The Australian cricket team’s six-week tour in the midst of an economic crisis in Sri Lanka could have a positive spin. Sri Lanka Cricket on Monday (June 6) said all income from tickets for the three Twenty20s, five one-day internationals and two Test matches would be donated to public welfare initiatives.


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“These are tough times for our people,” SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva told reporters in Colombo. “We are indeed grateful to Cricket Australia and the Australian government for supporting this series despite the hardships we as a nation are facing.”


The island nation is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, barreling toward bankruptcy and saddled with foreign debt so big that it has no money left for basic imports. Sri Lankans are struggling to access the bare necessities like food, fuel, medicine and cooking gas.


Sri Lanka Cricket has already donated $2 million to the health sector to buy essential medicines. Cricket in Sri Lanka was played mostly in empty stadiums for two years during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, although a 50 per cent capacity crowd was allowed in for the test series against the West Indies in Galle last December.


The series will get started on Tuesday with a T20 match at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, and will be the first time Sri Lankan fans are allowed into venues for a limited-overs matches since the pandemic started. Tickets went on sale on Saturday and within five hours the T20s on Tuesday and Wednesday were sold out.


The T20 world champion Australians unveiled a formidable XI, including Steve Smith in the middle order at the expense of Josh Inglis, to take on Sri Lanka in the series-opening game.


Match Details


Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st T20


Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo


Date & Time: June 7 at 7 PM IST


Live Streaming and TV details: Sony Six and SonyLiv website and app


SL vs AUS Dream 11 Prediction


Wicketkeeper: Kusal Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa


Batters: Pathum Nissanka, Mitchell Marsh, David Warner


All-rounders: Wanindu Hasaranga, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar


Bowlers: Maheesh Theekshana, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood


Captain: Mitchell Marsh


Vice-Captain: Wanindu Hasaranga


SL vs AUS Probable Playing XI


Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha


Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood