With the home summer done and dusted, and the Australian Team now in possession of every bilateral series trophy plus the WTC Championship and the ODI World Cup, attentions turn toward the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
With two Tests on the feisty surface of Galle at the end of January and the beginning of February, it’ll be the final hit out in the long format before the boys take on a resurgent South Africa in the WTC final in early June.
Pat Cummins is out due to the birth of his second child, Josh Hazlewood is recovering ahead of the Champions Trophy, and Mitch Marsh has been left out, so let’s have a look at how the squad shapes up for the tour.
Steven Smith (c)
This will be Smith’s second series as captain in Sri Lanka, after the 3-0 whitewash back in 2016. It was a pretty lean series for Smudge, however, a fighting 119 in the first innings of the third Test was a notable bright spot.
In 2022, he once again tonned up with a big 145* in the first innings of the second Test as Australia were slaughtered by an innings and 39 runs.
The pressure will be on Smith, as one of the best players of spin in the side and with a healthy average of 47.83 in Asia, to lead from the front with a young and slightly inexperienced squad in these conditions. Having not yet been part of a winning Test series in Sri Lanka, Smith is looking to retain the Warne-Muralitharan trophy with a convincing win.
Sean Abbott
Quite a surprising selection, considering Abbott never got a look into the Test side during the home summer, is a couple of months away from turning 33, and is surely behind Jhye Richardson, Spencer Johnson and Lance Morris in the pecking order for the next generation of Aussie seamers.
Yet to make his Test debut, Sean Abbott has played 10 ODI’s in Asia, picking up 10 wickets at 46.20, and scoring 176 runs with a high score of 54. It’s hard to make the case for Abbott getting a crack now, with the only possibility of earning the baggy green being injuries to both Starc and Boland.
Sean Abbott celebrates taking a wicket. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Scott Boland
The cult hero himself. With Cummins and Hazlewood out, it’s no surprise that Boland finds himself with a ticket to Sri Lanka after his blockbuster appearances during the home summer.
With spin being king at Galle, there’s every chance Australia opts for just the one frontline seamer, so Boland could play second fiddle to Starc, or find himself thrown into just one of the two matches.
Boland has just the one Test match under his belt in Asia, taking 0/34 in 17 overs on a Nagpur deck that didn’t offer much for fast bowling, however, his metronomic line and length, plus his scintillating form over the past few weeks mean he could be a great option to accompany three spinners in the XI.
Alex Carey
One of the unsung heroes of the Australian team, Alex Carey’s glovework has improved year after year, and although he only has one century to his name from 55 innings in Test cricket, everyone who’s seen him bat knows he should, and probably will, have more to his name.
This is Carey’s second trip to Sri Lanka, after playing both Tests in the 2022 tour, with a top score of 45 off 47 in the first innings of the first match as Australia cruised to victory.
Carey has played nine Test matches in Asia over the course of his career, with his Asian average of 29.45 only slightly below his career average of 31.73. His 93 against Pakistan in Karachi in 2022 stands out amongst his innings in spinning conditions, so expect him to play a vital role in the batting order across both games.
Cooper Connolly
Probably the biggest surprise of the squad announcement, but certainly not to those who have watched this 21-year-old rocket up into contention over the past 12 months.
With only four FC matches to his name, some might question Connolly’s inclusion in the squad over other established players, but there’s no doubt that the selectors feel he’s one for the future. Looking for his Test debut, Connolly got his first taste of international action last November in the white ball series against Pakistan, but a broken hand in the third ODI on 7* put paid to making an immediate impression.
With an average of 61.80 from his albeit small sample size in first-class cricket, plus his handy left-arm spin, Connolly might well be in the squad for the experience, however, this author dearly hopes he is chosen in the first XI.
Travis Head
After two match-defining centuries to kick off the BGT against India, Travis Head endured a slightly lean patch to finish the series, but his final innings of 34 off 38 n.o alongside Beau Webster to clinch the famous win at the SCG was calm and composed, with all the hallmarks of a now senior member of the squad.
Earmarked to open the batting in the upcoming Sri Lanka series, Head will be needed for his aggressive approach to spin bowling, but also for his own more than handy offies.
Travis Head. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
This is Head’s second trip to Sri Lanka after the 1-1 series in 2022, where he struggled heavily in spinning conditions. With just 23 runs from three innings and a high score of 12, Head will be landing in Galle with a point to prove as one of Australia’s most in-form batsmen.
