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SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND, Wednesday - Australia will play three Test matches, three one-day internationals and three four-day games on their tour of Sri Lanka which begins on August 18 and ends on October 30 according to a draft itinerary released by the Australian Cricket Board.

The three Test matches will begin with the first one from September 3 to 7, second from September 15 to 19 and the final Test from September 23 to 27. The one-day internationals will be on September 30, and October 2 and 3.

At the moment Australian cricket is in a bit of uncertainty with the retirement of Test captain Mark Taylor with a new captain to be named next Friday.

It will also be interesting to see the Australian squad that will be named to tour Sri Lanka. After putting the Lankan cricketers through the game's hell, Aussie cricketers such as Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Ian Healy and several others will not want to tour.

Sri Lanka's current tour for the Carlton and United one-day series has been a very uncomfortable and teasing one. The media here did not allow the cricketers to focus on their job ahead, instead kept unsettling them with irresponsible reporting of half truth and untruths.

The concerted campaign by the Australian media to undo the Lankans, climaxed with the noballing of Muthiah Muralitharan in Adelaide by Ross Emerson, one of the three umpires who called him on the previous tour.

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka must insist that the Aussies bring out their best possible team. If that is not possible, then the tour must be called off.

In the meantime Muthiah Muraliatharan's shoulder operation has been put off and will be done once the team arrives in Melbourne after consultation with specialist surgeons there.