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Sri Lanka and Australia renew rivalry at Galle

28 Jan 2025 - 1474      

  • Sri Lanka and Australia will renew their rivalry in a two-Test home series starting tomorrow at the Galle Stadium.

The Trophy on offer is one of the most unique in world cricket, even world sport. The Warne-Muralitharan Trophy takes its name from the two most prolific bowlers in Test history, Australian Shane Warne and Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan.

Although the two nations had been playing against one another in Test cricket since 1983, ahead of the series in 2007-08 the two cricketing boards decided to create a perpetual trophy celebrating the two legends. Both Warne and Muralitharan had casts made of their bowling hands, which are now immortalised on the Trophy.

Since the Trophy’s inception there have been six series contested, with Australia winning four and Sri Lanka winning one (with one drawn series).

Australia are the current holders of the Trophy. Sri Lanka had had a decent Test year in 2024, until the disappointing series in South Africa to finish it off. But they will feel as if their Test team is building to something - maybe mounting a more serious campaign in the next WTC cycle.

It will likely come down to spin in Galle. This surface doesn’t appear to be the dryest one the ground has turned out and may stay together a little longer than usual, owing to January’s cooler weather. But it is likely to take substantial turn from day three onwards.

Dhananjaya de Silva said he expected the surface to be decent for batting to begin with. Sri Lanka have a decision to make around their attack as well - whether their second seamer will be Vishwa Fernando or Lahiru Kumara.

They also have to replace the injured Pathum Nissanka at the top of the order. Oshada Fernando is his likeliest replacement.

The teams:-

Sri Lanka (From): Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Milan Rathnayake.

Australia (From): Steve Smith (Captain), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc and Beau Webster.