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Before arriving in Sri Lanka

The Australian cricket team will have a three-day residential camp in Brisbane from August 13 before they embark on a dual FOXTEL tour of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from August 16 to October 25.

The Australian team will be accompanied by five officials. The team, coached by Geoff Marsh, will be managed by Steve Bernard. The other officials in the tour party to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are Errol Alcott (Physiotherapist), David Misson (Fitness Advisor) and Mike Walsh (Cricket Analyst).

The first leg of Australia's FOXTEL tour will be to Sri Lanka and their 15-member one day squad will leave Brisbane on August 16 and will arrive in Colombo on the following day for a seven-week tour, which includes a Triangular one-day international series, followed by a three-Test series.

Sri Lanka, India and the new World Champions Australia will play each other twice in the Triangular series from August 22 before the top two teams advance to the flood-lit final to be played at the Premadasa Stadium on August 31. Of the 15 cricketers who will be in the Australian squad, there are only two players who were not in their World Champion squad in England - Jason Gillaspie and Andrew Symonds.

Seven players of the 15-member squad - Michael Bevan, Adam Gilchrist, Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Tom Moody, Paul Reiffel and Andrew Symonds, will go back to Australia after the three-nation tournament with Sri Lanka and India ends on August 31.

The remaining eight Australian players, including skipper Steven Waugh, will be joined by eight other players for the Test series which begins early September and ends on October 3 with the third Test. The eight Test players who will be joining the team in Colombo by August 31 are Stuart Blewett, Matthew Haydon, Ian Healey, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Stuart MacGill, Colin Miller and Michael Slater.

The 16-member Australian Test team will leave Colombo on October 6 and head for Harare to play a one-off Test and a three-match one day international series with Zimbabwe.

Steve Waugh and his men are due to return home after the dual tour on October 25.

Meanwhile, coach Davenell Whatmore has already left Lancashire and though he will be officially there by the end of this month, England 'cap' John Crowley has taken over Whatomore's role to function as captain cum coach. Reports said Whatmore did not travel to Blackpool, where Lancashire are currently playing Glamorgan in their four-day county championship match. Crawley is functioning as coach and will do so until end of this summer as Lancashire officials have not named a coach for the rest of this season.

Whatmore is due in Colombo on July 31 to resume duties as Sri Lanka national coach.

Lancashire's overseas player this season, Muttiah Muralitharan too could play just one more English county championship match (next week) this season as he is due to return home by early next month to join the 30-member Sri Lanka pool training for the One-day tournament and the Test series.