Australia confirm tour to Sri Lanka in July

Cricket Australia have confirmed that the national side will tour Sri Lanka at the end of July this year and play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is.

The Tests will be played in Pallekele, Galle and Colombo and it will be the first time since 2011 that the Aussies will play in the longest format on Sri Lanka soil.

On that occasion the tourists won the three-match one-nil under the leadership of Michael Clarke but only three players, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle and Usman Khawaja, of Australia's most recent Test side have experience of

playing in the Asian country.

Australia opening batsman Joe Burns said: "Playing spin in Australia, some of the southern states, for example Sydney, you might come across spinning conditions, but when you're facing world-class spinners in their own backyard on turning wickets, it's a different proposition.

"Potentially there are different game plans. I've played enough now in a lot of different countries that you can go into a country with an idea of how the game of cricket is played, but you get there and realise there's totally new fields (set) you haven't seen before, and they're trying to get you out in different ways with different tactics.

"I've never been to Sri Lanka. (There's) some preconceived ideas of what the conditions might be like, but I'm open-minded and looking to learn and improve my game as much as I can."

Australia's tour of Sri Lanka:

July 26-30 – 1st Test, Kandy

August 4-8 – 2nd Test, Galle

August 13-17 – 3rd Test, Colombo

August 21 – 1st ODI, Colombo

August 24 – 2nd ODI, Colombo

August 28 – 3rd ODI, Dambulla

August 31 – 4th ODI, Dambulla

September 4 – 5th ODI, Kandy,

September 6 – 1st T20, Kandy

September 9 – 2nd T20, Colombo