Test Cricket Tours - Australia to Sri Lanka 1982-83
Tour
of Sri Lanka 1982-83Captain: Greg Chappell
47th Test tour
First Test-playing tour
of Sri Lanka by Australia
(April - May
1983)
Sri Lanka showed the progress they had made in international
cricket by winning sensational victories in the first two one-day
internationals of the tour, the significance of which lay in the forthcoming
1983 World Cup in England.However, Sri Lankan hopes for the inaugural
Test match were soon dashed; by winning the toss and batting for two days
when the wicket was at its best, the Australians hammered them in the Test
match at Kandy.
Because
of a recent drought the ground staff at Kandy
worked tea leaves, the residue from local plantations, into the grass-bare pitch
and outfield to help preserve moisture.
Out of
ten consecutive tours since his debut in New Zealand in 1976-77, this was the
first that Kim Hughes had missed, allowing Greg Chappell to regain the
captaincy. Hughes first captained Australia
against Pakistan in Perth in 1979, and the
captaincy swopped between the two men eight times. However, during the tour
Greg Chappell said that, while he would be happy to continue as a player for
his country a little longer, he no longer relished the pressures of
leadership.
Roger Woolley
became the first Tasmanian representative to tour this century, and the first
Tasmania
player to appear in a Test match since their admission to the Sheffield
Shield.
Phil Ridings (South Australia,
chairman),Alan Davidson (New
South Wales), Lawrie Sawle
(Western Australia) and Ray Lindwall (Queensland) andGreg Chappell (captain) chose the team.
Under Australian Cricket Board regulations, the
serving Australian captain was also a selector.
Selection
The Australian Cricket
Board appointed Bert Rigg of Western
Australia as manager
Unavailable: Terry Alderman (shoulder
injury), Kim Hughes and Jeff Thomson, (both their wives expecting a baby),
Geoff Lawson (getting married); Rod Marsh (stated he needed to rest after an
arduous season); Len Pascoe (injury).
Out
of ten consecutive tours since his debut in New Zealand in 1976-77, it was
the first tour that Hughes had missed.
Tour Party Announced :3 March 1983.
Yallop
gained selection for the national side for the first time since November 1981,
having scored 1254 runs in the Sheffield Shield with a first-class average of
67.52.
Not selected : John Dyson,Robbie Kerr;Carl Rackemann.
Lillee seemed likely to
withdraw with a knee injury at one stage and Peter Clough the Tasmanian fast
bowler who took 41 wickets in the first-class season was standing by, but
Lillee passed his fitness test.
Time between selection and departure from Australia
38 days
(3 March - 10 April)
Travel
SydneyQSingaporeQColombo
On Sunday 10 April 1983 the
team flew from Sydney via Perth
to Singapore.
On the second leg of their
journey they flew out of Singapore and arrived in Colombo late on Monday night 11 April 1983.
Hundreds of fans behind wire fences witnessed their arrival at the airport as
the players boarded a coach for the Lanka Oberoi hotel in Colombo.
Time spent in Sri
Lanka
20 days
(11 April -1 May)
On-tour selection panel
Greg Chappell (captain), David Hookes (vice-captain), Allan Border.
Reinforcements
None.
Fixtures/Results
§ Colombo (PSS)
Sri Lanka (1st ODI)
Lost
2 w
§Colombo
(PSS)
Sri Lanka (2nd ODI)
Lost
4 w
Moratuwa
Sri
Lanka Board President's XI
Drawn
KANDY
SRI LANKATest Match
WON inns 38 r
§ Colombo (SSC)
Sri Lanka (3rd ODI)
No
result
§ Colombo (SSC)
Sri Lanka (4th ODI)
No
result
ϯColombo (SSC)
Sri Lanka(exhibition match)
Not
known
(PSS) P Saravannamuttu
Stadium, Colombo;(SSC)Sinhalese Sports Club
•David Hookes scored his maiden Test century,
143 not out in Kandy.
Tour Summary
P
W
L
D/NR
Aban
Test Matches
1
1
0
0
-
Other first-class matches
1
0
0
1
-
Minor matches
1
-
-
-
-
One-day internationals
4
0
2
2
-
All Matches
7
1
2
3
-
Return to Australia
ColomboQSydney
A CANZA (Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand
Association dinner dance was held at Hotel Oberoi to bid farewell to the
Australians and mark the end of Chappell's career as captain.
The
team left for home from Colombo at noon on Sunday
1 May 1983 and arrived home in Sydney
on Monday.