“We’ll have a bowl”…. I nearly fell off my chair when under fire skipper Steve Smith opted to put Sri Lanka in to bat after winning the toss in the first one day international.
Having been completely outplayed in the Test series where they were whitewashed 3-zip, you would have thought that Smith & co would have been averse to batting last on the spin friendly surfaces over here, whatever the format. Some share the sentiment that putting in the opposition to bat emanates from a defensive mindset. Given their gross inadequacies in the longer format that preluded this series, one could’ve pardoned Smith for having this outlook. However, to the contrary, I believe the Aussie Captain just threw down the gauntlet to the home side. As if to say, this is a new day, a new series, and we back ourselves to beat you.
As things panned out last Sunday, Australia came out with the win, but only just. You could argue that to a great extent, Sri Lanka contributed to their own downfall. Midway through their innings, they were sitting pretty at 124/2 before Kusal Mendis’ attacking instincts got 
the better of him. Mathews and De Silva followed in quick succession and from there on the hosts were struggling to keep their head above water. In the end, they labored to 227, which was never going to be enough. Sri Lanka would have been hoping that the spin ghosts from the Test series would still haunt the Aussies. However, they were playing against a largely new contingent of players, not tainted by that thrashing. David Warner’s disappointing tour continued as he was out to the innocuous seamers of Thisara Perera. But Aaron Finch just took the game away from us. The intent of the Aussie batsmen was very clear – make the most of it, when the ball was new and hard. That quick fire 56 by Finch took the pressure completely off the visitors, and gave Steve Smith the benefit of time to settle in. The middle order also chipped in with Mathew Wade, and former skipper George Bailey making valuable contributions. The wickets of Smith and Bailey, which fell against the tide gave Sri Lanka a sniff, but nothing more.
Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner guided the ship to safety. It was probably only fitting that Starc be at the crease when the winning runs were scored, to cap off the perfect day that also saw him becoming the fastest to 100 international wickets in one-dayers.
Sri Lanka were left to ponder what went wrong, and what might have been. They will also have to reconsider their playing eleven. For the world of me, I don’t see why you would pick Thisara Perera. He broke into the international scene full of promise, but has stagnated at a bits and bobs type of cricketer. He will perhaps give you about 20 quick fire runs, or nothing at all, caught attempting an ugly slog. He may get you a few wickets with his bowling, but they certainly won’t come cheaply. I see him as more a 20-20 specialist. Further, we need an out ‘n out quick to add some variety to our attack. Someone like Chameera would have been ideal, though I believe he’s still nursing an injury. Lasith Malinga was recently spotted at a net session, so who knows.
There’s also the case of T.M Dilshan. How long would he prolong his international career? When would be the right time to go? What I vehemently believe is that given the yeoman service rendered to Sri Lankan cricket, Dilshan should be given the privilege to go out on his own terms. I hope he picks the right time to fall on his own sword, rather than make the cardinal mistake of playing too long and forcing the hand of the powers that be.
On the bright side, I thought Aponso showed tremendous promise. Along with Sandakan, and the likes of Vandersay waiting in the wings, Sri Lanka’s spin reserves look quite healthy. It’s the fast bowling arsenal that is a worry, which becomes a massive part of the equation when playing outside Asia.
The second game gets underway today at the same venue. Australia will be buoyed being one up. It will be interesting to see if they play an unchanged side. It’s quite baffling to think that Shaun Marsh has to carry the drinks after scoring a century in the last Test match. He just might get the nod. Angelo Mathews will hope to quickly diminish the set back of the first game. Would Dhanushka Gunathilaka get an opportunity at the top of the order, with Kusal Janith slipping down to number 3? It remains to be seen. Also, what about the prospect of young Avishka Fernando, fresh from a hugely successful under 19 tour of England? Playing Australia first up may seem like a baptism of fire, but it would be immensely beneficial to his development as an international cricketer.
From a spectator’s point of view, I just hope the ground staff provide a better playing surface. It was a slow pitch which kept low for most parts with the odd delivery getting big on the batsman; exactly what you don’t want to see in a one-day game. The Australians have been grumbling about the pitches all tour. I felt that just this once they were justified.
So, the loss to Australia on Sunday proved to be the only blip last weekend. Not too sure if any of them watched their rugby union counterparts get absolutely hammered the previous day in Sydney. The All Blacks ran down six tries as they took the Wallabies apart. Australia were simply awful. They looked like they haven’t played together for a day. What’s worse, they kept losing key players to injury. Matt Giteau, Toomua, and Rob Horne were all back in the hut within the first half, forcing replacement half-back Nick Phipps to play out on the wing. The game was an absolute shambles really. I’m hoping they will find some fight for the return game in Wellington this coming Saturday.
Hopefully Sri Lanka would have got their act together by then, and we will have the Aussies back on the mat – a joyously familiar sight over the last month.
