daytrader
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Lunch Day 1- SL 68/2 (27)
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[VIDEOS] Australia tour of Sri Lanka (2022)
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Ab Fan
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Shouldn't Maxwell have played instead of Cameron Green given the subcontinent type conditions. Maxwell has made good grounds in his bowling department too over last year or so.
Mesozoic
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Two in two for Swepson. Sri Lanka in deep trouble.
But i think 200+ is a match winning 1st innings total on this wicket. Aussie batters will find it tough against Sri Lankan spin trio.
But i think 200+ is a match winning 1st innings total on this wicket. Aussie batters will find it tough against Sri Lankan spin trio.
Nikhil_cric
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Lyon just hasn't been the same bowler since India toured Australia in 2020/21
Mobashir
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Yes, the world turns around Indian cricket also.
Mobashir
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Good start from the aussies.
Even if the pitch is turning, I am quite sure Australian will battle hard and not give it away.
Even if the pitch is turning, I am quite sure Australian will battle hard and not give it away.
Nikhil_cric
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Day 1: 3rd Session - Australia trail by 173 runs
SL 212
AUS 39/0 (8.1) CRR: 4.78
SL 212
AUS 39/0 (8.1) CRR: 4.78
Mesozoic
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Ordinary bowling from Sri Lanka. Aussie openers off to a great start.
And Warner goes...
And Warner goes...
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Mesozoic
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Sri Lanka have pulled things back with those two absolute gift of wickets by Smith and Labu.
Usman is the key now. If he goes early tomorrow Sri Lanka can actually get a handy first innings lead. Maybe 40-50 runs...wicket is doing all sorts of things once the ball gets old.
Usman is the key now. If he goes early tomorrow Sri Lanka can actually get a handy first innings lead. Maybe 40-50 runs...wicket is doing all sorts of things once the ball gets old.
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Smith and Usman comedy
sweep_shot
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Aussies are ahead after Day 1.
Typical Galle pitch. Spinners took most of the wickets.
Typical Galle pitch. Spinners took most of the wickets.
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A late run out that left Steve Smith fuming has soured an otherwise strong start to Australia's Test campaign in Sri Lanka as Nathan Lyon exploited a spin-friendly Galle pitch.
On a flint-dry surface on which balls regularly exploded with puffs of dust through the series' opening day, Lyon (5-90) bowled towards the ramparts of the stunning Dutch fort virtually unchanged for 25 overs to see Sri Lanka dismissed for 212 in the final session.
The Aussies then knocked over close to half the deficit in just 25 overs as Usman Khawaja (47no) took advantage of some sloppy Sri Lankan bowling and fielding to take his side to 3-98 at the close of play.
Niroshan Dickwella (58 off 59 balls) launched a sweep-a-thon to underpin the hosts' first dig in a blazing half-century that may prove vital in a Test that looks certain to be more of a good time than a long time.
But the wicketkeeper's grassing of a straightforward stumping chance off Khawaja, on 36 when he advanced to Ramesh Mendis (2-35) and missed a drive, could undo some of his good work.
Dickwella was front and centre again following a monumental mix-up between Smith and Khawaja that saw the pair, amid a noisy lbw appeal, get within handshake distance of one another mid-pitch before Smith scrambled back in vain.
The star right-hander, his shirt soiled from his desperate dive back into his crease, waved his arms about in a wide-eyed rage as he walked past Khawaja on his way off the ground.
Travis Head was unbeaten at the other end at stumps on six not out, with the Aussies behind by 114 runs.
Mitchell Swepson (3-55) had earlier ended a 514-ball streak without a Test wicket by taking two in as many balls to crack open Sri Lanka's middle-order and leave them reeling five down before they had reached 100.
The Australian spinners went at close to four runs per over, though skipper Pat Cummins might take that given they took all but two of the Sri Lankan wickets to fall.
Cummins used DRS shrewdly to see the back of Ramesh Mendis and would certainly have been pleased with a series of superb catches taken that ensured regular breakthroughs were made.
David Warner took three, the best an athletic grab diving forward from second slip off Angelo Mathews when the other fielders around the bat were appealing for an lbw, while wicketkeeper Alex Carey also snared a sharp chance to remove dangerman Dickwella.
Khawaja capped it off with a diving grab at mid-wicket to hand Lyon his 20th career five-wicket haul in the final session.
Warner was batting in a floppy hat by the start of the third over of Australia's reply as the hosts used four different bowlers in as many overs to begin their bowling innings.
The visiting openers added 47 in just nine overs and while Khawaja, on 13, successfully overturned an lbw off Mendis, Warner did not bother sending his upstairs when the off-spinner hit him on the back pad to give his side a wicket against the run of play.
Marnus Labuschagne reverse-swept one straight to backward point before Smith departed to leave the Aussies at 3-83, before Khawaja and Head steadied.
Armed with the knowledge that the toss-winning side has lost just four of the last 15 Tests at Galle, Dimuth Karunaratne elected to bat after early monsoonal squalls gave way to piercing morning sunshine.
While it was pace that had accounted for Sri Lanka's two first-session wickets as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins both found the outside edge, it was abundantly clear the duo were to take a backseat to the Australian tweakers.
The first ball of spin bowled in the match was an ominous warning as Lyon spun and bounced one so extravagantly past Karunaratne's outside edge that it clattered into the helmet of Carey.
It was the kind of unplayable turn Kumar Sangakkara must have wished Lyon, who famously dismissed the star left-hander with his first ball in international cricket at the same ground and from the same end 11 years ago, had gotten instead of the one he edged to slip.
Swepson by comparison started with a nervy one down leg but found his groove to remove Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal in consecutive balls, posing a constant threat as he and Lyon sliced through the hosts' middle-order.
The enterprising Dickwella needed just 42 balls to reach his 21st Test half-century (the most by a Test batter who has never scored a ton) and played the shot of the day with a daring 'Dilscoop' off Cummins.
Shane Warne, who had helped rebuild the seaside ground in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, was honoured before play with a commemorative plate presented to Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley.
And the uber-aggressive late leg-spinner, who had taken his 500th Test wicket at the venue only months before it was decimated by the devastating waves, would have been satisfied with the breakneck speed of the opening day's play that saw 13 wickets fall and runs scored at a rate of 3.69 per over.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mat...ighlights-wtahc-live-stream-scores/2022-06-29
On a flint-dry surface on which balls regularly exploded with puffs of dust through the series' opening day, Lyon (5-90) bowled towards the ramparts of the stunning Dutch fort virtually unchanged for 25 overs to see Sri Lanka dismissed for 212 in the final session.
The Aussies then knocked over close to half the deficit in just 25 overs as Usman Khawaja (47no) took advantage of some sloppy Sri Lankan bowling and fielding to take his side to 3-98 at the close of play.
Niroshan Dickwella (58 off 59 balls) launched a sweep-a-thon to underpin the hosts' first dig in a blazing half-century that may prove vital in a Test that looks certain to be more of a good time than a long time.
But the wicketkeeper's grassing of a straightforward stumping chance off Khawaja, on 36 when he advanced to Ramesh Mendis (2-35) and missed a drive, could undo some of his good work.
Dickwella was front and centre again following a monumental mix-up between Smith and Khawaja that saw the pair, amid a noisy lbw appeal, get within handshake distance of one another mid-pitch before Smith scrambled back in vain.
The star right-hander, his shirt soiled from his desperate dive back into his crease, waved his arms about in a wide-eyed rage as he walked past Khawaja on his way off the ground.
Travis Head was unbeaten at the other end at stumps on six not out, with the Aussies behind by 114 runs.
Mitchell Swepson (3-55) had earlier ended a 514-ball streak without a Test wicket by taking two in as many balls to crack open Sri Lanka's middle-order and leave them reeling five down before they had reached 100.
The Australian spinners went at close to four runs per over, though skipper Pat Cummins might take that given they took all but two of the Sri Lankan wickets to fall.
Cummins used DRS shrewdly to see the back of Ramesh Mendis and would certainly have been pleased with a series of superb catches taken that ensured regular breakthroughs were made.
