There is always excitement when a series is played in Australia. You are unlikely to find more sporting pitches with a bit for everyone than down under. The quality practice facilities, superb television coverage, highly competitive games and even Sri Lankan fans outnumbering local supporters is quite unique to Australia and unparalleled
Australia is also a great place to watch cricket as good cricket is always appreciated. On the field the Aussies play hard and no quarters are given. But off the field they are some of the nicest people. No wonder most Sri Lankan cricketers when they finish up want to live in Australia.
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There are several young players in this Sri Lankan line up who are on their first tour to Australia and they will comeback much better players, mentally stronger and more mature. An Australian tour toughens up players and we have found over the years that soon after a tour down under the team raising the standards remarkably.
The first game of the series certainly did not look a contest between the World Champions and a team that is ranked eighth. Dasun Shanka’s side certainly gave the Aussies a run for their money.
Most teams start off a tour of Australia with a struggle. It takes time for batsmen to get used to pitches with extra bounce and the vast outfield. A shot that would clear the boundary at RPS will not go over the ropes of Sydney Cricket Ground. At Melbourne Cricket Ground it gets tougher.
It helps going into the series playing a couple of warm-up games. But in these days of COVID and bio-secure bubbles, warm-up games are a luxury that teams can’t afford. Into the bargain, Sri Lanka trained mostly at the Olympic Grounds where Susanthika Jayasinghe won the Olympic medal in 2000 and had just one session at SCG.
It doesn’t help that Sri Lanka aren’t carrying a dozen reserves like India or England. What those teams do is to play inter-squad games to overcome the challenge of lack of warm-up games.
Despite the defeat in the opening game, there were many positives for the Sri Lankans to take. It was a commendable effort to reduce the Aussies to less than 150 in their own backyard. The bowling was sensational. Fielding could have been a bit sharper. Avishka Fernando is without doubt the best batting talent the nation has got when it comes to limited overs cricket but he has got lot more work to do to become a complete cricketer as his fielding skills are well below par. On those vast Australian grounds it is just a matter of time that you get exposed.
Binura Fernando was superb to watch and he excelled beyond expectations conceding just 12 runs in his four overs. Those two wickets of Marcus Stonis and Matthew Wade that he picked up came in the death overs and ensured Australia didn’t get the finish they wished for. A left-arm seamer is always a wonderful addition to your attack as he gives you variety and depth.
Wanindu Hasaranga lived up to his bill as world’s number one ranked bowler. He was expensive nearly conceding ten runs an over, but with leg-spin you expect that to happen. More importantly he will buy
you those big wickets. On Friday it was Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith all dismissed for single digit scores.
Chamika Karunaratne is not the most talented guy around but he wears his heart on his sleeve and he is so passionate about what he does. His figures of two for 22 in four overs were something that would have cheered up the Sri Lankan dressing room as they can afford to be bolder with their selections moving forward. A players’ performances overseas matters a lot and Karunaratne certainly has cemented his place in the T-20 side.
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Sadly, the batters did not back up the excellent work done by the bowlers. The thing with most of these young guys is that they are always looking to hit boundaries. As a result, they end up with too many dot balls. A better approach would be to rotate the strike, look for the second run putting the fielders under pressure like Australia did and then to cash in when the loose ball is on offer.
That’s the template Sri Lanka followed during the World Cup campaign. A similar strategy would be ideal. Obviously they have got their work cut out against a formidable pace attack comprising Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood. When you have such a brilliant attack, the batsmen target the lesser threat and eventually he ends up with a rich haul of wickets. That’s how Adam Zampa walked away with the Player of the Match award.
But all in all, it was a great game of cricket. You can only expect this team to improve with every game.
