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Sri Lanka vs Australia 2024/25, SL vs AUS 2nd Test Match Report, February 06 – 10, 2025

Toss Sri Lanka won the toss and will bat first against Australia

Left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly will make his Test debut for Australia on a dry surface expected to produce significant turn as Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bat in the second Test in Galle.

The 21-year-old Connolly becomes the fourth debutant for Australia in as many Tests and replaces offspinner Todd Murphy from the side that thrashed Sri Lanka in the series-opener by an innings and 242 runs.

Connolly is wicketless from 96 deliveries in four first-class matches, but he adds another left-arm orthodox option alongside Matthew Kuhnemann on a surface set to spin sharply from the get go. The pitch for this match is different from the slow surface used in the first Test.

Allrounder Beau Webster, who can bowl seam and offspin, has kept his spot and Australia’s batting depth has strengthened with Connolly, who averages 61.80 in his fledgling first-class career, listed at No. 8.

Even though their chances of regaining the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy are over, Sri Lanka hope for a strong bounce back from their biggest ever defeat in Test cricket and they’ve made three changes.

They have been boosted by the return of opener Pathum Nissanka, who has recovered from a groin injury and replaces Oshada Fernando. Offspinner Ramesh Mendis returns for his first Test match since the New Zealand series last September with legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay omitted, while fellow offspinner Nishan Peiris retaining his place despite going wicketless from 41 overs in the series-opener.

Once again the players will be confronted by stifling humidity, but clear conditions are expected through the match after stormy weather affected parts of the first Test.

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Nishan Peiris, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Beau Webster, 8 Cooper Connolly, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Matthew Kuhnemann, 11 Nathan Lyon

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