Sri Lanka v Australia: first men’s cricket Test, day one – live
Sri Lanka v Australia: first men’s cricket Test, day one – live
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The playing XIs for this match will be confirmed shortly, with plenty of debate over who will start and where they’ll bat/ bowl if picked. Australia dropped a bombshell yesterday by confirming Travis Head will replace Sam Konstas as opener. Will the 19-year-old Boxing Day Test hero move down the order or drop out of the XI entirely? If the latter, who fills that vacant middle-order spot? Will Nathan McSweeney – a specialist No 5 at home – be recalled? Or are local reports on the money saying dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is set to win a Test debut a month shy of his 30th birthday?.
Feel free to drop me an email with your tuppence worth at any stage today. Or simply rhapsodise about Konstas in prose or poetry so we can get under Barney Ronay’s skin ahead of the Ashes…. There is deep intrigue surrounding this series, with key personnel missing from both squads, several stars believed to be playing injured and a host of fresh faces bracing for baptism in the pressure cooker of Test cricket.
Both sides had a good 2024, with Sri Lanka boasting a 6-4 win-loss record and Australia 7-2-1. However, Australia still have their tail up after defeating India 3-1 to win back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, whereas Sri Lanka finished the year with a 2-0 away loss to South Africa, losing both Tests by hefty 233-run and 109-run margins.
Here’s how Geoff Lemon previewed the first Test…. Greetings cricket fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s over-by-over coverage of the opening day in the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka at Galle International Cricket Stadium. Angus Fontaine here with you for the opening stages before Rob Smyth takes you home to stumps.
