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Are Sri lanka capable of winning their next two test series ?

I

iamdavid

International Debutant
pasag said:
Disagree really, both seem to be very highly valued in the selectors minds, but from what I've seen, Watson is rated much higher with regards to the future than Symonds and will get the nod if it comes down to the one or the other. Regardless of the MCG innings, I feel Watson will get the nod over Symonds, for the start of the summer at least unless the selectors go down the route of choosing them both, which may very well happen, unfortunately. Also the bowling will come into it quite abit in selectors minds, especially since we can't really get away with a fifth bowler as poor as Symonds anymore with the various retirements.
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TBH I dont think Watson offers a huge deal more than Symonds with the ball at test level at this stage, he certainly looks more threatening but despite his pace and hustle and bustle he's straight up and down and lacks shape or variation, I really dont think he's good for more than 10 overs a day of backup atm. However there is always the prospect that if he rediscovers how to move the ball off the straight (he did at one stage you know, back before his couple of back injuries I remember watching him in a few ING cup games bowling good outswing, but since his action has become more robotic he's lost it) then he could develope into a genuine test allrounder.
And his batting is certainly technically superior to Symonds and more suited to the longer game which Im sure the selectors have noticed, but I would just be very suprised to see them drop Symonds at this stage as keen as they may be to get Watson in there, I think the attitude will be that Watsons still young, he can bide his time and improve his fitness and when an oppurtunity comes up chuck him in.
 
I

iamdavid

International Debutant
HeathDavisSpeed said:
Henriques looks quality from what I've seen. I can't believe the Blues didn't play him more often last year. An absolute joke that he got dropped after taking 5 - 17.
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I thought he had fitness issues although I cant remember now tbh, but yes if they just cast him aside after that spell then thats pretty poor handling of a young player.

As for him playing for Australia, he's still a couple years away yet lol, first let him make the fulltime transition from grade to first class cricket (and hope he dosent get lost inbetween like Grant Lambert did) and in a couple of years I'm sure he'll be ready.
 
HeathDavisSpeed

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
iamdavid said:
As for him playing for Australia, he's still a couple years away yet lol, first let him make the fulltime transition from grade to first class cricket (and hope he dosent get lost inbetween like Grant Lambert did) and in a couple of years I'm sure he'll be ready.
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Yeah. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek. When I lived in the UK, I used to hear every day (during the cricket season) that the Aussies were "over the hill" and "no youngsters are coming through". A load of rubbish. Even then Phil Jaques was looking excellent and with players like Heal, Henriques, Hilfenhaus and Voges. I also hear good things about Cullen Bailey; though he doesn't look great shakes to me.
 
I

iamdavid

International Debutant
HeathDavisSpeed said:
Yeah. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek. When I lived in the UK, I used to hear every day (during the cricket season) that the Aussies were "over the hill" and "no youngsters are coming through". A load of rubbish. Even then Phil Jaques was looking excellent and with players like Heal, Henriques, Hilfenhaus and Voges. I also hear good things about Cullen Bailey; though he doesn't look great shakes to me.
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lol fair enough, Cullen Bailey looks a decent prospect to me, it'll take a while for him to mature as it does with most wrist spinners (just look what happened to Adil Rashid overnight lol), but I think he's the best prospect out of the young spinners in Australia atm.
Spin bowling is the one area I'm a little worried about as we seem to have plenty of good young quicks, batsman and wicket-keepers. Daniel Cullen and Aaron Heal will never be test-quality bowlers no matter how much hype they get. A couple of years ago I was excited about Beau Casson because he looked like a bowler who could get top quality batsman out, he is capable of turning the ball as far as Warne in his prime and has a decent wrong'un, however his control is....laughable and seems to have only gotten worse as his FC carear has gone on consequently he looks as though he'll amount to nothing.
 
HeathDavisSpeed

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
iamdavid said:
Daniel Cullen and Aaron Heal will never be test-quality bowlers no matter how much hype they get. A couple of years ago I was excited about Beau Casson because he looked like a bowler who could get top quality batsman out, he is capable of turning the ball as far as Warne in his prime and has a decent wrong'un, however his control is....laughable and seems to have only gotten worse as his FC carear has gone on consequently he looks as though he'll amount to nothing.
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Dan Cullen doesn't look very good at all, but I thought control was something the Heal looked as if he had. One of these guys (and Cullen Bailey) will presumably play a decent number of tests (unless someone blasts through from nowhere)
 
L

lionheart

School Boy/Girl Captain
I think this is the best chance a Sri Lanka team has ever had to beat the Aussie's in Aussie in a while. But in saying that, I don't share the optimism of some of my fellow Sri Lankan fans.

