Cricket Australia shared an encouraging update about Steve Smith. His elbow injury, sustained during the Big Bash League, is not as severe as initially thought; it means that he’s fit for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. Steve Smith is named Test captain in Pat Cummins’ absence, and he is cleared to rejoin the Test squad. He is expected to start batting practice later this week in preparation for the first Test against Sri Lanka, beginning January 29. Steve Smith is currently hanging on 9,999 Test runs and just needs 1 run to come into the 10,000 club.
Importance of the Sri Lanka series
This series is crucial as it’s part of the final cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC), leading to the final against South Africa in June. Australia is already assured a spot in the WTC final.
Besides Smith, Australia is also monitoring Pat Cummins, who is recovering from an ankle injury but is expected to lead the team in the Champions Trophy. Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann, who broke his thumb, is recovering well and hopes to join the team in Sri Lanka soon. His progress is being watched closely by the selectors.
Steve Smith in BGT
Steve Smith regained his lost form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. He ended up as the third-top scorer in the series, scoring 314 runs in 9 innings. Along with that, he scored two centuries in his 9 innings. It’s a good sign for the batter, as he was not in form before BGT and he didn’t have a century in Test cricket in 2024 before the series.
Australia’s squad for Sri Lanka Tour
Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka schedule
Match | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
1st Test | January 29 – February 2, 2025 | Galle |
2nd Test | February 6 – 10, 2025 | Galle |
1st ODI | February 12, 2025 | Galle |
2nd ODI | February 14, 2025 | TBC |
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