Smith added to Australia line-up for key Pallekele fixture

Steve Smith has been officially added to Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup and will be available for Monday’s match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

The 36-year-old had been travelling with the team as cover after captain Mitchell Marsh was struck in the groin last week and suffered “testicular bleeding”. Smith’s inclusion comes as a late change to the squad, replacing fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.

Reasons for the late change Selection context

Hazlewood was previously ruled out on the eve of the tournament and initially was not replaced. With several fitness uncertainties within the squad, management decided to activate Smith so he could be considered for selection if needed.

Selector Tony Dodemaide said: “With Steve here, along with some uncertainty around Mitch and Marcus Stoinis, it made sense he is activated and available for selection in time for the match, if required.”

Smith’s recent form and T20 record

Smith has not featured in a T20 international for Australia since February 2024. Domestically, he returned strong form after the Ashes, scoring a century and two fifties in six Big Bash matches in January.

In T20 internationals Smith averages 24.86 with a strike-rate of 125.45.

Australia’s position in the tournament Results so far

• Australia beat Ireland by 67 runs in their opening match.
• They were bowled out for 146 in a 23-run loss to Zimbabwe.
• Prior to the World Cup they suffered a 3-0 series defeat by Pakistan.

What this match means

Australia’s progression to the Super 8s is not secure. A defeat to Sri Lanka, combined with a Zimbabwe win over Ireland, would eliminate them from the tournament. To improve their chances, they may need victories in both remaining group games and to rely on net run-rate.

In This Story: Australia

Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world’s sixth-largest country by total area.

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Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel.

Geopolitically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As of 2016, 4.8 million people live in the Republic of Ireland, and 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

The Irish climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate, and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

A strong Irish culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music and the Irish language. The island’s culture shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, and golf.

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Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It has a population exceeding 212.2 million, including the world’s second-largest Muslim population. It has an area of 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles).

Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.

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Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. Sri Lanka has been called “the pearl of the Indian ocean” because of its shape and location.

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The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, immediately after Australia’s 1882 victory at The Oval, its first Test win on English soil.

The competition alternates between England and Australia, who host every two years (this varies a little based on the Southern Hemisphere having summer during Northern Hemisphere’s winter), the Ashes is a series of five Test matches, which are each played over five days.

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In This Story: Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa known for its dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas. On the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls make a thundering 108m drop into narrow Batoka Gorge, where there’s white-water rafting and bungee-jumping. Downstream are Matusadona and Mana Pools national parks, home to hippos, rhinos and birdlife.

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