David Warner took three, the best an athletic grab diving forward from second slip off Angelo Mathews when the other fielders around the bat were appealing for an lbw, while wicketkeeper Alex Carey also snared a sharp chance to remove dangerman Dickwella.
Khawaja capped it off with a diving grab at mid-wicket to hand Lyon his 20th career five-wicket haul in the final session.
Warner was batting in a floppy hat by the start of the third over of Australia's reply as the hosts used four different bowlers in as many overs to begin their bowling innings.
The visiting openers added 47 in just nine overs and while Khawaja, on 13, successfully overturned an lbw off Mendis, Warner did not bother sending his upstairs when the off-spinner hit him on the back pad to give his side a wicket against the run of play.
Marnus Labuschagne reverse-swept one straight to backward point before Smith departed to leave the Aussies at 3-83, before Khawaja and Head steadied.
Armed with the knowledge that the toss-winning side has lost just four of the last 15 Tests at Galle, Dimuth Karunaratne elected to bat after early monsoonal squalls gave way to piercing morning sunshine.
While it was pace that had accounted for Sri Lanka's two first-session wickets as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins both found the outside edge, it was abundantly clear the duo were to take a backseat to the Australian tweakers.
The first ball of spin bowled in the match was an ominous warning as Lyon spun and bounced one so extravagantly past Karunaratne's outside edge that it clattered into the helmet of Carey.
It was the kind of unplayable turn Kumar Sangakkara must have wished Lyon, who famously dismissed the star left-hander with his first ball in international cricket at the same ground and from the same end 11 years ago, had gotten instead of the one he edged to slip.
Swepson by comparison started with a nervy one down leg but found his groove to remove Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal in consecutive balls, posing a constant threat as he and Lyon sliced through the hosts' middle-order.
The enterprising Dickwella needed just 42 balls to reach his 21st Test half-century (the most by a Test batter who has never scored a ton) and played the shot of the day with a daring 'Dilscoop' off Cummins.
Shane Warne, who had helped rebuild the seaside ground in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, was honoured before play with a commemorative plate presented to Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley.
And the uber-aggressive late leg-spinner, who had taken his 500th Test wicket at the venue only months before it was decimated by the devastating waves, would have been satisfied with the breakneck speed of the opening day's play that saw 13 wickets fall and runs scored at a rate of 3.69 per over.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mat...ighlights-wtahc-live-stream-scores/2022-06-29
Mobashir
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Sour grapes. Facts are clearly not your forte.
Yeah. Completely finished. Just took 5 today.
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A bit of drizzle around Galle this morning.
Let's hope it clears up. Play scheduled to begin in a little under one hour #SLvAUS
Let's hope it clears up. Play scheduled to begin in a little under one hour #SLvAUS
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Roshan Abeysinghe has just tweeted this: "The rain has ceased but the winds in Galle is gale force. The start of day quite a long way away."
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Day 2: 2nd Session - Australia trail by 87 runs
SL 212
AUS 125/4 (33) CRR: 3.79
Australia heading for a good lead
SL 212
AUS 125/4 (33) CRR: 3.79
Australia heading for a good lead
Nikhil_cric
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On a turning pitch against a pretty mediocre batting lineup.
Manunited18
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The more I see of Green, the more I'm convinced he's going to be a gun allrounder.
Joseph Gomes
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How the hell did Khawaja turn around his career this match? He looks like a different cricketer entirely. Scoring runs across the world for fun
Manunited18
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Khawaja has been performing consistently for a while. His conversion from starts to hundreds been brilliant.
Titan24
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Aus has been playing real quality test cricket in recent times. The application of both the batsmen and bowlers in the different conditions than they are used to has been impressive.
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SL 212
AUS 313/8 (69) CRR: 4.54
Day 2: Stumps - Australia lead by 101 runs
AUS 313/8 (69) CRR: 4.54
Day 2: Stumps - Australia lead by 101 runs
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Rain and strong winds caused a stand to collapse at the Galle cricket stadium on Thursday, delaying the second day's play in the opening Test between Sri Lanka and Australia / © AFP
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Emerging middle-order dynamos Cameron Green and Alex Carey helped Australia seize the upper hand against Sri Lanka on a rain-shortened second day that started and finished in dramatic fashion.
Building on the early work of reborn opener Usman Khawaja (71), Green (77 from 109) and Carey (45 from 47) launched stirring rear guards on an increasingly dicey Galle surface to take the Aussies from a position of peril to one of strength in the first Test.
That turnaround was as swift as the morning winds that had wreaked havoc at the coast-side cricket ground, which delayed the start of play until the early afternoon.
Less than 90 minutes after Carey joined Green at the crease, with Australia still trailing by 55, had the pair turned that around to see the tourists take a 29-run lead, an advantage they extended to 101 when bad light was called and an early stumps was signalled.
That was not before Pat Cummins launched three enormous sixes off debutant leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, the last sailing out of the ground and landing on the road not far from the ramparts of the fort that towers over the iconic venue.
Cummins (26no) and Nathan Lyon (8no) will resume on Friday with the tourists 8-313.
For a second consecutive Test, Australia's new six-seven combo ensured the kind of subcontinental crumble that had become all too familiar in recent years never eventuated.
Having put on a crucial 135 for the sixth-wicket in Lahore in the Aussies' series-sealing win over Pakistan in March, Green and Carey added 84 on Thursday in even more trying circumstances.
A difficult early stumping chance fluffed by Niroshan Dickwella aside, Green defied the conditions to play a fluent hand, with his intent not to get bogged down apparent – not through particularly aggressive stoke-play, but in the use of his feet and elongated stride from the very first ball he faced.
However a Test century remains elusive – Ramesh Mendis (4-107) capped a strong day-two effort with the ball by dismissing the tall allrounder lbw – with Green having now been dismissed within 26 runs of a ton on five occasions in his 19 innings to date.
Like his wicketkeeping counterpart Dickwella had done the previous day, Carey swept and reverse-swept his way to a game-changing score, not scoring a single run down the ground against spin.
In fact, his first attempt to do so brought about his downfall, as he skied a lofted drive off Mendis and was caught by Dinesh Chandimal running back from mid-off.
The teams had arrived to dramatic scenes this morning as heavy gusts blew over a makeshift stand, pinning corrugated iron and roof sheeting against concreted seating and the wall behind it on the eastern side of the ground.
The glass front of a marquee hosting Australian tour groups was also knocked flat, while the white sheets acting as the city end's sightscreen were taken down.
No one was hurt and groundstaff performed admirably to not only stay upright amid the buffeting winds and sideways rain, but also keep the entire ground protected (relying on more than a hundred rubber tyres to keep the covers in place) through what should have been the first session of play.
Travis Head lasted just five balls after the resumption, closing his face to Dhananjaya de Silva’s first ball of the day as the off-spinner completed a sharp caught-and-bowled, to leave his side 5-157 and continue a post-Ashes slump that has seen him fail to pass 26 in his past five innings.
It is in stark contrast to the hot form of Khawaja, who put on 57 with Green and added 27 to his overnight score to see his run tally since his recall at the beginning of the year swell to 822 at 117.42, making him the most prolific Test batter of 2022.
It justified the vigour with which Vandersay celebrated with when he had the left-hander well caught at short leg.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mat...ighlights-watch-live-stream-scores/2022-06-30
Building on the early work of reborn opener Usman Khawaja (71), Green (77 from 109) and Carey (45 from 47) launched stirring rear guards on an increasingly dicey Galle surface to take the Aussies from a position of peril to one of strength in the first Test.
That turnaround was as swift as the morning winds that had wreaked havoc at the coast-side cricket ground, which delayed the start of play until the early afternoon.
Less than 90 minutes after Carey joined Green at the crease, with Australia still trailing by 55, had the pair turned that around to see the tourists take a 29-run lead, an advantage they extended to 101 when bad light was called and an early stumps was signalled.
That was not before Pat Cummins launched three enormous sixes off debutant leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, the last sailing out of the ground and landing on the road not far from the ramparts of the fort that towers over the iconic venue.
