A good test of our skills and temperament

The first test against the Australians is in its second day as I write and the battle is on. Australia has piled on a 500 plus score and we are two down with three days to play. Most reports say the Aussies have a stranglehold on the game but I would dare to say it is excitingly poised.

Vaas was most impressed by Hussey’s knock

We were not seen as favourites before the game but it is not that were short of support here in Brisbane: Over 650 guests turned up for a Sri Lankan dinner get-together in our honour. Also, this was our first test match in many months and we are determined to do really well.

Many-including myself-were surprised at the beginning of the game itself to find Lasith Malinga not in the playing XI. I expected him to make the team believing that we would play four fast bowlers and six batsmen especially because two of us, Farveez and myself can contribute with the bat as well.

However I guess the decision to omit Lasith was taken considering the ground conditions on match day when it was overcast and the wicket was bound to play slow with the ball expected to seam around rather than be quick.

Critics have also pointed out that on the last four occasions Australia have been asked to bat first at the Gabba they have posted scores nearing at least 400, but I believe Mahela did the right thing. On the day before the match it rained for most of the day and the wicket area was covered; so there was a lot of moisture in the wicket, conditions which we hoped we could exploit.

However, as the game got underway the conditions changed. The ball did move around during the first few overs but as it picked up moisture, that ceased. An interruption for rain did not help our cause because thereafter, the wicket improved for batting.To give credit to Australia though, they played the conditions really well. They were patient and watchful when necessary. We bowled in the right areas but they made only a few mistakes and their shot selection was good. They also had their share of luck with two close calls for catches against Michael Clarke and Hussey going in their favour.

We did make our own mistakes in fielding, dropping a few chances that came our way. Had we held on to them we could have had them five down at the close on the first day. I would also argue that we did manage to keep a lid on the scoring, because the Aussies took more than 150 overs to reach their score despite the wicket being favourable for batting.

Clarke and Jacques also made centuries but I was most impressed with Hussey’s knock. He showed immense patience, leaving many deliveries and often scoring in singles and his innings was a lesson on how to play in these conditions.

There was a lot of pre-match attention on Murali. It was obvious the Australians did not want to give him their wickets because he is only a few wickets shy of Shane Warne’s world record and they played him extremely cautiously. But happily for Murali, there were no calls of “no-ball” when he bowled and he was left to concentrate on his bowling.

It must also be said that so far, the Australian players too have been quite friendly even though they play aggressively in the middle. There have been no arguments or hostility and the focus has been on the cricket that is played. I hope it remains that way throughout the series.

Three centuries, two half centuries and a score of five hundred and fifty by the Aussies would suggest an uphill task before us. But, what that also tells us is that conditions at the Gabba are really favourable for batting and that it is now up to us to put our heads down and post a decent score.

We were unlucky to lose Sanath early because he said he had not got a touch to that delivery, but what we require now is for two batsmen to come up with good innings just as the Australian middle order did. The conditions are good, so we must be patient and wait for the loose deliveries which will invariably come our way if we play long enough.

Saturday will be crucial for us and our plan is to bat session by session. The first hurdle would be to try and avoid the follow on mark of 351 and make Australia bat again. Having seen how true the wicket played, the boys are optimistic that they can do that.

From what we have seen of the game so far, we should still be able to make a game of it if we play with caution and common sense, minimising our mistakes. It would no doubt test both our skills and temperament. But, we cannot expect any less when we are playing against the best team in the world in their own backyard.