matches for Australia in the second half of last year but had limited opportunities to shine in those games.
Nathan McSweeney, who earned his Test debut at the start of the summer as an opener but was omitted after averaging just 14.4 across three matches, returns to the squad.
“Sri Lanka is a challenging and exciting place to tour given the different conditions players may be presented with. This squad provides several ways to structure the XI depending on what type of wickets we may encounter in each match,” said selection chief George Bailey.
“We are excited about the opportunity ahead for the squad members who are at the start of their Test careers to continue to grow their games in subcontinent conditions where we have a number of important tours in coming years.”
Australia:
Steve Smith (NSW/Sutherland Cricket Club) (c)
Sean Abbott (NSW/Parramatta District Cricket Club)
Scott Boland (VIC/Frankston Peninsula Cricket Club)
Alex Carey (SA/Glenelg Cricket Club)
Cooper Connolly (WA/Scarborough Cricket Club)
Travis Head (SA/Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club) (vc)
Josh Inglis (WA/Joondalup Cricket Club)
Usman Khawaja (QLD/Valley District Cricket Club)
Sam Konstas (NSW/Sutherland District Cricket Club)
Matt Kuhnemann (TAS/Clarence Cricket Club)
Marnus Labuschagne (QLD/Redlands Cricket Club)
Nathan Lyon (NSW/Northern District Cricket Club)
Nathan McSweeney (SA/Glenelg Cricket Club)
Todd Murphy (VIC/St Kilda Cricket Club)
Mitchell Starc (NSW/Manly Warringah Cricket Club)
Beau Webster (TAS/Kingborough Cricket Club)
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