THE Australian cricket team will go to Sri Lanka next week to compete in a limited overs tournament, the Australian Cricket Board announced yesterday.
The board also announced that veteran wicketkeeper Ian Healy will captain the 13 man squad after regular skipper Mark Taylor pulled out earlier this week with a back injury.
South Australian left hander Darren Lehmann replaces Taylor in the squad while young West Australian Brad Hogg will replace star legspinner Shane Warne, who ruled himself out yesterday.
The decision to go ahead with the tour followed weeks of agonising over whether to cancel because of the continuing civil war in Sri Lanka. Australia boycotted its World Cup opener in Colombo in February after a bomb blast killed 90 people in the Sri Lankan capital.
However, foreign affairs department advice indicated an improvement in the situation since February.
After the Australian Cricket Board met in Melbourne on Friday, chief executive Graham Halbish flew to the team's training camp in Brisbane to inform the players of the decision.
Fate again has robbed Sri Lankans of the chance to see three of Australia's top players, Taylor, Warne and pace bowler Craig McDermott.
Taylor pulled out last week to have surgery on a painful disc, Warne withdrew to give himself time to recover from an operation on his main spinning finger and injury prone McDermott was told months ago he should rest so he would be fit to face the touring West Indians later in the summer.