Cummins (26no) and Nathan Lyon (8no) will resume on Friday with the tourists 8-313.
For a second consecutive Test, Australia's new six-seven combo ensured the kind of subcontinental crumble that had become all too familiar in recent years never eventuated.
Having put on a crucial 135 for the sixth-wicket in Lahore in the Aussies' series-sealing win over Pakistan in March, Green and Carey added 84 on Thursday in even more trying circumstances.
A difficult early stumping chance fluffed by Niroshan Dickwella aside, Green defied the conditions to play a fluent hand, with his intent not to get bogged down apparent – not through particularly aggressive stoke-play, but in the use of his feet and elongated stride from the very first ball he faced.
However a Test century remains elusive – Ramesh Mendis (4-107) capped a strong day-two effort with the ball by dismissing the tall allrounder lbw – with Green having now been dismissed within 26 runs of a ton on five occasions in his 19 innings to date.
Like his wicketkeeping counterpart Dickwella had done the previous day, Carey swept and reverse-swept his way to a game-changing score, not scoring a single run down the ground against spin.
In fact, his first attempt to do so brought about his downfall, as he skied a lofted drive off Mendis and was caught by Dinesh Chandimal running back from mid-off.
The teams had arrived to dramatic scenes this morning as heavy gusts blew over a makeshift stand, pinning corrugated iron and roof sheeting against concreted seating and the wall behind it on the eastern side of the ground.
The glass front of a marquee hosting Australian tour groups was also knocked flat, while the white sheets acting as the city end's sightscreen were taken down.
No one was hurt and groundstaff performed admirably to not only stay upright amid the buffeting winds and sideways rain, but also keep the entire ground protected (relying on more than a hundred rubber tyres to keep the covers in place) through what should have been the first session of play.
Travis Head lasted just five balls after the resumption, closing his face to Dhananjaya de Silva’s first ball of the day as the off-spinner completed a sharp caught-and-bowled, to leave his side 5-157 and continue a post-Ashes slump that has seen him fail to pass 26 in his past five innings.
It is in stark contrast to the hot form of Khawaja, who put on 57 with Green and added 27 to his overnight score to see his run tally since his recall at the beginning of the year swell to 822 at 117.42, making him the most prolific Test batter of 2022.
It justified the vigour with which Vandersay celebrated with when he had the left-hander well caught at short leg.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mat...ighlights-watch-live-stream-scores/2022-06-30
sweep_shot
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Aussies are looking good to win this Test.
100 runs lead on this pitch is significant.
100 runs lead on this pitch is significant.
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Play on day three in Galle will start 15 minutes early at 9.45am (2.15pm AEST) due to yesterday's weather delay with 98 overs to be bowled #SLvAUS
sweep_shot
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Australia are all out for 321.
They lead by 109 runs.
They lead by 109 runs.
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Well that was quick, wasn't it. Just the 11 balls needed for Sri Lanka to take those 2 wickets. Asitha Fernando with his reverse swing. But the real tough job starts now. A huge task awaits Sri Lanka who will be without Mathews too
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After a positive Covid test result, Angelo Mathews has been replaced in Sri Lanka's first World Test Championship against Australia.
The all-rounder return a positive result on the morning of the third day after informing the camp of Covid symptoms, and will now isolate as per protocols.
Oshada Fernando will come in as an approved like-for-like Covid replacement.
Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the news on Twitter.
The all-rounder return a positive result on the morning of the third day after informing the camp of Covid symptoms, and will now isolate as per protocols.
Oshada Fernando will come in as an approved like-for-like Covid replacement.
Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the news on Twitter.
RedwoodOriginal
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Gotta give it to Australia, they have improved their cricket in Asia. Regardless of the pitches, their game awareness has been excellent since the Pakistan series.
Joseph Gomes
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With how weak India is now, maybe Australia can finally win a series in India? Or will Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel still roll them over?
How is india weak now? Their batting is weak yes but their bowling is world class.
James
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This is spinning miles. Going to be all over today. Can Sri Lanka eke out enough runs to give the Aussies a small but tricky target, or is the damage already done.
James
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Head has 2 wickets for 1 run lol.
Looks like the Aussies getting a lead in the first innings has decided this one in their favour.
Looks like the Aussies getting a lead in the first innings has decided this one in their favour.
James
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Interesting that the run rate throughout this Test has been pretty high.
Nikhil_cric
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Still think Australia's series win in Pakistan was a one-off?They are doing well on a Turner of a pitch as well. This OZ team is quality.
James
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SL collapsing pitifully lol. 7 down
Superb Test cricket from Australia.
Superb Test cricket from Australia.
Mesozoic
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Disgraceful performance from Sri Lanka. First with the ball yesterday and now with the bat today.
Looks like Cummins will be undefeated as a test captain until he lands in India.
Looks like Cummins will be undefeated as a test captain until he lands in India.
James
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Australia need 5 runs to defeat Sri Lanka in the first Test.
Lol
Well done Chris Silverwood.
Lol
Well done Chris Silverwood.
Nikhil_cric
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Australia have been the most successful visiting team in Asia since 1, January 2007. Big reason for that is their batting against spin in Asia
Mesozoic
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And how is the batting weak? Mayank, Iyer etc become Bradmans on our wickets let forget Rahul, Pant, Rohit etc. And we bat until 9.
Ab Fan
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Damn, Sri Lanka were 0/20 when I last watched the scoreboard. In 90 mins, they have been bowled out at 113 
daytrader
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Warner finishes the game in style!! Got the maximum possible score 
Ab Fan
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Warner finishes the game in style!! Got the maximum possible score
Improves his average in SL by a 10*
Ab Fan
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Aus should also play Maxwell in the team. He will also run through teams on rank turners.
Labu, Smith, Maxwell, Head - four useful spin options. No need really to play Mitchell Marsh.
Labu, Smith, Maxwell, Head - four useful spin options. No need really to play Mitchell Marsh.
Ab Fan
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In India , they will play :-
Warner
Khwaja
Labu
Smith
Head
Maxwell
Carey(wkt)
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Swepson
Warner
Khwaja
Labu
Smith
Head
Maxwell
Carey(wkt)
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Swepson
Titan24
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Green has been real quality so far as a young player on Asian conditions he has played so far. He should be constant fixture in Aussie lineup imo.
RedwoodOriginal
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Well you can understand my skepticism based on the type of pitches Pakistan dished out in that series. But even there, their game awareness was miles ahead of Pakistan in the third test.
But winning so comprehensively on a turner is no small feat. Time to give this Australian team its due.
Last edited:
RedwoodOriginal
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Still not sold on Swepson. And if he will genuinely challenge Indian batters. But based on the lack of options Australia has, he's the default second spinner.
Mesozoic
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No way they're dropping Green after the knock he's played in the first innings here. Even if he gets two ducks the next game.
He's the golden boy of Australian cricket now. Like Pant if for India.
daytrader
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Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test- Galle
Australia win by 10 wkts
SL 212 & 113
AUS 321 & 10/0
Player of the match
Cameron Green
Australia win by 10 wkts
SL 212 & 113
AUS 321 & 10/0
Player of the match
Cameron Green
Mesozoic
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How on earth did they give MOM to Green ahead of Lyon? 
Ab Fan
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Lol, and I just dropped him for India tour after this
Titan24
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How on earth did they give MOM to Green ahead of Lyon?
Good decision imo. Getting lead over Srl was the key which was possible because of him. Wicket was spinning and Lyon was top notch but, it was Green who scored the runs against the flow of the deteriorating wicket to get the decisive lead.
Yea india is the true behemoth of Asia. But I think Aussies can draw or come close to beating them. India may struggle to beat them this time. Maybe 2-1 india max. I just feel Aussies are well prepared this time for india and india aren't in form.
Ab Fan
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In India, we have all our boxes ticked atleast on paper. Mayank, Iyer all enjoy batting at home. There is Shaw, Sarfaraz who can be a solid bully at home too.
Bowling department looks good with three spinners - Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar, all can bat. And we can play two pacers and rotate them among Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, Umesh etc. It will be a great series as Australia have also come up a long way with good preparations but form of Marnus and Smith is a problem for them. One of the two has to step up to win it for Australia as it is alien conditions for them.
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Lyon is better than ash and jadedja easily In sena. Easy. In Asia it's close.
Joseph Gomes
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Shockingly poor performance from Sri Lanka. Reminded me a lot of Bangladesh.
Ab Fan
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In Australia, Lyon was overshadowed by Ashwin and Jadeja both.
daytrader
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SL vs AUS, 1st Test: Nathan Lyon Stars As Australia Crush Sri Lanka Inside Three Days
Nathan Lyon starred with a match haul of nine wickets as Australia wrapped up the opening Test on Friday with a crushing victory over Sri Lanka before lunch on the third day.
Spinner Nathan Lyon starred with a match haul of nine wickets as Australia wrapped up the opening Test on Friday with a crushing victory over Sri Lanka before lunch on the third day. The hosts were bundled out for 113 in their second innings allowing the Australians to seal a 10-wicket victory in their first over back at the crease in Galle. Lyon, whose five-for helped bowl out Sri Lanka for 212 in the first innings, and fellow spinner Travis Head took four wickets each to send the hosts packing before the morning was over.
It was a huge victory for Australia, who suffered a 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka on their last tour in 2016.
Sri Lanka suffered a blow before play began when Angelo Mathews was ruled out due to Covid-19, with Oshada Fernando named his replacement.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne started strong, smashing four boundaries in the 17-run first over of the innings off Mitchell Starc.
But the tables soon turned when Lyon and fellow spinner Mitchell Swepson took charge.
Lyon got skipper Karunaratne caught behind for 23 after just 20 balls while Swepson trapped Pathum Nissanka lbw for 14.
The leg-spinner then got Oshada caught out in the 12th over as Sri Lanka slipped to 63-4.
Wickets kept tumbling with Sri Lanka's batsmen desperately trying to hit their way out of trouble.
Head, a left-handed batsman and an occasional off-spinner, struck twice in his first over to claim Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Swashbuckling opener David Warner brought an easy finish to formalities, hitting a four and a six off Ramesh Mendis to bring up the win in four balls.
Earlier in the day, fast bowler Asitha Fernando took Australia's last two first-innings wickets with the tourists adding eight to their overnight 313, for a commanding lead of 109.
Opener Usman Khawaja (71) and Cameron Green (77) stood out in Australia's first innings effort.
Ramesh Mendis took four wickets while debutant Jeffrey Vandersay took two.
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com
The third day started early after abysmal weather shortened play on Thursday, with strong winds collapsing a spectator stand.
The second and final Test begins July 8 at the same venue.
NDTV
Nathan Lyon starred with a match haul of nine wickets as Australia wrapped up the opening Test on Friday with a crushing victory over Sri Lanka before lunch on the third day.
Spinner Nathan Lyon starred with a match haul of nine wickets as Australia wrapped up the opening Test on Friday with a crushing victory over Sri Lanka before lunch on the third day. The hosts were bundled out for 113 in their second innings allowing the Australians to seal a 10-wicket victory in their first over back at the crease in Galle. Lyon, whose five-for helped bowl out Sri Lanka for 212 in the first innings, and fellow spinner Travis Head took four wickets each to send the hosts packing before the morning was over.
It was a huge victory for Australia, who suffered a 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka on their last tour in 2016.
Sri Lanka suffered a blow before play began when Angelo Mathews was ruled out due to Covid-19, with Oshada Fernando named his replacement.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne started strong, smashing four boundaries in the 17-run first over of the innings off Mitchell Starc.
But the tables soon turned when Lyon and fellow spinner Mitchell Swepson took charge.
Lyon got skipper Karunaratne caught behind for 23 after just 20 balls while Swepson trapped Pathum Nissanka lbw for 14.
The leg-spinner then got Oshada caught out in the 12th over as Sri Lanka slipped to 63-4.
Wickets kept tumbling with Sri Lanka's batsmen desperately trying to hit their way out of trouble.
Head, a left-handed batsman and an occasional off-spinner, struck twice in his first over to claim Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Swashbuckling opener David Warner brought an easy finish to formalities, hitting a four and a six off Ramesh Mendis to bring up the win in four balls.
Earlier in the day, fast bowler Asitha Fernando took Australia's last two first-innings wickets with the tourists adding eight to their overnight 313, for a commanding lead of 109.
Opener Usman Khawaja (71) and Cameron Green (77) stood out in Australia's first innings effort.
Ramesh Mendis took four wickets while debutant Jeffrey Vandersay took two.
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com
The third day started early after abysmal weather shortened play on Thursday, with strong winds collapsing a spectator stand.
The second and final Test begins July 8 at the same venue.
NDTV
Because of Indian pace attack which put pressure on Australia.
Australian bowlers barring Cummins bowled poorly.
Villager6964
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Usman khawaja is the main architect of this win.
He played beautifully. He should have been given the man of the match.
He played beautifully. He should have been given the man of the match.
Best Asian batsman in the world. Am I wrong? Top quality player.
sweep_shot
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Wow! Didn't expect the game to finish by today.
Well done, Aussies.
Well done, Aussies.
Not really!!! Let him play against Indian spinners in India. Both Pakistan, S Lanka has inferior bowlers.
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With one eye on India, Aussies embrace new mantra
With successive Test victories achieved in diametrically divergent subcontinental conditions under his captaincy, Pat Cummins has one eye on the new holy grail of Australian cricket: a series win in India.
Australia may only be halfway through their Test tour of Sri Lanka but already what they have and will continue to face on the island-nation has vindicated the complete rewrite of their successful strategy from Pakistan earlier this year.
The raw numbers from the two tours (admittedly with one complete and the other halfway through) already suggest an enormous difference in the type of cricket being played.
In Pakistan, Australia's embracing of a 15-day grind on bowling graveyards bore fruit when they clinched a series-sealing victory in the final session of the three-Test campaign.
That last Test in Lahore, like the other two before it, went the full five days. It saw 402.3 overs bowled, and even then Australia's win came with a little more than an hour to go in the match.
Compare that with the rapid-fire Galle encounter that saw a result achieved despite nearly two-thirds fewer overs being sent down (153.2), and which only stretched into a third day because of Thursday morning's wild storm.
Speaking in the aftermath of the 10-wicket win completed in scarcely believable time, Cummins suggested his side had adopted a markedly different strategy.
"A couple of big words we were using about our approach was being proactive and being brave," the 29-year-old said after the Aussies rolled their hosts for 113 in only 22.5 overs on Friday.
"You saw some really clear methods from all the batters. They might have been individually a bit different, but you saw everyone being really proactive and putting the pressure right back on their bowlers.
"That's the really pleasing thing – it's something you talk more about in one-day cricket or T20 cricket but that's the style over here that's needed."
It is essentially kill or be killed, a far cry from Pakistan where Usman Khawaja might still be batting right now if there were no time limits on Tests.
"It's about managing the tempo, but the tempo is going to be quite different to Pakistan," continued Cummins.
"When we're on top of the game it's about keeping that lead and running with it. But if it feels like things are moving faster than we want to, it's about wrestling it back.
"That proactiveness (is important), rather than it being a grind. You've got to be on the front foot here, you've got to be scoring runs and ticking over the scoring rate because if you're not moving anywhere here (then) you're pretty vulnerable."
Khawaja, who is Australia's (and, presently, the world's) most prolific batter since his recall earlier this year, said as much on Thursday when he suggested, "if you try and block on that wicket too often, it's good night."
Yet it is one thing for the experienced Khawaja, now 50 Tests into a career that has provided more than its fair share of tough lessons, particularly in Asia, to have capably adapted to alien conditions for Australian cricketers.
As Cummins noted, it is another thing entirely for the likes of Cameron Green (playing in his 13th Test), Alex Carey (ninth) and Mitchell Swepson (third) to have made vital contributions.
