I seemed to have made very few friends amongst the Sri Lankan cricket fans, who have thought me to be overly critical of the abilities, (or should I say inabilities) of our national team to cope with the hostilities down under.
Unfortunately for most, as the first test in Hobart concluded last week, I was proved right. However, I must record that we Sri Lankans should be proud of the valiant efforts of our boys, particularly in the second innings. Having being set a highly improbable target of 393, on a rapidly disintegrating track, the Lions did ever so well to take the game into the last hour of play on the fifth and final day. Many of the batsmen, including Angelo Mathew’swill bare several scars form deliveries that shot up straight off a good length, whilst the odd ball stooped below ankle height. When the flat lady eventually croaked, Sri Lanka were dismissed 137 short of the target, giving Michael Clarke and his men a well-deserved, and long awaited test victory after a couple of near misses against South Africa in their last series.
Going into the Melbourne Boxing Day test, let us first focus on the positives from Hobart. Tillekeratne Dilshan’s 147 was spectacular. If there was another significant contribution from the top four, they would have been able to minimise the Australian lead, which would have had a completely different complexion on the game. Mathews and Keeper Prasanna Jayawardena also showed good technique, particularly in the first innings to suggest that longer stubborn resistance on bouncy pitches are possible by the Lankan side contrary to wider opinion. Then, come the Aussie second innings, the visiting bowlers did extremely well to stem their progress as they looked to pile on the runs. Welegedera took three more wickets to add to his three in the first. Rangana Herath was once again the chief destroyer with 5/95, giving skipper Clarke some very anxious moments. There were also some moments of brilliance in the field. MahelaJayawardena’s diving effort to take Watson at slip off Welegedera in the first innings was an exceptional take. At 65/2 at stumps on the fourth day, Sri Lanka still had a semblance of hope to save the game. However,the movement and steep bounce on occasions extracted from Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle proved to be bit too hot to handle for the lower order, with the pair grabbing nine of the ten wickets to fall.
In the first innings, the Sri Lankan bowling attack collectively looked far too passive, with little pace to worry top quality batsmen of whom the Aussies possess. Speeds at 127 Kmph would rate at military medium at best. Rangana Herath, on these tracks will always come into the game only in the second innings. Unfortunately this time, Sri Lanka is likely to find itself already far behind. Dammika Prasad should be included for Melbourne as he is likely to be the quickest we have on tour. Kumar Sangakkara showed glimpses of his best in the second innings before falling LBW to a beauty from Siddle. The throng of Sri Lankan support that is sure to flood the ground will hope that either Mahela or Sangakkara goes on to make a big hundre, with scores of fifty and more to be scored by at least two of the other top order batsmen. This is probably the only way Sri Lanka would be able to stay in the game. If they are able to keep it even come the third morning, then the likes of Herath will really come in to play.
For Australia, Captain Michael Clarke’s hamstring injury remains the main concern. He is likely to be given till the very latest to prove his fitness. Clarke is in a rich vein of form and would not want to sit out, given the significance of the event on the sporting calendar as well. Mickey Arthur, the Australian coach has pulled out a rabbit out of the hat by opting to rest strike bowler Mitchell Starc. As surprising as it is, this will be some reprieve for the Sri Lankans. It has been confirmed that Tasmania quick Jackson Birdwill replace Starc in this game making him the 431st cricketer to don the baggie green. UsmanKhawaja has been drafted in as cover should Clarke come up short, with the rest of the line-up remaining the same. The MCG is one of many grounds the world over which uses a drop-in pitch, and there is likely to be some moisture and movement on the surface to be used. Should Sri Lanka win the toss, they should take the positive approach and look to post a score in excess of 400. This would to a great extent minimise the possibility of losing the game. There has been some talk in the rumour mill of Dilshan retiring form Tests, only for the opener to later quash those suggestions. Come twelve years ago, the Darrel Hair – Muralitharan ‘no-ball’ fiasco grabbed headlines the world over. The game itself has changed so much since then with much greater emphasis being made on strength and conditioning in what is now an ultra-professional era. Though cash rich leagues such as the IPL with the emergence of T20 have now marked a permanent place in the cricketing calendar, Test Match cricket still remains the purest and most challenging form of the game. Contests such as the recently concluded India-England series could not be a better advert for the longer format. In testing slow turning wickets that one would expect to favour the Indians proved to be their own undoing with Messrs Swann and Monty Panesar bamboozling the Indian batters in their own back yard. That is the beauty of Test cricket. You tour places where conditions are completely alien to you, and you adapt. Adapt well, or you lose. It is over 12 years since Sri Lanka hoisted the World Cup. Sadly, we are yet to assemble a side that can win consistently in places like Australia, England, and South Africa. Yes, we did win one test on the last tour to South Africa, but what since then? Let’s hope the 2012 Boxing Day test marks an upturn in Sri Lanka’s cricketing prowess just as it did twelve years ago.
