Sri Lanka tour of Australia 2019 - 2 Tests

[Master Bates]

Schedule:
Jan 17, Thu - Jan 19, Sat
Cricket Australia XI vs Sri Lanka, 3-day practice match
Bellerive Oval, Hobart

Jan 24, Thu - Jan 28, Mon
Australia vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test
The Gabba, Brisbane

Feb 01, Fri - Feb 05, Tue
Australia vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test
Manuka Oval, Canberra

 

[DrewBi]

Sri Lanka 16 man squad:

Dinesh Chandimal(c)
D Karunaratne
L Thirimanne
Kusal Mendis
S Samarawickrama
Dhananjaya De Silva
Roshen Silva
N Dickwella
Kusal Perera
D Perera
L Sandakan
S Lakmal
N Pradeep
L Kumara
D Chameera
K Rajitha

(Angelo Matthews has a hamstring injury)

 

[DrewBi]

The first test at the Gabba is a day night test match. Australia and Sri Lanka have never lost or drawn a D/N test. Sri Lanka are two from two and Australia are four from four. Out of 12 series played between the two teams Sri Lanka has won only 2 of them, both in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka also have only won 4 matches against Australia which were all at home in Sri Lanka.

 

[DrewBi]

Australia 13 man squad:

Tim Paine (c/wk)
Josh Hazlewood (vc)
Joe Burns
Pat Cummins
Marcus Harris
Travis Head
Usman Khawaja
Marnus Labuschagne
Nathan Lyon
Will Pucovski
Matt Renshaw
Mitchell Starc
Peter Siddle

 

[peace patel]

pucovski should debut in day night test {Brisbane} whose average 49.00 in domestic

 

[LiveLoveABD]

If I had been an Aussie selector, I would rest Starc & Cummins for this series.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

If I had been an Aussie selector, I would rest Starc & Cummins for this series.

But that's not the approach of Australian selectors. They aren't preparing for WC but preparing for Ashes as usual [DOUBLEPOST=1547821760][/DOUBLEPOST]

Schedule:

Feb 01, Fri - Feb 05, Tue
Australia vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test
Manuka Oval, Canberra

Is this the First ever Test match that Canberra is hosting ?

 

[Master Bates]

@NilayShah60 guess so

 

[aditya123]

But that's not the approach of Australian selectors. They aren't preparing for WC but preparing for Ashes as usual [DOUBLEPOST=1547821760][/DOUBLEPOST]

You know that they`ve won 4 of the last 5 WCs, right?

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

You know that they`ve won 4 of the last 5 WCs, right?

You know they are in transition right ? And that approach has come only due to winning those

 

[aditya123]

You know they are in transition right ? And that approach has come only due to winning those

You are missing the point. Australia would never have won those WCs if they `always' treated it as less important than the Ashes. The fact is that currently they cannot look beyond the next series because they must get back to winning immediately in order to go into the WC with any sense of confidence. The last thing that they want is to lose to another Asian side at home. Them playing the best possible XI for this test series is a no-brainer and has nothing to do with them attaching more importance to the Ashes.

 

[DrewBi]

Australia's XI for the First Test:

Marcus Harris
Joe Burns
Usman Khawaja
Marnus Labuschagne
Travis Head (vc)
Kurtis Patterson
Tim Paine (c) (w/k)
Pat Cummins (vc)
Mitchell Starc
Jhye Richardson
Nathan Lyon

 

[DrewBi]

But that's not the approach of Australian selectors. They aren't preparing for WC but preparing for Ashes as usual [DOUBLEPOST=1547821760][/DOUBLEPOST]

Is this the First ever Test match that Canberra is hosting ?

Yes it is, it is quite surprising because it's the main cricket ground in the countries capital and they have been hosting cricket since 1930.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

You are missing the point. Australia would never have won those WCs if they `always' treated it as less important than the Ashes. The fact is that currently they cannot look beyond the next series because they must get back to winning immediately in order to go into the WC with any sense of confidence. The last thing that they want is to lose to another Asian side at home. Them playing the best possible XI for this test series is a no-brainer and has nothing to do with them attaching more importance to the Ashes.

Even you are missing a context here

Australia won WCs because other teams were not capable of winning it. They lacked quality. In last 4 out of 5 WCs they played Pakistan in 1999 WC Final and we do know how Pakistan team performs, they are inconsistent !!!! In 2003 WC they faced India who were never a good team in Finals in pre-Dhoni era. In 2007 they played Sri Lanka who always succumbs to pressure in must-win games eg- 2003 WC SF, 2009 WT20 Final, 2010 Asia Cup Final, 2011 WC Final, 2012 WT20 Final, 2013 CT SF and many more crucial matches were lost due to defensive Cricket so I am not surprised that they won. Also Australia played 2015 WC at Home while the only match they played away from Home was Lost in a close contest. Australia never wanted WCs they wanted dominance especially over England who once ruled their nation. Again I say Ashes means more to Australia than WCs. They can afford to lose WCs but losing Ashes is always something that doesn't please them

 

[aditya123]

Even you are missing a context here. Australia won WCs because other teams were not capable of winning it. They lacked quality.

Seriously! The Australian side of 2003 was the best of all time and believe it or not, Ganguly`s India of 2003 WC thrashed most sides in that World Cup (some of them far better than their counterparts currently) and would`ve won the tournament if not for the quality of the Aussie side they faced in the final. The Australian side we are talking about is one that had changed the face of cricket. Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Martyn, Symonds, Lee, McGrath, Hogg and Co. were a side that would beat most sides in ODI history. Same goes with the side of 2007. You cannot just turn up and win World Cup tournaments by default. I do not include the T20 WC in this discussion as they are a lottery.