It was Green who was singled out for the highest praise from Cummins after his 77 off 109 balls on an enthralling second day earnt him player-of-the-match honours.
"He's always been a fast learner but that's even surprised us how fast he's learnt out there," said Australia’s skipper.
"From ball one, (he's been) really sharp (with) a really clear method. It's a credit to him and the coaches how they've worked over the last couple of weeks.
"Speaking to some of older guys as well (to) find his method, and then just being brave enough to try it … that was the difference in the end."
Australia may well view it as a considerable point of pride that of their six most experienced Test players who took to the field in Galle, only Nathan Lyon (the game's standout bowler with nine wickets) and Khawaja (71 in the Aussies' first innings) had a material influence on its outcome.
With Cummins, Mitchell Starc (two wickets between them), Steve Smith (run out for six), David Warner (25 and 10no), as well as their top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne (13), all taking a back seat.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of it all was that Cummins, the world’s No.1 ranked Test bowler, did not a bowl a single ball in a Test innings for the first time in his career.
It all bodes well for the next big ticket on Australia’s long-form agenda after this Sri Lanka tour, a Test series in India expected to be played in February-March next year.
"Now that we've won a few games we can (look forward)," Cummins said with a smile.
"We've had Marnus, Travis Head, Cam Green, Alex Carey (who all) haven't played Test matches in conditions that have spun this much (before this Test).
"We have a big series next year in India, so this can really help develop and fast track our batters… if you want to be the number one Test team in the world you’ve got to be winning overseas.
"Swepson hasn’t played on wickets like this as well, so absolutely you learn so much from these tours. Fortunately we'll be learning at the same time as having a win.
"It’s part of the environment that we are trying to create.
"Failure is absolutely okay, as long as you are failing in a way you are happy to be."
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/aus...brave-batting-sri-lanka-india-tour/2022-07-01
With successive Test victories achieved in diametrically divergent subcontinental conditions under his captaincy, Pat Cummins has one eye on the new holy grail of Australian cricket: a series win in India.
Australia may only be halfway through their Test tour of Sri Lanka but already what they have and will continue to face on the island-nation has vindicated the complete rewrite of their successful strategy from Pakistan earlier this year.
The raw numbers from the two tours (admittedly with one complete and the other halfway through) already suggest an enormous difference in the type of cricket being played.
In Pakistan, Australia's embracing of a 15-day grind on bowling graveyards bore fruit when they clinched a series-sealing victory in the final session of the three-Test campaign.
That last Test in Lahore, like the other two before it, went the full five days. It saw 402.3 overs bowled, and even then Australia's win came with a little more than an hour to go in the match.
Compare that with the rapid-fire Galle encounter that saw a result achieved despite nearly two-thirds fewer overs being sent down (153.2), and which only stretched into a third day because of Thursday morning's wild storm.
Speaking in the aftermath of the 10-wicket win completed in scarcely believable time, Cummins suggested his side had adopted a markedly different strategy.
"A couple of big words we were using about our approach was being proactive and being brave," the 29-year-old said after the Aussies rolled their hosts for 113 in only 22.5 overs on Friday.
"You saw some really clear methods from all the batters. They might have been individually a bit different, but you saw everyone being really proactive and putting the pressure right back on their bowlers.
"That's the really pleasing thing – it's something you talk more about in one-day cricket or T20 cricket but that's the style over here that's needed."
It is essentially kill or be killed, a far cry from Pakistan where Usman Khawaja might still be batting right now if there were no time limits on Tests.
"It's about managing the tempo, but the tempo is going to be quite different to Pakistan," continued Cummins.
"When we're on top of the game it's about keeping that lead and running with it. But if it feels like things are moving faster than we want to, it's about wrestling it back.
"That proactiveness (is important), rather than it being a grind. You've got to be on the front foot here, you've got to be scoring runs and ticking over the scoring rate because if you're not moving anywhere here (then) you're pretty vulnerable."
Khawaja, who is Australia's (and, presently, the world's) most prolific batter since his recall earlier this year, said as much on Thursday when he suggested, "if you try and block on that wicket too often, it's good night."
Yet it is one thing for the experienced Khawaja, now 50 Tests into a career that has provided more than its fair share of tough lessons, particularly in Asia, to have capably adapted to alien conditions for Australian cricketers.
As Cummins noted, it is another thing entirely for the likes of Cameron Green (playing in his 13th Test), Alex Carey (ninth) and Mitchell Swepson (third) to have made vital contributions.
It was Green who was singled out for the highest praise from Cummins after his 77 off 109 balls on an enthralling second day earnt him player-of-the-match honours.
"He's always been a fast learner but that's even surprised us how fast he's learnt out there," said Australia’s skipper.
"From ball one, (he's been) really sharp (with) a really clear method. It's a credit to him and the coaches how they've worked over the last couple of weeks.
"Speaking to some of older guys as well (to) find his method, and then just being brave enough to try it … that was the difference in the end."
Australia may well view it as a considerable point of pride that of their six most experienced Test players who took to the field in Galle, only Nathan Lyon (the game's standout bowler with nine wickets) and Khawaja (71 in the Aussies' first innings) had a material influence on its outcome.
With Cummins, Mitchell Starc (two wickets between them), Steve Smith (run out for six), David Warner (25 and 10no), as well as their top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne (13), all taking a back seat.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of it all was that Cummins, the world’s No.1 ranked Test bowler, did not a bowl a single ball in a Test innings for the first time in his career.
It all bodes well for the next big ticket on Australia’s long-form agenda after this Sri Lanka tour, a Test series in India expected to be played in February-March next year.
"Now that we've won a few games we can (look forward)," Cummins said with a smile.
"We've had Marnus, Travis Head, Cam Green, Alex Carey (who all) haven't played Test matches in conditions that have spun this much (before this Test).
"We have a big series next year in India, so this can really help develop and fast track our batters… if you want to be the number one Test team in the world you’ve got to be winning overseas.
"Swepson hasn’t played on wickets like this as well, so absolutely you learn so much from these tours. Fortunately we'll be learning at the same time as having a win.
"It’s part of the environment that we are trying to create.
"Failure is absolutely okay, as long as you are failing in a way you are happy to be."
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/aus...brave-batting-sri-lanka-india-tour/2022-07-01
daytrader
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The Cummins admission that sparked post-Langer dawn... and could lead Aus to ultimate glory
Test cricket’s greatest challenge is just around the corner, but Australia’s prospects of claiming a rare away series win over India in early 2023 are looking better by the day.
Australia is on Saturday relishing back-to-back Test wins in Asia for the first time since 2006, when it beat Bangladesh twice.
The latest win — following on from victory against Pakistan in Lahore in March — was a stunning 10-wicket triumph in less than 154 completed overs, with Sri Lanka crumbling under the power of an Aussie spin assault.
So spectacular was Sri Lanka’s second innings collapse, which came inside 23 overs, that the attention has been on spinners Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson, as well as part-time tweaker Travis Head, who took 4-10.
But speaking after play, captain Pat Cummins highlighted the first innings, in which Australia stood tall with the bat, when it has otherwise struggled.
A tale as old as time itself is that Australia is strong at home, and sometimes away, but has an Achilles heel when facing spin on the subcontinent.
This theory wasn’t put to the test in this year’s three-match tour of Pakistan, where wickets were docile and spin was not the dominant factor.
Fast forward to the tour of Sri Lanka, and the first Test in Galle saw spin thrive with turn, bounce and natural variation all on offer in spades.
It was ultimately far too hot for even the hosts to handle.
This is a weak Sri Lankan Test outfit — only two batters rank inside the ICC’s top 30 — but even so, to lose 20 wickets for 325 runs in 81.5 overs having won the toss is alarming.
By comparison, Australia played with a freedom and confidence that even the loss of 4-100 couldn’t dent.
The tourists could have easily went into their shell and batted for time — but you likely won’t see that under Cummins and new coach Andrew McDonald.
“A couple of new words we’re using about our approach is about being proactive and being brave,” Cummins said after the match.
“We saw some really clear methods from all the batters. They might have been individually a bit different, but you saw everyone being really proactive, and putting pressure back on the bowlers.
“It’s something you’d normally talk about in one-day cricket or T20 cricket. But I think that’s the style over here that’s needed.”
Australia scored at a rapid 4.53 runs an over in the first innings, turning its wobbles into a daunting lead of 109 runs.
Batters were encouraged to sweep, reverse sweep, dance down the wicket — do whatever they like, really — because that’s the new Australian way.
That naturally invites greater risk, but Cummins said that has been accepted as part of the deal under the new post-Justin Langer regime.
“I think it’s part of the environment that we are trying to create,” he said. “Failure is absolutely okay, as long as you are failing in a way you are happy to be.”
Traditionalists might be up in arms.
Usman Khawaja took a not-so-thinly veiled swipe at those after Australia’s first innings, when he said most conventional coaching in the nation has been outdated “bull crap”.
“The way the guys have played and how we talk about the game and playing in the subcontinent’s changed a lot since I started playing for the Australian cricket team,” he said.
“I think we’ve learned from mistakes, I think guys are more trusting of their plans and able to adapt to different situations and bowling, and bat very differently from the way we do in Australia.
“When you see someone like (Alex) Carey come in and sweep, even me as a youngster, the amount of times growing up I got told not to sweep the ball in Australia, it was every second coach telling me.
“Even Greeny doing it now, the amount of times I’ve heard people say ‘you’re a tall bloke, just hit down the ground’, it’s just the biggest bull crap in the world. If a player has the ability to sweep, whether he’s six foot seven or five foot five it doesn’t really matter, it’s still a shot in your repertoire.”
It should be said that the conventional wisdom is not entirely without merit.
Half of Sri Lanka’s second innings wickets came from sweep or reverse sweep shots, which have a greater margin for error than playing down the ground and smothering the spin, as has been typically coached in Australia.
But the new Australian philosophy following Langer’s departure is simple.
If you feel comfortable doing it, do it. If you don’t, then don’t.
Freedom, confidence and responsibility will see the rest fall into place.
After all, Australia’s recent history in Asia is no where near strong enough to be dismissive of a new approach.
Since the end of 2004, when Australia beat India in India, the nation has won just seven Tests in Asia, lost 17 and drawn eight.
Only one of those wins have been against India, which has inflicted 10 defeats on Australia in that timespan.
However, Cummins said that Australia has now learnt to not glorify conditions on the subcontinent, but rather to “embrace” them.
“That’s been a big one for us,” he said. “In the past you can get caught up in conditions that aren’t like Australia, but if you want to be the No.1 Test team in the world, you’ve got be winning overseas.
“I think everyone - the experienced guys finding new shots, Mitchell Starc working on reverse swing, Nathan Lyon coming up with a few new balls - there is so much appetite to learn and be successful on these wickets.”
Australia returns to India in February for one of the most eagerly-anticipated Test series in years.
Based on Australia’s current trajectory, and attitude, it will be a far closer battle this time around.
Fox Sports
Test cricket’s greatest challenge is just around the corner, but Australia’s prospects of claiming a rare away series win over India in early 2023 are looking better by the day.
Australia is on Saturday relishing back-to-back Test wins in Asia for the first time since 2006, when it beat Bangladesh twice.
The latest win — following on from victory against Pakistan in Lahore in March — was a stunning 10-wicket triumph in less than 154 completed overs, with Sri Lanka crumbling under the power of an Aussie spin assault.
So spectacular was Sri Lanka’s second innings collapse, which came inside 23 overs, that the attention has been on spinners Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson, as well as part-time tweaker Travis Head, who took 4-10.
But speaking after play, captain Pat Cummins highlighted the first innings, in which Australia stood tall with the bat, when it has otherwise struggled.
A tale as old as time itself is that Australia is strong at home, and sometimes away, but has an Achilles heel when facing spin on the subcontinent.
This theory wasn’t put to the test in this year’s three-match tour of Pakistan, where wickets were docile and spin was not the dominant factor.
Fast forward to the tour of Sri Lanka, and the first Test in Galle saw spin thrive with turn, bounce and natural variation all on offer in spades.
It was ultimately far too hot for even the hosts to handle.
This is a weak Sri Lankan Test outfit — only two batters rank inside the ICC’s top 30 — but even so, to lose 20 wickets for 325 runs in 81.5 overs having won the toss is alarming.
By comparison, Australia played with a freedom and confidence that even the loss of 4-100 couldn’t dent.
The tourists could have easily went into their shell and batted for time — but you likely won’t see that under Cummins and new coach Andrew McDonald.
“A couple of new words we’re using about our approach is about being proactive and being brave,” Cummins said after the match.
“We saw some really clear methods from all the batters. They might have been individually a bit different, but you saw everyone being really proactive, and putting pressure back on the bowlers.
“It’s something you’d normally talk about in one-day cricket or T20 cricket. But I think that’s the style over here that’s needed.”
Australia scored at a rapid 4.53 runs an over in the first innings, turning its wobbles into a daunting lead of 109 runs.
Batters were encouraged to sweep, reverse sweep, dance down the wicket — do whatever they like, really — because that’s the new Australian way.
That naturally invites greater risk, but Cummins said that has been accepted as part of the deal under the new post-Justin Langer regime.
“I think it’s part of the environment that we are trying to create,” he said. “Failure is absolutely okay, as long as you are failing in a way you are happy to be.”
Traditionalists might be up in arms.
Usman Khawaja took a not-so-thinly veiled swipe at those after Australia’s first innings, when he said most conventional coaching in the nation has been outdated “bull crap”.
“The way the guys have played and how we talk about the game and playing in the subcontinent’s changed a lot since I started playing for the Australian cricket team,” he said.
“I think we’ve learned from mistakes, I think guys are more trusting of their plans and able to adapt to different situations and bowling, and bat very differently from the way we do in Australia.
“When you see someone like (Alex) Carey come in and sweep, even me as a youngster, the amount of times growing up I got told not to sweep the ball in Australia, it was every second coach telling me.
“Even Greeny doing it now, the amount of times I’ve heard people say ‘you’re a tall bloke, just hit down the ground’, it’s just the biggest bull crap in the world. If a player has the ability to sweep, whether he’s six foot seven or five foot five it doesn’t really matter, it’s still a shot in your repertoire.”
It should be said that the conventional wisdom is not entirely without merit.
Half of Sri Lanka’s second innings wickets came from sweep or reverse sweep shots, which have a greater margin for error than playing down the ground and smothering the spin, as has been typically coached in Australia.
But the new Australian philosophy following Langer’s departure is simple.
If you feel comfortable doing it, do it. If you don’t, then don’t.
Freedom, confidence and responsibility will see the rest fall into place.
After all, Australia’s recent history in Asia is no where near strong enough to be dismissive of a new approach.
Since the end of 2004, when Australia beat India in India, the nation has won just seven Tests in Asia, lost 17 and drawn eight.
Only one of those wins have been against India, which has inflicted 10 defeats on Australia in that timespan.
However, Cummins said that Australia has now learnt to not glorify conditions on the subcontinent, but rather to “embrace” them.
“That’s been a big one for us,” he said. “In the past you can get caught up in conditions that aren’t like Australia, but if you want to be the No.1 Test team in the world, you’ve got be winning overseas.
“I think everyone - the experienced guys finding new shots, Mitchell Starc working on reverse swing, Nathan Lyon coming up with a few new balls - there is so much appetite to learn and be successful on these wickets.”
Australia returns to India in February for one of the most eagerly-anticipated Test series in years.
Based on Australia’s current trajectory, and attitude, it will be a far closer battle this time around.
Fox Sports
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Australia spinner unavailable for second Test against Sri Lanka
Australia left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has been ruled out of their second Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on 8 July.
The 28-year-old will fly home after failing to recover from a side strain and has been replaced by left-arm finger spinner Jon Holland.
Agar, who hasn't played a Test since 2017, was not considered for the first Test against Sri Lanka either, with leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in the XI. Australia won the first Test by 10 wickets.
