Australia’s Head Coach, Andrew McDonald has tested positive for COVID ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. McDonald will miss the first week of the tour which means that he won’t be part of the team for the first T20I on June 7. He couldn’t fly with the team and will be in quarantine for seven days. He will be available for the second game on the very next day.
In his absence, assistant coach Michael Di Venuto will take the responsibility. Venuto will be assisted by Spin bowling coach S Sriram and former Australian medium-pacer, Clint McCay. The duo will be part of the team till the T20I and ODI series respectively. This is McDonald’s first assignment as a full-time coach as he was working as an interim coach during the Pakistan tour.
He has taken over from Justin Langer, who resigned from the job earlier this year. Talking about the tour, the Aussies will play a three-match T20I series. The first two games will be played in Colombo on June 7 and 8. After this, the team will travel to Pallekele, where the last T20I and the first two ODI games will be played. These games will be played on June 11, 14, and 16. The team will play a five-match series.
After the first two ODIs in Pallekele, the teams will return to Colombo for the remaining three games. These matches will be played on 19, 21, and 24. The tour will conclude with two Tests in Galle. The first game will start on June 28 and the second on July 8. The T20I series will be the preparation for both teams with the 20-20 World Cup scheduled to be played later this year.
Both teams will be looking two build their teams for the showpiece event. The Tests will be part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle 2021-23. Currently, the Pat Cummins-led side is leading the table with five wins in eight games. On the other hand, Sri Lanka is at number four position with three wins in six games.
