Head set to open batting as Australia weighs options for first test against Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan traditional dancers perform asSri Lanka’s test cricket captain Dhananjaya de Silva, center left, and his Australian counterpart Steve Smith pose with the Warne–Muralitharan trophy ahead of their two test match series in Galle, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo)
GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — The rainy weather conditions have given Australia a selection problem for the opening test against Sri Lanka starting Wednesday, although one thing seems certain: Travis Head will open the batting.
Stand-in captain Steve Smith has hinted at a range of strategies under consideration depending on the weather, but highlighted that Head — who is typically a dependable presence in the middle order — has previously thrived as an opener in Asian conditions.
“Travis will go to the top,” Smith said at a news conference. “The selectors liked what they saw in India when he opened. He attacked the new ball, scored quickly, and immediately put the opposition under pressure. We’re expecting a similar impact here.”
Head’s promotion to the top means 19-year-old Sam Konstas, who had a sensational debut in the Boxing Day test against India last month, could either slide down the order or be excluded from the XI entirely. Smith hinted at the latter, with Josh Inglis in line for his test debut.
“Josh has been around the group for a while and played a lot of cricket. He’s got excellent skills against spin, scores all around the wicket, and has a solid defense. If he gets his chance, I’m confident he’ll do a great job,” Smith said.
The tourists are also expected to include left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, who is poised to partner Nathan Lyon in what would be his first test in two years.
“Conditions have been fluctuating over the past few days, and with the rain around, we’ll wait until tomorrow morning to name the side,” Smith explained. “Ideally, we’d prefer to lock in our XI a couple of days in advance, but things change rapidly here, so we’ll leave it until the last minute.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka confirmed that opener Pathum Nissanka will miss the first test due to a groin injury, with Oshada Fernando likely to take his place.
“Pathum is ruled out for the first test, but we’re optimistic about his return for the second game,” Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva said.
Although the World Test Championship finalists are already decided, de Silva emphasized that his team remains highly motivated.
“We’re determined to reclaim the Warne-Murali Trophy,” he said. “I still remember winning it during my debut series in 2016, but we lost it in 2019 and couldn’t win it back when the Aussies were here in 2022. Also, we’ve had a strong World Test Championship campaign overall and if we win both tests, we’ll finish third in the table. That’s a huge motivator for us.”
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Squads:
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Josh Inglis, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lahiru Udara, Milan Rathnayake, Sonal Dinusha.
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Adrian Holdstock (South Africa)
Third Umpire: Joel Wilson (West Indies)
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)