The one area where Sri Lanka can be confident heading into the second Test
A unique scheduling quirk may be the only thing standing between Australia and a 2-0 series win.
IMAGE: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
The current Australian tour of Sri Lanka is a short and sweet one ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy later this month. The tour comprises two Test matches in Galle, followed by two ODIs in Colombo.
The Australians cruised to victory in the first Test, winning by an innings and 242 runs. Stand-in skipper Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bat before the Aussies ground the Sri Lankan attack into the ground for the best part of two days, finally declaring at 6/654.
The score, a record for Australia in Asia, was built on the back of Usman Khawaja’s 232, although he received good support from Smith (141, including his 10,000th run in Test cricket) and the debutant Josh Inglis (102).
After that, it was our bowlers who dominated for the next two days. The returning Matt Kuhnemann (5/63) led the way in the first innings as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 165. Smith enforced the follow on, with Kuhnemann and Lyon taking four wickets each in the second innings as Sri Lanka finished on 247.
Spare a thought for poor Dinesh Chandimal (72 & 31) who was one of, if not the only, Sri Lankan batsman to put up any real resistance – only to become the 12th man to be dismissed twice in the same session of a Test match.
The second Test, which starts later today, will mark the 44th series where back-to-back matches are played at the same venue. The last the Australia played back-to-back matches at the same venue as part of a single Test series was their previous tour to Sri Lanka in 2022.
On that tour – like this one – both matches were played in Galle, and Australia had a big win in the first Test. On that occasion it was a 10-wicket win to the tourists. Sri Lanka won the toss and batted but were restricted to 212 due to the efforts of Lyon (5/90 from 25 overs) and Michell Swepson (3/55 from 13 overs).
The Aussies made 321 in response, with Cameron Green (77 from 109) and Khawaja (71 from 130) the only two batters to pass 50. Strong bowling performances from Lyon (4/31 from 11 overs) and the enigmatic Travis Head (4/10 from 2.5 overs) kept the hosts to 113, setting Australia just five runs for victory. David Warner completed the chase in David Warner fashion, going dot, dot, four, and six off the first four balls of the innings.
But it’s what happened during the second Test in 2022 that Sri Lanka will be focusing on this time around, when they turned the tables on the Aussies to win by an innings and 39 runs.
Batting first in the second Test, Australia posted a respectable 364 – although this total was largely the result of Smith’s 145 and Marnus Labuschagne’s 104, with only three of the remaining nine batters making double figures.
Chandimal tamed the Australian attack on his way to 206 not out as Sri Lanka made 554, receiving good support from Dimuth Karunaratne (86), Kusal Mendis (85), Kamindu Mendis (61), and Angelo Mathews (52).
Australia’s second innings was an undeniable disaster, making just 151 as Prabath Jayasuriya ripped through the line up with 6/59 from 16 overs. Labuschagne top scored with 32.
Sri Lanka have a very strong record in the second Galle match in series where back-to-back Tests are played at the venue. In six previous series played over the past four years, the hosts have lost the second match only once – a six-wicket loss to England in January 2021.
Following that loss, they had a 164-run win against the West Indies in late 2021, the innings and 39 run victory over the Aussies I mentioned earlier, a 246-run win against Pakistan just a few weeks later, an innings and 10 run win over Ireland in April 2023, and an innings and 154 run win over New Zealand last September.
It will be interesting to see how the Sri Lankans bounce back after being humbled in the first Test, and whether the Australians take the foot of the pedal somewhat ahead of the upcoming white ball tournament in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
While the playing XI is yet to be confirmed, teenage star Sam Konstas will not add to his two-Test career. The young New South Welshman has returned to Australia to play for his state in this weekend’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland.
However, Cooper Connolly could be the fourth player in as many matches to make their Test debut for Australia, with spinner Todd Murphy reportedly being the unlucky man to make way for the West Australian. If Connolly does debut, it will then be a question of whether he can continue the trend of debutants scoring a half century or better.
The second and final test kicks off at 3.30pm AEDT this afternoon.
Bonus: Check out my latest for the ABC, Experts in the field — which players in the Big Bash League have played the most matches where they did not bat or bowl?, where I reflect on my own cricketing experiences of being a full-time fill-in and specialist fielder.