In Asia, Head has struggled to adapt his aggressive style elsewhere, with his Asian average of 29.86 well down on his career average of 43.10, and his Asian strike rate of 56.78 down on his overall strike rate of 67.21.
Where Head has had more success in Asia however, is with his bowling, in particular his remarkable 4/10 in just 2.5 overs as Sri Lanka crumbled to 113 in a dominant Australian victory in 2022. Even if three frontline spinners make it into the XI, expect Head to be thrown the ball on plenty of occasions.
Josh Inglis
Still only 29, Josh Inglis has been playing reserve keeper behind Carey in the Test arena for a few years now and spent a large part of the summer with the test squad without making his debut.
Inglis became the favoured keeper in the white ball formats during Australia’s barnstorming run to the ODI World Cup in India but has yet to truly make his mark on the cricketing public.
Josh Inglis has played 14 ODI’s in Asia so far in his career, including one in the 2022 Sri Lanka tour where he made just five runs. Having played most of his career in seaming conditions, Inglis has struggled against spin in the past but is looked at as a test keeper of the future.
Expect Inglis to be running drinks for the upcoming series, with only an injury to Carey likely to bring him into the XI.
Usman Khawaja
The subject of near-endless debate across the home summer, 38-year-old Usie finished the BGT opposite a teenager literally half his age, a slight improvement on form, but more question marks than answers as to where he goes from here.
Cummins has been vocally supportive of Usie choosing when and where he retires, so expect him to remain at the top of the order until the conclusion of next summer’s Ashes.
One of the best players of spin in the country, Usie will be embarking on his fourth visit to Sri Lanka, after playing there in 2011, 2016 & 2022. Despite a phenomenal record in Asia, where he’s scored 1312 runs and made four centuries at an average of 54.66, Usie has historically struggled in Sri Lanka.
He managed 60 runs from three innings in 2011 (including a 13*), and 55 runs from four innings in 2016, but was much improved in 2022 with 137 runs from four innings (one of which was 0*) and a top score of 71 in the first innings of the first Test.
Sam Konstas
An electric debut on Boxing Day will forever bring joy to the minds of anyone who watched Sam Konstas ramping Jasprit Bumrah three times in an over in front of a heaving MCG, but the 19-year-old young gun faces his first overseas challenge in Sri Lanka.
There is every chance that after opening the batting against India in the final two matches of the summer, Konstas could be pushed down the order or find himself watching from the sidelines if Head is preferred to partner Usie.
Sam Konstas. (Photo by Morgan Hancock – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Konstas has yet to play any cricket in Asia and has only once played against Sri Lanka U19, where he scored 23 runs in an ODI at a strike rate of 50.
Against India in his debut test series, Konstas lit up the cricketing world with his 60 at the MCG and continued his high scoring rate with his 22 off 17 to kickstart Australia’s successful chase in the fifth test at the SCG. With a career strike rate of 81.88, all eyes are on Konstas to see if he tempers or continues his aggression as his career progresses.
Matt Kuhnemann
An unsurprising selection for the Sri Lanka tour considering his performances less than two years ago in India, Matt Kuhnemann finds himself heading to Asia once again, hoping to add to his three Test matches despite never having played the longest form of the game outside of India.
In the 2023 tour of India Kuhnemann featured in three Tests with overall figures of 9/280 across five bowling innings, including a magnificent 5/16 in Australia’s famous win at Indore, where he removed both opening batsmen for his maiden five-for.
As a left-armer, Kuhnemann offers a nice point of difference to both Lyon and Todd Murphy and will be a strong choice to start the series in the XI if the Galle decks are as spin-friendly as usual.
Marnus Labuschagne
Despite suffering a year of poor form in 2024 (and parts of 2023), Labuschagne responded to heavy criticism with a valuable pair of 70s in the Boxing Day Test to calm down most of the calls for him to be dropped. However, the monkey is not off his back just yet, with his last century all the way back in July 2023 in a losing cause against England.
With Nathan McSweeney recalled to the Test squad and looking to establish himself in the middle order after a failed experiment as opener, Marnus will need to find form quickly, or the coaches may look to give him a rest in Galle and blood a younger batter.
This will be Labuschagne’s second visit to Sri Lanka, after a profitable trip in 2022 when he scored 149 runs in three innings, the majority of which came in his excellent first innings score of 104 in the second test match.
Marnus has been a solid player of spin for the majority of his career, with his 644 runs in Asia at an average of 35.77 giving him an important role in the upcoming series. Despite outward pressure, the Australian camp backs Marnus in the No.3 role and it’s hard to see that changing anytime soon.
Nathan Lyon
The GOAT of off-spin; Garry, Gazza, Nath. Whatever you call him, Lyon has been such a permanent fixture in the Australian Test side for over a decade now that it’s hard to imagine what it looks like without him.
At 37, he doesn’t have a huge amount of cricket left, but his valuable experience in Asia will be vitally important for Murphy and Kuhnemann as they vie to be his successor.
Like Usie, this will be Lyon’s fourth trip to Sri Lanka, after making his debut in 2011 at Galle, and picking up his first Test wicket with his first delivery, against Kumar Sangakkara no less.
Lyon played all three matches of the series, picking up 5/34 in his first innings but managing just three more for the rest of the tour. In 2016 he enjoyed a much more prolific series with 16 wickets from three Tests at 31.94, and improving again in 2022 with 11 wickets at 28.64, 9 of which came in the first Test match.
Nathan Lyon. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Nathan Lyon has an exceptional record in Asia, having collected 140 wickets from 28 test matches with 11 five-fors. As he nears the end of his career, this might well be the final time he plays at the Test level in Asia.
Nathan McSweeney
After being unceremoniously dropped halfway through the BGT, McSweeney will get on the plane to Sri Lanka with the knowledge that the selectors have a huge amount of trust in the 25-year-old as a key part of the batting lineup of the future.
Having been tried as an opener for all three of his test matches before being ditched in favour of Konstas, McSweeney will be hoping he gets a run in the middle order this time around, although there is every chance he’s in the squad simply as a reserve batter.
With just six innings in Test match cricket to his name, McSweeney has a long way to go to prove himself as a strong option for the middle order, with an average of 36.31 from 37 first-class games.
He’s scored six hundreds at FC level but has not managed to convert any of those into ‘big daddy scores’, with his highest so far being 127*. After getting Bumrah’d all over the place in the home summer, McSweeney will be keen to show his skills against a different bowling attack.
Todd Murphy
Having missed out on playing any Test matches in 2024 after a great debut year in 2023, Murphy will be looking to lock down his place as Lyon’s successor with a strong series against Sri Lanka. Expect him to play both matches and bowl a lot of overs after his brilliant series in India.
Just like Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy is yet to play a match on home soil, six matches and two years into his Test career. In India in 2023 Murphy managed to play all four Tests, picking up 14 wickets including a 7/124 in Nagpur as the rest of the Aussie attack got belted around the ground.
Murphy has a career average of 25.42 from his games in India and England and will be looking to shore up his future selection in Sri Lanka.
Mitchell Starc
Despite ending the BGT having played all five tests and carrying an obvious back injury in Melbourne and Sydney, Mitchell Starc will head on his third tour to Sri Lanka as the most experienced (of 3) frontline fast bowlers.
There is every chance that Starc plays both matches, however with his recent injury he might yet find himself watching from the sidelines considering the form Boland is in.
In Starc’s favour to be in the XI is his exceptional record at Galle Stadium, starting with his first Test match there in 2016 where he picked up 5/44 & 6/50, finishing the three-match series with 24 wickets at 15.17. In 2022, it was a different story however, as he managed just five wickets across the series, four of which came in Sri Lanka’s first innings in the second Test.
Mitchell Starc. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
What cannot be discounted is Starc’s strong experience in Asia, having played 17 Test matches, picking up 52 wickets along the way, as well as being the scene of his highest Test match score of 99 in India back in 2013.
Beau Webster
It was a debut to remember for Beau Webster in Sydney, with the big all-rounder finishing with 96 runs, a wicket, and a lofted cover drive to bring the match to a close on the third day.
On a difficult SCG wicket, he looked the pick of the batters for both sides, and it’s no surprise that he’s found himself heading to Sri Lanka at the expense of the out-of-form Mitch Marsh.
Webster is yet to play cricket in Asia, but his strong form in the Sheffield Shield, where he became the only player other than Sir Garfield Sobers to score more than 900 runs and take more than 30 wickets in a single season two years ago, means he heads to Sri Lanka as one of the in-form players on the visiting side.
With Cam Green soon to return to the Test setup, it’s anybody’s guess as to where Webster’s career goes from here, but expect him to play at least one match in Sri Lanka.
Archie’s Hopeful XI:
Cooper Connolly, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Matt Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
Probable XI:
Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Matt Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc
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