Australia to tour Sri Lanka for 2-match Test series: Details
What's the story
Australia's cricket team will tour Sri Lanka in early 2025, for a two-match Test series and a one-off ODI. The Test series will begin on January 29, with both the matches being a part of the World Test Championship. The matches will be played in Galle, with the first match starting from January 29 and the second one starting on February 6.
ODI details
One-off ODI and previous encounters
The venue for the one-off ODI, which is scheduled for February 13, is still to be announced. The match will be held less than a week before the Champions Trophy kicks off. Notably, Australia last toured Sri Lanka for a Test series in mid-2022, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Australia won the first Test by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka won the second match by an innings.
Team rankings
Australia and Sri Lanka's WTC standings
In the ongoing World Test Championship standings, Australia sit at second while Sri Lanka are at third. The Australian side is scheduled to reach Sri Lanka on January 20, 2025. Ahead of this tour, both sides have a Test series each scheduled. Australia will host India for a five-match Test series from November 22 to January 7, while Sri Lanka will tour South Africa for a two-match series from November 27 to December 9.
Championship and captaincy
WTC final and Cummins's potential absence
The World Test Championship final will be played at Lord's, London, from June 11-15. Australia's cricket team captain Pat Cummins may miss this tour as his second child is expected to arrive. "We'll see what that looks like closer to the time," coach Andrew McDonald said of Cummins's possible absence. He added that they respect if he wants to miss a Test for personal reasons.