Australia captain Pat Cummins was impressed with Swepson's bowling and praised the leggie after their comprehensive victory under three days.
"Really happy with Swepo," said Cummins. "A couple of key breakthroughs in the first innings and then today, top-order wickets.
"Really valuable, I thought he controlled the tempo of the game, he had some batters come really hard at him. I thought he bowled beautifully."
Interestingly, Agar's replacement Holland himself is nursing an injury. He hurt his finger before the second Australia A four-day match against Sri Lanka A but is on the road to recovery and in with a chance to be considered for the final match of the tour.
35-year-old Holland, who made his debut in 2016, has featured in only four Tests so far, picking up nine wickets. His last Test was against Pakistan in October 2018.
The second and final Test will be played in Galle from 8 to 12 July.
ICC
Australia left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has been ruled out of their second Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on 8 July.
The 28-year-old will fly home after failing to recover from a side strain and has been replaced by left-arm finger spinner Jon Holland.
Agar, who hasn't played a Test since 2017, was not considered for the first Test against Sri Lanka either, with leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in the XI. Australia won the first Test by 10 wickets.
Australia captain Pat Cummins was impressed with Swepson's bowling and praised the leggie after their comprehensive victory under three days.
"Really happy with Swepo," said Cummins. "A couple of key breakthroughs in the first innings and then today, top-order wickets.
"Really valuable, I thought he controlled the tempo of the game, he had some batters come really hard at him. I thought he bowled beautifully."
Interestingly, Agar's replacement Holland himself is nursing an injury. He hurt his finger before the second Australia A four-day match against Sri Lanka A but is on the road to recovery and in with a chance to be considered for the final match of the tour.
35-year-old Holland, who made his debut in 2016, has featured in only four Tests so far, picking up nine wickets. His last Test was against Pakistan in October 2018.
The second and final Test will be played in Galle from 8 to 12 July.
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A second COVID-19 case in the Sri Lankan camp and Lasith Embuldeniya's axing from the Test squad have paved the way for Sri Lanka to field one of their youngest ever Test debutants against Australia this week.
Praveen Jayawickrama, the hosts' back-up left-arm spinner, has been ruled out of Friday's second Test in Galle after testing positive to the virus on Monday, the team's second case in five days after Angelo Mathews had to be replaced during the series opener after also returning a positive test.
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Mathews subbed out after positive COVID test
With incumbent left-arm orthodox tweaker Lasith Embuldeniya removed from the squad altogether, it looks set to open the door for Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka's Under-19 World Cup captain from earlier this year who troubled the Australians during his maiden ODI campaign last month, to come into the Test side.
The 19-year-old was one of two standby players for the first Test but was added to the Sri Lanka squad on Tuesday along with two other uncapped spinners, Maheesh Theekshanna and Lakshitha Manasinghe.
Embuldeniya struggled during the first Test and finished as the only spinner from either side not to take a wicket on a raging turner while also going at close to five runs per over.
Coach Chris Silverwood admitted Embuldeniya was having confidence issues and bowled too full.
Wellalage was the leading wicket taker in the recent ODI campaign that Sri Lanka won 3-2, snaring nine wickets at 22.33 in an impressive first series at international level.
If Wellalage, who also the leading bowler at the U19 World Cup in the Caribbean in January, were to get the nod over Embuldeniya on Friday, he would be Sri Lanka's second youngest Test debutant this century and 11th youngest overall.
Off-spinner Theekshanna could also be a left-field option to play. Sri Lanka's best bowler in the first Test was fellow offie Ramesh Mendis, but the pair could complement each other given Theekshanna's unusual bowling armoury, which includes a carrom ball.
Debutant leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay also struggled to control the scoring rate in the first Test, taking two wickets but going at nearly seven runs per over.
Australia found Theekshanna difficult to score off in the ODIs (scoring at only 4.30 against him) and he posed a greater threat as pitches became more spin friendly as the series wore on.
Embuldeniya was dropped during Sri Lanka's recent Test tour of Bangladesh and his dwindling returns after he snared 15 wickets in two Tests against England last year (both in Galle) marks a wider malaise among the side's spinners.
"He's finding it tough at the moment," Silverwood said of the 25-year-old after the 10-wicket defeat in the first Test. "He's getting a lot of support in the dressing room because he's a great lad.
"If you look at the data that gets thrown back, you've got Nathan Lyon (pitching the ball) between 4.5 and 4.4 metres (from the stumps) and Embuldeniya was a good foot-and-a-half fuller than that on the first day, which made life easier for the Australian batsman.
"We've got to work on him holding a consistent length.
"It's not just him not holding a consistent length. As a group we need to do that better.
"You look at the various pace the bowlers bowl at as well. There's a few factors there, one of which is confidence.
"We've got to give him support and get him back to where we know he can be. He's trying hard. It's just not happening for him at the moment."
In good news for the home side, Mathews is due to leave his five-day period of isolation today and is expected to be cleared to play in the second Test.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/sri...-theekshanna-wellalage-embuldeniya/2022-07-05
Praveen Jayawickrama, the hosts' back-up left-arm spinner, has been ruled out of Friday's second Test in Galle after testing positive to the virus on Monday, the team's second case in five days after Angelo Mathews had to be replaced during the series opener after also returning a positive test.
QUICK SINGLE
Mathews subbed out after positive COVID test
With incumbent left-arm orthodox tweaker Lasith Embuldeniya removed from the squad altogether, it looks set to open the door for Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka's Under-19 World Cup captain from earlier this year who troubled the Australians during his maiden ODI campaign last month, to come into the Test side.
The 19-year-old was one of two standby players for the first Test but was added to the Sri Lanka squad on Tuesday along with two other uncapped spinners, Maheesh Theekshanna and Lakshitha Manasinghe.
Embuldeniya struggled during the first Test and finished as the only spinner from either side not to take a wicket on a raging turner while also going at close to five runs per over.
Coach Chris Silverwood admitted Embuldeniya was having confidence issues and bowled too full.
Wellalage was the leading wicket taker in the recent ODI campaign that Sri Lanka won 3-2, snaring nine wickets at 22.33 in an impressive first series at international level.
If Wellalage, who also the leading bowler at the U19 World Cup in the Caribbean in January, were to get the nod over Embuldeniya on Friday, he would be Sri Lanka's second youngest Test debutant this century and 11th youngest overall.
Off-spinner Theekshanna could also be a left-field option to play. Sri Lanka's best bowler in the first Test was fellow offie Ramesh Mendis, but the pair could complement each other given Theekshanna's unusual bowling armoury, which includes a carrom ball.
Debutant leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay also struggled to control the scoring rate in the first Test, taking two wickets but going at nearly seven runs per over.
Australia found Theekshanna difficult to score off in the ODIs (scoring at only 4.30 against him) and he posed a greater threat as pitches became more spin friendly as the series wore on.
Embuldeniya was dropped during Sri Lanka's recent Test tour of Bangladesh and his dwindling returns after he snared 15 wickets in two Tests against England last year (both in Galle) marks a wider malaise among the side's spinners.
"He's finding it tough at the moment," Silverwood said of the 25-year-old after the 10-wicket defeat in the first Test. "He's getting a lot of support in the dressing room because he's a great lad.
"If you look at the data that gets thrown back, you've got Nathan Lyon (pitching the ball) between 4.5 and 4.4 metres (from the stumps) and Embuldeniya was a good foot-and-a-half fuller than that on the first day, which made life easier for the Australian batsman.
"We've got to work on him holding a consistent length.
"It's not just him not holding a consistent length. As a group we need to do that better.
"You look at the various pace the bowlers bowl at as well. There's a few factors there, one of which is confidence.
"We've got to give him support and get him back to where we know he can be. He's trying hard. It's just not happening for him at the moment."
