By Lorenzo Di-Mauro Hayes, incoming ACS Journalism Scholar (mentored by The Footy Almanac‘s John Harms).
While never the most celebrated rivalry, the Australian-Sri Lankan series is one that has happened on a regular basis for the last few decades. Since the inception of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy for a two-Test series in Australia in 2007, the sides have competed in a Test series just under once every two and a half years.
However, a cloud covered this particular tour as the fight for that trophy may never occur again because of the proposals to add tiers in Test cricket. Depending on how exactly Test cricket is formatted, these two great cricketing nations may find themselves on opposite sides of a Grand Canyon of Test cricket, with no promotion and regulation allowing teams to cross. Nevertheless, the two Test matches held in Galle, a picturesque venue on any true cricket fan’s bucket list, taught us a little bit about this Australian team.
It also taught us quite a bit about the Sri Lankan team and Test cricket in general. No discussion of this tour would be complete without a mention of the mark Steve Smith reached during the first session of the First Test. After all the hype and anticipation, he was about to rush through a quick single off the first ball he faced in the First Test to score his 10,000th run in Test cricket. Arguably, the best since Bradman, Smith would have loved to bring it up on New South Wales soil, but thankfully the whole country could see it, as this became a rare international tour broadcast on a free-to-air channel, adding even more important elements of this tour.
Unfortunately, though, the series didn’t fully deliver. Sri Lanka, were a team who was within a shout of the World Test Championship Final not long before this series. Yet they didn’t show their recent form across the two Tests, especially in the first match when the Australians won by an innings and 242 runs, where we got to see the rare enforcement of the follow-on.
Despite constant questions around who should and who should not be in this Australian side, the team is still the best in the world, not the greatest advertisement for the eight other World Test Championship playing nations. More than anything else the series did show the versatility of the Australian side, this in spite of the fact Australia had seemed rather conservative in wanting to change the Test side too much.
Josh Inglis, playing in this series a month before his 30th birthday, made his debut in the Baggy Green. In his first innings he looked very comfortable playing for his nation, making a memorable 102. That is a boat he shares with Beau Webster who, while not amazing in this series with bat and ball, was excellent at times in the field. The bowling element to this team is a very similar story. Australia never plays multiple spinners, unless it is really forced to. Yet Matthew Kuhnemann looked good taking 16 wickets as an obvious stand out, though he was not able to celebrate for long after being reported for an alleged dodgy bowling action. He has been cleared since, yet another Joel Wilson controversy, it’s been a theme and pattern of the summer.
The question left to ask is where does this leave this Australian team? The World Test Championship Final will be played in June and there are a few different possibilities regarding who will play. I doubt the selectors will actually go this way but there is a case you don’t have to pick between one of Webster and a returning Cameron Green in this side. If you are willing to place Green at the top of the order, which was assumed to be the natural long-term place for him, Webster could easily retain his spot in the middle order. Though that does rely on discarding one of Usman Khawaja, who played a brilliant 232 in that First Test or Sam Konstas. If it did happen, this would give the amazing benefit of having two genuine all-rounders who are handy with the ball in hand. There is a great case for Boland over Starc on form, but especially on fitness, and while his English record wasn’t great in 2023, he was good in the last World Test Championship Final two years ago and South Africia does not play Bazball. If the last few years is any indicator though, don’t expect a team drastically different from the one we saw through the most of the summer to line up in the battle for the mace at Lord’s.
The most accurate way to describe this team is the best in the world despite not being its best version. The search for that best possible eleven will continue with a tour of the West Indies, which is not just important for getting Australia’s 2025-27 World Test Championship campaign off and running well, it the last chance to show some Baggy Green form before the Ashes. Konstas is still a likely candidate for the Ashes, even the Konstas who is trying to slog Boland out of the SCG because he is at least showing intent. Marnus Labuschagne probably needs to make multiple centuries in a row at Test level to remove all the concerns of his form and prove he deserves to stay at number three, though a few handy knocks will be enough for the selectors.
One thing that will need to be done at some point is a shift to a new generation. That new crop of talent will be trying to do something that Australia has done once in the last 50 years, win a Test series outright in India. That one series victory came in October and November of 2004. That’s why it was very disappointing not to see Konstas play in Sri Lanka. He like many young Australian batters, struggles against spin, so not playing him in spinning condition does make it fell like Australia is already 1-0 down in the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that will take place in India in two years’ time.
But there is something we could do right here at home. It would be so good to see a week in the Sheffield Shield, where we play out in the bush. Not only being good for those communities, but it would be great for preparation for India. Play on pitches, where the highest team score is 200, where spinners open, it would help this Australian team do the one thing they don’t do in Asia: win in India.
Australian Cricket Society’s literary scholar Lorenzo Di-Mauro Hayes is mentored by writer John Harms. His pieces are also published at www.footyalmanac.com.au .