Steve Smith to captain spin-heavy Australia in Sri Lanka Tests, no rest for Starc

Star batter Steve Smith will lead Australia’s spin-heavy 16-player squad for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, starting on January 29.

Smith will lead the team in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is both on paternity leave and managing a minor ankle issue that was monitored during the recent home summer. The squad includes three frontline pacers, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott and Scott Boland.

Former Australia U19 Cricket World Cup captain Cooper Connolly receives his first Test squad call-up, while fellow youngster Nathan McSweeney has been recalled despite missing the Melbourne and Sydney Tests in the recent Border-Gavaskar Series. Spinners Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy also return for the tour, although the team will be without Josh Hazlewood due to a calf injury and Mitchell Marsh, with both focusing on preparations for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.

Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, and Peter Handscomb-names floated as potential selections for the tour-were not included in the squad. Australian chair of selectors George Bailey noted that the unique challenges of playing in Sri Lanka provide opportunities for newer players to showcase their skills in red-ball cricket. While the two matches are part of the World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle, the final standings are already determined, with Australia (63.73% of possible points) and South Africa (69.44% of possible points) securing the top two spots.

Australia will face South Africa from June 11 at Lord’s in the final of the World Test Championship, defending their mace after the Proteas secured their spot with a victory over Pakistan in late 2024.

“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.

“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 Squad: 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