Well done Selectors, but watch your step
Kusal
Dilruwan
Selectors are usually the favourite whipping-boys of disappointed, disgusted fans. But in this instance, Jayasuriya and his band seemed to have got it just right. They did not worry about the customary two paceman formula (most of them were injured and off the park, anyway). Instead they opted for three spinners and used the prerogative of home advantage. Spin they surmised would make the Aussies hop around like Kangaroos.
Of course the Selectors were fairly Serendipitous. Sandakan was tossed in, and he promptly reeled in seven Aussies for 108. His subsequent lack of success raises the question whether it was a flash in the pan.
Time will tell. Dhananjaya De Silva’s was an inspired selection. From ball one he looked the part. His seeming lack of nerves, the timing, and his natural productivity towards attack make him an exciting find. Long may he prosper. Mendis a few Tests senior to those mentioned above came of age with a brilliant 176 that belied his tender years. That stunning knock was followed by 86 at Galle, but thereafter, it was a bit down-hill. Starc seemed to have identified his area of vulnerability and worked assiduously at exploiting that chink. But Mendis has made his mark and will get better. It was felt that he was the natural successor to Sangakkara in the number three slot.
But exigencies of service dictated that he come in at four, even five thereafter. Now the down-side. The continued failure of the openers is distressing. They have not repaid the faith of the selectors. It was sad to see debutant Vishva Fernando get but one over. Sadder still, that Lakmal did not get the red cherry
Rangana
in both innings at the SSC. Situations and conditions may have demanded that, and the end seemed to Justify the means. One was put in mind of the plight of the Indian team in the mid seventies when popular pacies Gavaskar and Solkar opened the attack.
The new number one-ranked team could not adopt to conditions in Sri Lanka despite the much-hyped acclimatisation and preparation.
Are they number one only when conditions favour them? Great Australian teams have always had the ability to come back from behind, to go for the Jugular and to keep pressing down on an opponent who is down and out. There were those glaring occasions when the Aussies had the Sri Lankans in total disarray. Yet each time the home team came back to dominate while their opponents kept searching for the killer-punch that eluded them. Having bowled out the Sri Lankans for 117 at Pallekelle, the Aussies came back with a measly lead of 86. The home team roared back to record a 106 run win. 26-5 at the SSC but Chandimal and de Silva showed guts and gumption to haul the team back into contention.
In contrast, in their one sided batting performance in the Tests, Marsh and Smith had taken the team to over 250 for the fall of Warner’s wicket. Yet they only eked out a lead of 24, which the Sri Lankans capitalised on, and never allowed the visitors to get back into the match. This was not a batting line-up that ran deep, especially when exposed to spin on slow turners. There
Dananjaya
was little after Nevill. In addition, some of the shot-making was horrendous. Smith was dismissed twice, cutting violently at deliveries that turned in. Warner cut out at a straight ball and nicked it. Vogues and Mitchell Marsh looked the part as the Test batsmen, but they couldn’t go on and make the big scores.
The elder Marsh, having made 141 at Pallekelle on the previous tour, must have fancied his chances. But his experience against spin was not recognised till the last. Instead the Aussies stuck with Joe, and he ‘burned’ his boats. The magnificent Starc was the one Australian who performed as in Test cricket should from day one. On to the ODIs, and the Aussie selectors seem to have done it again. The unorthodox, yet gifted, Maxwell has paid a leading price for a little inconstancy. Charisma, at appears, is not welcome. The Aussies think-tank seems to have developed a conservative streak more associated with English teams of the past. Mathews said it all, when he expressed pleasure that he will not have to contend with the likes of Maxwell, who can take the game away from in a matter of overs. The visitors could rue this decision.