Page 6 - Sri Lanka Cricket Team

Australia end 14 year-long wait for Test series victory in Sri Lanka

Australia wrapped up a comprehensive 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, sealing the second test with a commanding nine-wicket win in Galle on Sunday. Top order batter Marnus Labuschagne flicked a delivery from retiring Sri Lankan player Dimuth Karunaratne to mid-wicket to complete the triumph, just 15 minutes before lunch on the fourth day. It's Australia's first test series win on Sri Lankan soil since 2011. Their last success here came under Ricky Ponting's captaincy, a 1-0 victory in 2011. However, they suffered a 3-0 whitewash in 2016 under Steve Smith's leadership, and the 2022 series ended in a 1-1 draw. This time, with Smith standing in as captain for Pat Cummins, the victory was a welcome redemption. Australia approached the series with meticulous planning including a training camp in Dubai and executed their strategies with precision. Their batters laid the foundation with big hundreds, allowing the bowlers to dictate terms with attacking fields. Meanwhile, the spinners

Australia on the brink of series sweep after dominant third day vs SL

Australia put on a clinical display on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka, leaving the hosts teetering at 211-8 and holding a slender lead of just 54 runs on Saturday. The visitors will try to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings early on the fourth morning and chase down the target in a bid to complete a 2-0 series sweep. At 81-4, Sri Lanka seemed destined for yet another crushing innings defeat inside three days. However, Angelo Mathews dug deep, forging a 48-run stand with Dhananjaya de Silva and a further 70-run partnership with Kusal Mendis. Mathews played a gutsy knock of 76, his first half-century of the series, offering a glimmer of hope. Sri Lanka had pinned their hopes on him to set Australia a respectable target, but his defiance ended just before stumps when he attempted a sweep off Nathan Lyon, only to be brilliantly caught by Beau Webster at fine leg. Australia continued to tighten the screws, picking up two more wickets before stumps. Left-arm spinner Matth

SL vs AUS: Steve Smith hits 36th Test century as Australia dominate hosts

Steve Smith hit his 36th century and shared an unbeaten 239-run partnership with Alex Carey as Australia powered to 330-3 at stumps on day two of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Friday. With a lead of 73 runs and seven first-innings wickets in hand, the tourists are in control. Smith anchored the innings with a sublime 120 not out off 239 balls, while Carey took the attack to Sri Lanka with a fluent 139 not out off 156. It was Smith's second ton of the series, while Carey notched up only his second Test hundred in style. Australia had slumped to 37-2 before Smith and Usman Khawaja (36) steadied the innings with a crucial 54-run stand for the third wicket. Khawaja, who got a double hundred in Australia's huge win in the first test of the two-match series, looked solid against spin. However, an ill-judged pull shot saw him trapped leg before wicket to off-spinner Nishan Peiris, (2-70 off 21 overs) cutting short his promising start. Smith, too, took time to settle and ha

SL vs AUS, 2nd Test Day 1: Aussies dominate proceedings; SL 229/9 at stumps

Australia was firmly in control against Sri Lanka in the second test after reducing the host to 229-9 by stumps on day one Thursday. Half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis kept Sri Lanka in the game, but their hopes of a big first-innings total after winning the toss did not materialize. Australia bowled with discipline, sticking to its plans and backing it up with excellent fielding despite extreme heat and humidity. Sri Lanka lost opener Pathum Nissanka early, but a 70-run stand for the second wicket between Dimuth Karunaratne and Chandimal steadied the innings. Spinner Nathan Lyon broke through when Karunaratne was late in bringing his bat down and was bowled off an inside edge. Sri Lanka slumped to 127-5 as the lower middle order struggled against disciplined bowling. Their approach was so careless that even part-time spinner Travis Head found himself among the wickets in his first over. Kamindu Mendis, attempting to cut a delivery too close to his body, was ca

Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test playing 11, live match time, streaming

With the series on the line, Australia will aim to maintain their momentum, while Sri Lanka will look to recover and make a strong statement in front of their home crowd.

What is ICC concussion substitute rule? A loophole in the rule explained

The ICC implemented the concussion substitute rule across all international formats, including Twenty20 and first-class cricket - on 1 August 2019.

