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Australian announce Test squad for tour of Sri Lanka

Moises Henriques should be on the plane to the Champions Trophy. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
24th May, 2016
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Australia have announced their squad for the Test matches during their tour of Sri Lanka coming up in June.

The full fixtures for the three-Test and limited overs tour of Sri Lanka can be found here.

Mitchell Starc will make his return to Test cricket for Australia, having sat out games towards the end of the summer due to injury. However, his arrival comes at the cost of a few other key pace bowlers.

The full squad is:

Australian squad for Tour of Sri Lanka
Steve Smith (c)
David Warner (v-c)
Jackson Bird
Joe Burns
Nathan Coulter-Nile
Josh Hazlewood
Moises Henriques
Usman Khawaja
Nathan Lyon
Mitchell Marsh
Shaun Marsh
Peter Nevill
Stephen O’Keefe
Mitchell Starc
Adam Voges

Among the big outs is big quick James Pattinson, who is still recovering from a back injury he picked up during the Australian summer. Australian physiotherapist David Beakley said that Pattinson would sit out the foreseeable future.

“James experienced lower back pain during the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch and was given some time to rest. Unfortunately, his back pain continued during this time and after further investigation, it confirmed that he has had a recurrence of a back stress fracture.

“James will continue to spend the winter recovering from this injury, at which point we hope to have a clearer view of timelines for his return to play.”

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Peter Siddle is also missing along with Chadd Sayers, and they’ve added in bowling cover in the form of Moises Henriques and Steve O’Keefe, who is likely to play if Australia choose to run with two spinners in conducive conditions. Nathan Coulter-Nile is also in the team, but whether he can win a spot over Starc and Jackson Bird will be an interesting one.

Henriques thrived last time he was in subcontinental conditions, so you have to wonder whether his selection is as much due to the conditions as it is the player, who has been out with injury since the Big Bash League.

Rod Marsh was pleased with the troops available to him, and was confident they could cover the loss of key pace bowlers.

“Henriques comes into the squad to give the flexibility of an additional all-rounder option, having already shown he plays and adapts well to spin-friendly conditions. He has been working hard on his fitness and we believe he is in prime condition to serve us well should he be selected to play.

“Jackson Bird and Nathan Coulter-Nile join the squad and will give us good control and pace. Jackson had an impressive Sheffield Shield season and showed skill with reverse swing in the last Test match in New Zealand earlier this year. He’s playing in England at the moment and we’re confident this will build his skills to assist the squad if he is selected in Sri Lanka.

“Stephen O’Keefe will complement Nathan Lyon and plays an important role in the subcontinent if he’s selected in the final XI. We know his ability, he takes wickets continually in first class cricket and he impresses when we select him to play Test cricket.”

The limited overs squads are still to be announced, with the team to play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s.

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