3 minute read

We head around the globe for more international cricketing challenges and the next stop is to the beauty of Sri Lanka.

Racing and Sports will cover the tests and provide a gamble or two which might add to the viewing pleasure.

SRI LANKA v AUSTRALIA

Second Test

8 July - 12 July @ Galle

Boy - that escalated quickly! I mean that really got out of hand fast.

Ron Burgundy may not have been thinking about 22 yards near the southern coast of an island nation but it summed it up perfectly.

Some of the batting, from both sides at stages but mainly the home team, was straight out of U-15s. Sri Lanka batted for the small measure of 81.5 overs. That is the entirety of the match – not just one day.

You could swear the second dig looked more like a T20 fixture. We were waiting for the power play for a while. Test cricket has been criticised for being too staid at times. The last six months or so has seen some weird and wonderful things.

Can you imagine William Morris Lawry or Geoffrey Boycott or even Kumar Sangakkara viewing some of the strokes played. The broadest of yorkie accents would be offering 'Bat properly' and 'play straight' were Boycott to be commentating.

However the Galle pitch from Day 1 was turning. Nay it wasn't turning, it was doing whatever twice as much as that computes as. But that can be cricket in these parts – the whirling of the ball off the deck is just the same as it is through the air in other parts of the world. Deal with it batters.

All that does is completely justify the commendation of the efforts of Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja in the main. They individually batted for 336 minutes – Sri Lanka as a team over two innings could only muster 390.

And it wasn't so much that they survived it was that they survived with some class without being reckless. Khawaja was reverse sweeping but he cut and drove well too. Even more so with Green and his use of his feet.

In just his 13th test it was his application that took the game from anyone's to only one's. While he is just to reach that three figures, he is showing more poise now than ever.

Those struggles early against England could have eroded confidence. But he was prepared to listen and learn. Apparently Ricky Ponting noticed some tinkering was required. Tinkering has led to rethinking by rivals.

Excellent on that seamer in Hobart when others failed, he was very solid in Pakistan and now superb again. For a big man the use of his feet is exceptional. And running between wickets had been a curse.

Noticeably he got bogged down in those first few tests. Perhaps it was nerves, perhaps it was a lack of understanding the moment or even just not doing what was needed, Green would defend and just stay rooted to the crease.

He was conspicuously looking to rotate the strike this time, making it hard for the bowler to get consecutive looks at him and also adding to frustration. Turning the strike over also helped his partners not feel they needed to do the scoring and in turn get themselves out.

In Khawaja he had an ally at the top of his craft. He won't have a streak in his career this good again. Since his return in Sydney from the three year hiatus, he's made 822 runs @ 117 including the not outs.

He does have to work on one thing. He is slower out of the blocks than Chautauqua when running between wickets. Whose ever fault the Steve Smith run out was, it became more complicated as Usman was astride the popping crease.

The other noteworthy measure of the Australian batting was Alex Carey (oh for 5 more runs my dear man). He came to the crease with still plenty of work needed at 5-157. He literally swept every one of his first 16 balls – EVERY ONE.

There were conventional ones, reverses, backhands and lofteds as well. It was a master class. Surely next time the locals will throw it up and make him come to them. Playing in the V cost him his wicket.

It is hard to be complimentary about much of the Sri Lankan batting by comparison. Not aided by Angelo Mathews Covid +ve it must be said, the rest had no fight in the locker.

Dickwella played plenty of shots as they saw that as the means to an end. But eventually he succumbed to Nathan Lyon as did four others in the first innings and three others in the second.

Lyon bowled well and Swepson did his job. It was Travis Head who was the wildcard in the last 10 overs of the match. Murali himself would have been proud of the side spin he was achieving.

Even if that will never be repeated it likely means there is no need for Australia to play three spinners as Sri Lanka did.

They have made changes to turn the tide and that is necessary in a short series. Embuldeniya is dropped with new spinners set on the turning path. Those are uncapped as well but maybe it is time to try a few things.

The disappointment for the home team was a chase of anything beyond 150, even 120, was a task that both teams could rationalise with favouritism. With wickets falling in clumps, someone would still have to play the innings and the tail would be chicken feed.

Four balls and one into the stands was enough for Warner to end it all. Dissatisfaction abounded for the Sri Lankans with discomfort amongst broadcasters trying to fill another two and a half days of dead air.

But back we go again for a second test match at the scene of that hazard for the batsman. Will there be instruction to make this flatter and taking less turn? Or just let things fly and hope the Australians can't do that again?

Suspect Hazlewood could get a game this time around. Starc got some swing but nothing dramatic. Mind you the first dig only got to 59 overs so little chance he had to garner reverse. That said Asitha Fernando was tailing them late to knock over 9 and Jack.

This game is completely on the Sri Lankan batting line up. If they play with such open abandon and looseness, they will yield almost as quickly. Pat Cummins must like this captaincy dig but even more so when he had to bowl 12 overs in a test.

They are capable of scoring well and truly more and containing the guests to much less. A fast game was not a good game for some and it might be similar this time around.

One gets the feeling that Steve Smith was annoyed as much about being run out as he was that he was in the mood to using his feet as those who did prospered and those who didn't subsided.

He has played well here before and is due a good score without a Test hundred for over a year despite seven half centuries since.

Given the way he is bowling and the amount he will bowl, you have to think Nathan Lyon will get the bounty again so we'll back him with the pill. The skipper will go to him more if, and when needed the most.

And so maybe the second test will go the same way as the opening salvo did. There are many ways Anchorman is appropriate (and/or inappropriate) but while 60% of the time it works every time, 100% of the time you will need to sweep at Galle. If you can't sweep, you'll fall in a heap.

Suggested Bets: Steve Smith High Bat 1st Innings @ $4.00

Suggested Bets: Steve Smith 50+ 1st Innings @ $2.40

Suggested Bets: Nathan Lyon High Wicket Taker 1st Innings @ $3.25

Suggested Bets: Nathan Lyon +2.5 wickets 1st Innings @ $1.80