Big boost for Australia as stand-in captain Steve Smith gets cleared for Sri Lanka tour

Steve Smith was injured in the BBL game against Sydney Thunder.

Australia have received a massive boost as their stand-in captain Steve Smith has been cleared to play ahead of their two-match test series against Sri Lanka.

Smith had sustained a blow to his right elbow while fielding against the Sydney Thunder in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2024-25. The 35-year-old recently returned to form, ending his year-long century drought with back-to-back hundreds against India in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Earlier, Smith was named captain for the Sri Lanka tour as Pat Cummins is unavailable due to the expected birth of his second child.

Big boost for Australia as stand-in captain Steve Smith gets cleared for Sri Lanka tour

The star middle-order batter will join the Australian squad ahead of the first test against Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia announced on Monday.

The No. 4 batter underwent a specialist medical review and has been cleared to rejoin the test squad. He will travel to Dubai to begin his preparation for the two-match test series.

Smith’s availability will provide huge relief to the Australian camp. The New South Wales batter is among the best players of spin in the world and will play a vital role for Australia in the Sri Lanka series, which will be their last test series before the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 final against South Africa.

Following the test series in Sri Lanka, Australia will play two ODIs in the Island Nation before traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Smith was also Australia’s highest run-scorer in the 2017 Champions Trophy, where the team was eliminated in the group stage.

Australia’s test squad for Sri Lanka tour:

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

Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka test series fixtures:

January 29 to February 2 – Galle – 10:00 AM IST 04:30 AM GMT / 10:00 AM LOCAL

February 6 to February 10 – Galle – 10:00 AM IST 04:30 AM GMT / 10:00 AM LOCAL

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