The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLCB) has added an extra one-day international game in the tour of Australia to their island, which will provide the visit an additional preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to begin on February 19 in Pakistan while the games of India will be played at the Dubai International Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
The series will start with a two-match Test series between Sri Lanka and Australia on January 29 at the Galle International Stadium, which will also host the second encounter of the red-ball series. The latter has already qualified for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, which will be played at Lord’s in June against South Africa.
The tourists have used the series from the experience’s point of view, looking to give chances to their youngsters under the captaincy of Steve Smith, who will lead the side in the absence of regular captain Pat Cummins, who has taken paternity leave for the birth of his child.
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The two extra added ODIs in the series for Australia will take place on February 12 and 14 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and will be day games. The first of the games is starting just a day after the scheduled fifth of the second Test in Galle.
Australia to face Sri Lanka in two ODIs alongside two Tests
That will lead to a position of in case the second red-ball encounter reaches a rare fifth day, how many of the games among both the squad would be able to turn up for a one-dayer, keeping fitness in mind, in the heat of the island.
Australia has nine players in their preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy who aren’t part of the Test series, including the captain Pat Cummins, who is also recovering from the heel injury that he picked during the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India. His fellow quick, lanky Josh Hazlewood also missed the fourth Boxing Day and fifth New Year’s Test with an injury.
However, the participation of Cummins remains uncertain, as their chief selector and the former captain of the side, George Bailey, has kept time before making any required change to the squad.
The ODI players of Australia are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka around the start of the second Test. Their first match in the Champions Trophy will be against England on February 22 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore before they move to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to face South Africa a couple of days later. They will return to Lahore to Afghanistan on February 28.
The performance of the side hasn’t been up to the mark in the two editions of the Champions Trophy, and the current ODI World Cup champions will look to change the record in the upcoming season.
Australia has gone with an experienced pace bowling line-up, besides keeping veteran spinner Adam Zampa in the squad, along with expected contributions from Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, and Travis Head.
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The first semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2025 will be taking place in Dubai on March 04, with the second one scheduled on March 05 in Lahore, after the confirmation of the hybrid model due to India not traveling to Pakistan because of security concerns. The final will be played on March 09, in either Dubai or Lahore, which will depend on the qualification of the Indian side.
Revised Schedule For Australia’s Tour Of Sri Lanka
Date | Match | Venue |
Jan 29-Feb 02, 2025 | First Test | Galle |
Feb 06- 10, 2025 | Second Test | Galle |
Feb 12, 2025 | First ODI | RPICS, Colombo |
Feb 14, 2025 | Second ODI | RPICS, Colombo |