Sri Lanka Cricket Board president Upali Dharmadasa gave this assurance after a meeting he and some of his Board officials had with the new Australian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka David Richie on Tuesday.
``The response we got from the High Commissioner was very good. I am more than 100 percent confident Australia will come,'' said Dharmadasa.
``Reports from the Australian Cricket Board indicate they want to go ahead with the tour. Right throughout, the only obstacle has been the security of their players,'' said Dharmadasa.
``The High Commission, we believe has given clear reports about it to the ACB,'' he said.
Security for all four participating teams in the four-nation Singer World Series will be ``very tight'', according to the Cricket Board chief, who did not want to reveal details.
Host Sri Lanka, India and Zimbabwe are the other countries taking part in the two-week tournament which begins on August 26. The final is scheduled for September 7.
The ACB is to take a final decision on the short tour to Sri Lanka on Friday.
According to Dharmadasa, Australia are due to arrive on Monday (August 19). Zimbabwe are expected on August 22 and India on August 23.
In February this year, Australia forfeited their Wills World Cup match against Sri Lanka following the Central Bank bomb blast.
Australia however met Sri Lanka at a neutral venue in the final played at Lahore and were beaten by seven wickets.
Cricket relations between the two countries soured during Sri Lanka's tour to Australia last year when the tourists were accused of ball tampering and their key spinner Muthiah Muralitharan was called for throwing.
According to Dharmadasa, Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga and manager Duleep Mendis have indicated that they are prepared to 'forgive and forget' the incidents that took place on that tour and go ahead with the cricket.
A great responsibility lies with the Sri Lankan cricketing public too and, the manner in which they conduct themselves during the Singer World Series tournament, especially against Australia.
For all the wrongs they may have done to the Sri Lankans, one thing that must be clearly understood by everyone is that Australia have always been our ally. Without the support of the ACB, Sri Lanka cricket today would not be where it is now.
Unknowingly, it was the treatment Australia meted out to Sri Lanka during their tour 'Down Under' that toughened them up and enabled them to beat the rest of the world and become World Cup champions.
Over the years it was the support given by Australia that has helped in the progress of Sri Lanka as a cricket nation. They have not only provided us with some of their top coaches like Peter Philpott and Bruce Yardley, but also sent their junior sides and Academy teams to play here. During Sri Lanka's barren five-year period between 1987 and 1991 when no Tests could be played here due to the situation in the country, it was Australia who invited us for Test tours there in 1987-88 and 1989-90.
Presently, Australians have played a prominent role in the success of Sri Lanka cricket with Dav Whatmore and Alex Kountouri being employed by the Cricket Board as coach and physio respectively of the national team. They have also benefited by the visits of strength training specialist Richard Done, exercise physiology expert Richard Walsh, who is currently with the squad and biomechanics specialist, John Harmer.
Within the next three years Australia are due to tour Sri Lanka twice in August/September 1998 and again in August/September 1999 for a full series of three Tests and three one-day internationals. In the same period Sri Lanka are due to tour Australia in 1998-99 to take part in the triangular series.
These commitments alone show how useful Australia is to develop Sri Lanka cricket in the future. Let's not sully it by some foolhardy act.