AUS vs SL: Travis Head replaces young prodigy Konstas as opener

GALLE: Australia announced that Travis Head will replace the young prodigy Sam Konstas, who recently debuted for the Australian men’s team against India, for the first Test match against Sri Lanka (AUS vs SL).

The first Test of the series between Australia and Sri Lanka (AUS vs SL) is scheduled to begin on Wednesday (today) at the Galle International Stadium.

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The decision comes despite the young prodigy’s commendable performance during the recent series against India, where he played a crucial role in helping Aussies secure a historic win. The 19-year-old played admirably against giants such as Jasprit Bumrah.

The Australia vice-captain, Steve Smith, defended the decision by detailing Travis Head’s skillset. He also cited Head’s previous performance playing on South Asian soil as the primary reason to switch the players.

The Aussie vice-captain may have also taken Konstas’s inexperience against Sri Lankan bowlers into account when making the switch. Smith talked about adapting to the Galle pitch, which is expected to favour spin bowlers.

The Kangaroos enter the Test series on the back of a successful campaign against India, where they clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 3-1 series victory.

The win will serve as an effective crutch as the Australians aim to continue their win streak against another South Asian team.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is eager to rebound following a disappointing run in their recent tours of South Africa and New Zealand.

In their previous encounters, the Kangaroos have maintained a strong performance and win-streak against Sri Lanka in Test matches. The former has won 20 out of 33 matches against the South Asian team.

However, Sri Lanka has proven to be a formidable opponent on home turf, having secured 7 wins out of 18 Test matches played in their country.

The Galle International Stadium has seen Australia win 3 out of 6 Tests against Sri Lanka, hinting at a perfectly balanced showdown to tip the scales.

In terms of squad composition, Australia is expected to field a formidable lineup: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith alongside Travis Head and Sam Konstas.

The bowling attack is likely to feature Mitchell Stare, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland.

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Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will have to rely on key players such as Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis to spearhead their batting efforts. The team is currently facing injury concerns, particularly with opener Pathum Nissanka, which could greatly impact the tide of the match.

As both teams prepare for their first Test, tune in to to catch the AUS vs SL action live!