Australia all set to take on Sri Lanka for Test series
Galle | It has been a mixed bag of emotions for Australia as they have been hosted by Sri Lanka. The T20I world champion who lost the series to the hosts went on to lose the ODI series 3-2. As the tour hangs in the balance, the Aussies will look to stamp their authority in the whites and come out victorious in the Test series.
Pat Cummins Will lead Australia for the first time in Sri Lanka
Pat Cummins & Co would like to forget what happened the last time they came to Sri Lanka to play a Test series. When the Australian team toured the island nation six years earlier, they lost the series 3–0. They could never adapt to the spinning conditions and Sri Lanka’s hold on them became stronger. If their recent tours of the subcontinent are to be considered, the Kangaroos have done well as they beat Pakistan 1-0 in the three-match Test series played in March.
Australian team in action
“In many ways it will be quite different, Pakistan was also a subcontinent but there were no major turns in the pitches. We did a lot there. We controlled the pace of the match. In some ways, it will be a bigger challenge (in Sri Lanka) when it moves at a faster pace than Pakistan,” Pat Cummins said when asked about his recent success as a captain in countries in the subcontinent.
This is the first Warne-Muralitharan Trophy since the tragic death of Shane Warne in March. The Galle Cricket Stadium plays a big part in Warne’s legacy as he took his 500th Test wicket there and helped rebuild it after it was destroyed by a tsunami in 2004.
(Inputs from PTI)