Australia is preparing for a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, facing a selection headache in their fast-bowling department. Josh Hazlewood is expected to recover from a calf injury, while Pat Cummins will miss the series due to the impending birth of his second child. This leaves selectors with a tough choice as Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are also vying for spots in the lineup.
Australia are set to face a selection headache for Sri Lanka, with Josh Hazlewood on track to overcome a calf injury and be available for the two-Test series. Fresh off Australia’s 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph, selectors will this week turn an eye to trying to keep the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy when they play Sri Lanka in Galle. Pat Cummins has already conceded he will struggle to play in either of the two Tests, as he plans to remain at home awaiting the birth of his second child.
But even with the captain out, selectors will likely face a fast-bowling squeeze for the first Test on January 29. Australia played two quicks in both Tests on their most recent trip to Sri Lanka in 2022, but did toy with going with only one for the second of those matches. Hazlewood missed the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series after picking up a calf strain at the Gabba, but saw medical staff at the SCG on Saturday and appeared in good shape. Mitchell Starc is also not believed to be in any doubt for the tour, after overcoming rib pain to play in the final Test against India in Sydney. That will leave selectors to try to fit three quicks into as few as one or two spots, and Scott Boland again at risk of missing out after his SCG heroics. Boland’s career average of 17.66 is the best of any bowler in more than a century, but he has only once been picked ahead of one of the “big three” of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins. “Whenever he comes in, you just know he is a seasoned pro, he has been doing it for years for Victoria,” Cummins said. “He’s well and truly good enough in Test cricket. He proves it time and time again. “He bowls into the wind a lot of the time as well, so his figures are probably better than they show. “You know what you’re going to get from Scotty, and it’s class every day.” The other factor in the pace-bowling squeeze could be Beau Webster, who became the first Australian in 11 years to score a half-century and take a wicket on Test debu
AUSTRALIA SRI LANKA CRICKET TEST MATCHES FAST BOWLING SELECTION
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