In good news for the home side, Mathews is due to leave his five-day period of isolation today and is expected to be cleared to play in the second Test.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/sri...-theekshanna-wellalage-embuldeniya/2022-07-05
daytrader
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Maxwell a chance, Aussies consider radical shake-up
Allrounder could make a return to the Test side in the place of Mitchell Starc as Australia consider a revamp of their XI for the second Test in Galle
Australia are considering a bombshell recall for Glenn Maxwell for the second Test against Sri Lanka, with the final spot in the XI set to come down to a call between him and Mitchell Starc.
Pat Cummins said they would wait until Friday morning to decide but confirmed Maxwell, 12th man for the series opener last week, was being considered as a spinning allrounder to bat at No.8 in Galle.
Cummins suggested two fast bowlers had been one too many for the first Test they won by 10 wickets, with Maxwell able to bowl off-spin and also bolster the batting if another spinning minefield is presented.
The calculation for selectors comes down to essentially whether they think the strip prepared for the second Test will be as spin-friendly as the first.
Cummins chatted to groundstaff on Thursday morning and had a long look at the pitch prepared for the tour-concluding Test, but conceded he had little faith in his ability to predict how it will play.
"I'd love if anyone can read the wicket and tell us what it's going to do because I'm hopeless," said Cummins. "It feels a bit harder than it did last week … but we'll give it right up until tomorrow morning (to finalise the team)."
"Last week you probably didn't need two quicks but Mitchell Starc's class, so we'll wait and see."
Maxwell, a late addition to the squad as cover for Travis Head who suffered a hamstring strain last month, has not played a first-class game in two-and-a-half years and his Test drought has been twice as long.
But the Victorian is rated as a strong player of spin while Cummins suggested he was the pick of the Aussie bowlers during the preceding ODI series on the island.
"It's a pretty different kind of first-class cricket here to what you might experience playing Sheffield Shield," said Cummins.
"Different pace, the wickets are so different.
"The role that we see him in is a little bit of bowling and a bit of batting at No. 8 and taking the game on. It might not be grinding out a hundred but a quickfire 30 or 40."
Starc is one of the better flat-wicket bowlers in the world – he took 24 wickets in three Tests the last time Australia played in Sri Lanka six years ago – but the lush outfield and well-watered wicket table in Galle meant reverse swing was not a major factor in the first Test.
The left-armer got Kusal Mendis out in the first innings but only bowled 11 overs for the match.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/gle...lle-pat-cummins-starc-swepson-head/2022-07-07
Allrounder could make a return to the Test side in the place of Mitchell Starc as Australia consider a revamp of their XI for the second Test in Galle
Australia are considering a bombshell recall for Glenn Maxwell for the second Test against Sri Lanka, with the final spot in the XI set to come down to a call between him and Mitchell Starc.
Pat Cummins said they would wait until Friday morning to decide but confirmed Maxwell, 12th man for the series opener last week, was being considered as a spinning allrounder to bat at No.8 in Galle.
Cummins suggested two fast bowlers had been one too many for the first Test they won by 10 wickets, with Maxwell able to bowl off-spin and also bolster the batting if another spinning minefield is presented.
The calculation for selectors comes down to essentially whether they think the strip prepared for the second Test will be as spin-friendly as the first.
Cummins chatted to groundstaff on Thursday morning and had a long look at the pitch prepared for the tour-concluding Test, but conceded he had little faith in his ability to predict how it will play.
"I'd love if anyone can read the wicket and tell us what it's going to do because I'm hopeless," said Cummins. "It feels a bit harder than it did last week … but we'll give it right up until tomorrow morning (to finalise the team)."
"Last week you probably didn't need two quicks but Mitchell Starc's class, so we'll wait and see."
Maxwell, a late addition to the squad as cover for Travis Head who suffered a hamstring strain last month, has not played a first-class game in two-and-a-half years and his Test drought has been twice as long.
But the Victorian is rated as a strong player of spin while Cummins suggested he was the pick of the Aussie bowlers during the preceding ODI series on the island.
"It's a pretty different kind of first-class cricket here to what you might experience playing Sheffield Shield," said Cummins.
"Different pace, the wickets are so different.
"The role that we see him in is a little bit of bowling and a bit of batting at No. 8 and taking the game on. It might not be grinding out a hundred but a quickfire 30 or 40."
Starc is one of the better flat-wicket bowlers in the world – he took 24 wickets in three Tests the last time Australia played in Sri Lanka six years ago – but the lush outfield and well-watered wicket table in Galle meant reverse swing was not a major factor in the first Test.
The left-armer got Kusal Mendis out in the first innings but only bowled 11 overs for the match.
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/gle...lle-pat-cummins-starc-swepson-head/2022-07-07
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Sri Lanka have been rocked with three more COVID-19 cases ahead of the second Test against Australia in Galle, starting July 8.
All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva, pacer Asitha Fernando and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay have tested positive for COVID-19, ruling them out of the second Test. All three players featured in the first Test in Galle.
The news comes as a further blow for the hosts, who will already be without the services of spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who also tested positive this week. This has brought the number of cases in the Sri Lankan camp during the series to five.
The hosts though will be bolstered by the return of former skipper Angelo Mathews, who will be available for selection. Mathews was withdrawn during the first Test after returning a positive test, with Oshada Fernando coming in as his replacement.
All the other members of the squad have tested negative and the hosts have drafted in spinner Lakshan Sandakan into the team.
Sri Lanka currently trail the two-match series 1-0, after losing the first Test at the same venue by 10 wickets. A victory will be of vital importance to them in order to draw level in the series, and also to clinch some important World Test Championship points.
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2669703
All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva, pacer Asitha Fernando and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay have tested positive for COVID-19, ruling them out of the second Test. All three players featured in the first Test in Galle.
The news comes as a further blow for the hosts, who will already be without the services of spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who also tested positive this week. This has brought the number of cases in the Sri Lankan camp during the series to five.
The hosts though will be bolstered by the return of former skipper Angelo Mathews, who will be available for selection. Mathews was withdrawn during the first Test after returning a positive test, with Oshada Fernando coming in as his replacement.
All the other members of the squad have tested negative and the hosts have drafted in spinner Lakshan Sandakan into the team.
Sri Lanka currently trail the two-match series 1-0, after losing the first Test at the same venue by 10 wickets. A victory will be of vital importance to them in order to draw level in the series, and also to clinch some important World Test Championship points.
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2669703
Mobashir
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Well, that miss stumping of Labu can be costly. It wasn't an hard one, the ball just did bounce a little more than expected.
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Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson
Australia won the toss and opt to bat
==
Australia have resisted the urge to tinker with their winning formula and will take an unchanged XI into the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, while the illness-ravaged hosts have named three debutants in their side.
Veteran Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was in the mix for a Test recall for the match, but selectors opted to stick with the same team that cruised to a 10-wicket triumph in the opening Test of the series at the start of the month.
A host of positive Covid tests forced Sri Lanka's hand somewhat, with the home side not being able to use all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva, pacer Asitha Fernando and spinners Praveen Jayawickrama and Jeffrey Vandersay for the final Test against Australia.
It means three debutants have been named in the final XI, with all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and spin duo Prabath Jayasuriya and Meheesh Theekshana winning their first cap for the clash.
Jayasuriya and Theekshana are likely to get called into action on the opening day, with Australia skipper Pat Cummins winning the toss and electing to bat first.
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson
Australia won the toss and opt to bat
==
Australia have resisted the urge to tinker with their winning formula and will take an unchanged XI into the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, while the illness-ravaged hosts have named three debutants in their side.
Veteran Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was in the mix for a Test recall for the match, but selectors opted to stick with the same team that cruised to a 10-wicket triumph in the opening Test of the series at the start of the month.
A host of positive Covid tests forced Sri Lanka's hand somewhat, with the home side not being able to use all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva, pacer Asitha Fernando and spinners Praveen Jayawickrama and Jeffrey Vandersay for the final Test against Australia.
It means three debutants have been named in the final XI, with all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and spin duo Prabath Jayasuriya and Meheesh Theekshana winning their first cap for the clash.
Jayasuriya and Theekshana are likely to get called into action on the opening day, with Australia skipper Pat Cummins winning the toss and electing to bat first.
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