3 key takeaways from Australia's squad for SL vs AUS 2025 Tests ft. Pat Cummins' absence

Australia announced their squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka on Thursday, January 9. The 16-member squad, led by Steve Smith, will tour Sri Lanka for two Tests, beginning on January 29.

Australia qualified for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) with a 3-1 home series win against India in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. They will face South Africa in the final at Lord's in June.

The Sri Lanka Test series will be their last ahead of the WTC final. While the series does not hold any significance from the WTC perspective anymore, both teams will be keen to put up strong performances nonetheless.

Australia's squad is an interesting one with some new names in the mix. Some of the regulars are missing out, but at the same time, it will be an opportunity for others to stake their claim.

That said, here are the three key takeaways from their squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

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#3 Pat Cummins' absence

All-rounder Pat Cummins has established himself as a solid captain in the recent past. He led Australia to a 3-1 series win against India, helping the side regain the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Cummins also led them to victory in the 2023 ODI World Cup, beating India in the final.

However, fresh off his successful campaign in the BGT 2024-25, Cummins has not been named in the Test squad to face Sri Lanka. The all-rounder is on paternity leave and will stay at home for the birth of his second child.

Steve Smith, former Australia captain, is set to lead the side once again in Cummins' absence. The visitors will not mind the all-rounder's absence as they have already qualified for the WTC final.

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#2 Cooper Connolly gets maiden Test call-up

Uncapped all-rounder Cooper Connolly has received his maiden Test call-up for the Sri Lanka tour. The 21-year-old is a left-handed batter and bowls slow left-arm spin as well. Notably, Connolly has already played for Australia in the white-ball formats. He played two ODIs and T20Is each last year.

Despite playing only four first-class games so far, his numbers with the bat have been impressive. He has scored 309 runs at an average of 61.80 with three half-centuries. Should he get an opportunity to make his Test debut, the left-hander will be keen to impress on the big stage.

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#1 No place for all-rounder Mitchell Marsh

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh was dropped for the final BGT 2024-25 Test against India in Sydney due to his poor form. He played four Tests and batted in seven innings but scored just 73 runs at an average of 10.42 in the five-match rubber.

Further, he bowled 33 overs and grabbed just three wickets at an average of 46.33. With Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins not in the squad, Marsh could have been a key member of the pace attack.

With Marsh left out, it has also given rise to speculation that this might be the end of the road for the all-rounder as far as Test cricket is concerned.

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Australia squad for Sri Lanka Test series

Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.