Australia’s men’s team will return to Sri Lanka in June for the first time in six years for a three-format tour that will culminate in two Tests at the famous Galle International Stadium.
Sri Lanka Cricket today confirmed the dates and venues for the five-week tour, which will include three T20s, five one-day internationals and two Tests.
The eight white-ball matches will be shared between the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy between June 7 and June 24.
The two Test matches, which will be part of the World Test Championship, will be played in the coastal city of Galle from June 29 to July 3 and July 8-12.
The tour will be the second of three Test campaigns Australia will undertake in Asia in the space of 12 months, following the current tour of Pakistan and Tests in India early next year.
“We played some very competitive T20 internationals against Sri Lanka at home earlier this year and we are excited to tour there for the first time since 2016 in what is sure to be another terrific Test and white ball series,” said Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.
“There is no more challenging place to play cricket than on the subcontinent and this tour offers our players invaluable experience and another great opportunity to excel on the world stage.”
Australia last toured Sri Lanka in 2016, when they lost the three-match Test series 3-0, despite a record-breaking campaign from Mitchell Starc.
The Aussies then won the ODI leg of the tour, which was highlighted by a hat-trick to James Faulkner, before sweeping the T20 series 2-0, including a record-breaking century from Glenn Maxwell.
“We are in for some exciting cricket, especially considering that an Australian tour to Sri Lanka is taking place after (six) years, since last time they toured Sri Lanka (in 2016),” said SLC CEO, Ashley De Silva.
“The T20 Series will help our preparations for the T20I World Cup, whilst the Test and ODI segments are also competitions of immense value for us, as we aim to move through the ICC World Test Championship rankings and also gearing up for the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2023.”
Australia’s Tour of Sri Lanka, 2022
June 7: First T20, Colombo
June 8: Second T20, Colombo
June 11: Third T20, Kandy
June 14: First ODI, Kandy
June 16: Second ODI, Kandy
June 19: Third ODI, Colombo
June 21: Fourth ODI, Colombo
June 24: Fifth ODI, Colombo
June 29 - July 3: First Test, Galle
July 8-12: Second Test, Galle
-Agencies