Sri Lanka vs Australia 1st Test playing 11, live match time, streaming

Sri Lanka will host Australia in the final Test series of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle

IML 2025: Full schedule, format, teams and live streaming details

The live streaming of International Masters League 2025 matches will be available on the Disney Plus Hotstar app and website in India

Steve Smith becomes fourth Australian to complete 10,000 Test runs

Steve Smith achieved this milestone with his first run against Sri Lanka in the ongoing Test match

ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2025: India full schedule and squad details

The defending champions, India, will start their campaign against West Indies on January 19

ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2025: Full schedule, format, live streaming

The tournament will be played across 16 days, with a total of 41 matches set to take place between 16 qualified teams

SL vs AUS: Travis Head could open in Sri Lanka, says chief selector Bailey

Australian big-hitter Travis Head could open in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka where "quick learner" Sam Konstas is also likely to get more opportunities to showcase his audacious skills, chairman of selectors George Bailey has said. Head, who wreaked havoc with the bat during the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar series against India in the middle order, has been tested in the opener's role in the sub-continent. He had come in for an injured David Warner during the 2023 tour of India and scored 223 runs at 55.75 in five innings at the top of the order. "Trav's an option (to open). We've got a number of options and there's been a few preliminary discussions around where that may land, and that may depend on the makeup of that first XI," Bailey told cricket.com.au. "I think (head coach) Andrew (McDonald,) and (stand-in captain) Steve (Smith) will settle on that in due course, once we hit Sri Lanka," he added. Australia announced a 16-member squad on Thursday with several fr

SL vs AUS: Steve Smith to lead Australia in Pat Cummins' absence

Nathan McSweeney was recalled to Australia's test squad on Thursday to tour Sri Lanka, less than three weeks after being dropped from the top order. Australia's selectors announced their squad Thursday for the two-test tour, with several fresh faces added to the group that played India in Sydney last week. Australia won the five-test series 3-1 a nd clinched a spot in the World Test Championship against South Africa at Lord's in June. Steve Smith will lead the squad to Sri Lanka while regular skipper Pat Cummins is on leave as his wife awaits the birth of the couple's second child. Australia's selectors concentrated on spin for the two Sri Lanka tests, with uncapped 21-year-old Cooper Connolly among the seven full or part-time slow bowling options in the 16-man squad. Connolly, a left-arm allrounder, has represented Australia in limited-overs cricket and has been called up for his maiden test campaign along with specialist spinners Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann. McSweeney scor

Sri Lanka beats New Zealand by 7 runs in 3rd T20, Kiwis clinch series 2-1

Kusal Perera scored Sri Lanka's fastest Twenty20 International century from 44 balls on Thursday to spur his team to a consolation win over New Zealand by seven runs in the the final match of the three-match series. Perera's career-best score in a century partnership with captain Charirth Asalanka lifted Sri Lanka to 218-5 its second-highest T20 score, as it batted first for the first time in the series. New Zealand held a winning 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first match by eight runs and the second by 45 runs. New Zealand needed to achieve its highest run chase in T20s to complete a clean sweep of the series and was given a good start by Rachin Ravindra who made 69 from 39 balls. But it fell just short, held to 211-7. The Black Caps began at a pace to match Sri Lanka, reaching 60-0 in the six-over power play. But Asalanka slammed the brakes on the New Zealand innings when he dismissed Ravindra, Mark Chapman (9) and Glenn Phillips (6) in quick succession. Asalanka h

WTC 2025 full schedule: IND, AUS, SL chances for WTC final qualification

A draw or loss in Sydney will see India eliminated from the WTC final race regardless of the Australia vs Sri Lanka series final result.

WTC points table: South Africa through to final; India, Australia chances

South Africa denied late scares from Pakistan in Centurion to confirm their place in the WTC 2023-25 final

Bowling against Virat Kohli is my dream, says Sri Lanka's Eshan Malinga

The 22-year-old uncapped pacer of Sri Lanka is currently playing in the inaugural season of the Sri Lanka T10 League for Hambantota Bangla Tigers

WTC 2024 points table, IND-AUS's final qualification scenarios, SA schedule

As Kiwis were out of for WTC 2025 final race, check the qualification scenarios and chances of India, Australia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka along with WTC 2024 points table here

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 schedule announcement; what will the IND vs PAK venue be?

Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule announcement: The schedule announcement was supposed to happen today, however the fans might have to wait a little longer after no new updates on Saturday

WTC 2024 points table: IND, NZ, AUS, SA rankings, scenarios for WTC final

Check the rankings of all 10 teams on ICC World Test Championship points table and WTC final 2025 qualification scenarios of top five teams here