Published: Apr 06, 2016, 11:41 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 06, 2016, 12:00 PM (IST)
Australia are to visit Sri Lanka after a long duration of 5 years for a three match Test-series, five ODIs and two T20Is. The test-series commences on 26 July at Kandy. The Kangaroos will start their tour on 11 July. The Australian side surpassed India in Test rankings before the ICC Test Championship table whereas Sri Lankan side fell to No.7, they are having a hard-time rejuvenating after the retirement of legends Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena. A fewer number of Australian players have had a chance to play in Sri Lanka, including spinner Nathan Lyon, opener Usman Khawaja and fast bowler Peter Siddle. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs West Indies, ICC World T20 2016, Final at Kolkata
The last time Australia toured Sri Lanka was back in 2011 under the leadership of Michael Clarke winning it by 1-0. Australia has an impressive record in tests against Sri Lanka winning 6 out of 13 test and losing only one with remaining drawn.Though, they haven’t been able to do the same in ODIs and T20s. ALSO READ: ICC World T20 2016: Sri Lanka’s performance review and marks out of 10
Sri Lanka haven’t been at their best lately but Australian batsman Joe Burns doesn’t believe in taking them lightly as he said, “Playing spin in Australia, some of the southern states, for example Sydney, you might come across spinning conditions, but when you’re facing world-class spinners in their own backyard on turning wickets, it’s a different proposition.” ALSO READ: Brad Haddin: Australia missed Nathan Lyon in T20 World Cup 2016
He also said, “Potentially there are different game plans. I’ve played enough now in a lot of different countries that you can go into a country with an idea of how the game of cricket is played, but you get there and realise there’s totally new fields (set) you haven’t seen before, and they’re trying to get you out in different ways with different tactics.” He added “I’ve never been to Sri Lanka. (There’s) some preconceived ideas of what the conditions might be like, but I’m open-minded and looking to learn and improve my game as much as I can.”
AUSTRALIA’S TOUR OF SRI LANKA FIXTURES:
July 26-30: First Test, Pallekele
August 4-8: Second Test, Galle
August 13-17: Third Test, Colombo
August 21: First ODI, Colombo
August 24: Second ODI, Colombo
August 28: Third ODI, Dambulla
August 31: Fourth ODI, Dambulla
September 4: Fifth ODI, Kandy
September 6: First T20I, Kandy
September 9: Second T20I, Colombo