For the first time ever, Sri Lanka has a bowling attack that I think can bowl out Australia twice. Vaas, Malinga and Murali have to set up the platform for our batsmen. They can do it if they get it right on the day, for five consecutive days. The thing I’m most concerned about the 3rd seamer. When Fernando is bowling well and things go his way, he is a great addition to the bowling attack and sometimes you even get it in your head that this bloke might be world class. However when he gets it wrong he total and utter rubbish, and you contemplate bodily harm for ever thinking that he could be world class.

As I alluded to earlier, I think the onus is on the bowlers. Our batting line up is good, but I wouldn't stake anything of value on them performing on a given day - which is something I'd do with the Australia batting line-up. This is Sangakkara’s series. The conditions suite his style of play, as will the Australian bowling attack and this is his chance to really cement himself as one of the great batsmen of this era. We also need Jayawardene – obviously – but to also play with same steely determination that he showed in England. A lot of people doubt Tharanga, but I think he will perform in Australia, and I share the same opinion on Silva. I don't expect them to rack up big scores but I think they will be good value and provide support to the bigger names. I do have a question mark over Atapattu. Do we select him? Class is class, but he is very short on match practise, and I feel that Vandort is great test prospect for Sri Lanka and has constantly showed he has the right temperament for the gig (he even showed it in Australia - although that was in ODI's and his temperament wasn't so welcome there).

I think some people are getting carried away with the perceived weakness of the Australian bowling attack. They weak in relatively to previous attacks but they'd run through most batting line-ups. I think Clarke is much more dangerous than Lee. Lee is Lee. Sri Lankan batsmen haven't really got the best of him consistently, but he hasn't really haunted us the same way McGrath has. Clarke is in that McGrath mould and he is going to be asking a lot of questions. The other guy I'm worried about - should the Aussie selectors have any sense - is Stuart MacGill. Yes, he is a spinner, and yes, traditionally Sri Lankan batsmen have been very good against spin. But, this current crop of Sri Lankan batsmen isn’t that hot against high quality leg spin.

I'm going to boldly predict a draw (of the non-rain affected variety), and 1 Australian victory. But if we play to potential, I think we can win at least one of the matches.
 
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grant28

grant28

School Boy/Girl Captain
They will probably lose down under, although Murali overtaking Warney in Test Wickets will be a consolation prize IN YOUR FACE AUSSIES, MURALI >>. WARNE. But even being an Englishman, they're chances against England are very good, and I think it would be an upset if England were to win there.
 
I

iamdavid

International Debutant
HeathDavisSpeed said:
Dan Cullen doesn't look very good at all, but I thought control was something the Heal looked as if he had. One of these guys (and Cullen Bailey) will presumably play a decent number of tests (unless someone blasts through from nowhere)
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Yeah Heal does have good control but it takes more than that to do the job at test level, Australian spinners have typically always played an aggressive role trying to get batsman out (Warne, MacGill, Benaud, even Tim May). And to get test batsman out you need to be able to turn the ball a bit or be mighty good with the way you control your drift and dip, to me Heal dosent look like he has those qualities. He's capable of bowling tidily and restricting things from one end while the quicks do a job, but then again so are Cameron White or even Michael Clarke lol so why bother picking him. Atm Cullen Bailey looks like Australias specialist spinner after MacGill/Hogg retire, not because he's amazing but because theres nobody else.
 
Fiery

Fiery

Banned
HeathDavisSpeed said:
Dan Cullen doesn't look very good at all, but I thought control was something the Heal looked as if he had. One of these guys (and Cullen Bailey) will presumably play a decent number of tests (unless someone blasts through from nowhere)
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Where have you seen these guys play Heath? You may have said earlier but can't be assed going through the thread
 
I

iamdavid

International Debutant
Pup Clarke said:
Haha, are you suggesting that Cameron White can "restrict" things and bowl "tidily"?.
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His record so far suggests no, but he has decent control and often bowls with a flat trajectory so yeah I think he'd be capable of doing a job by bowling tidily from one end.
 
Son Of Coco

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
JASON said:
I did, I think lot of the others seem to have not read it.

Lee may be the only bowler who may have any effect on SL.

Clarke, Macgill are unlikely to make any impact on the current SL batsman .(this includes Sanath J and Marvan , who I expect to be in the Test squad for Australia) .

And agree with you about Tait , SL Batsman are unlikely to have difficulty since they are accustomed to Malinga.

So its Just Brett Lee alone and SL will need to play him well, and they can . I am expecting Trevor Bayliss to get them fully tuned in on what to expect before the Test series starts.
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So you're predicting a sudden loss of form for Clark?
 
HeathDavisSpeed

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Fiery said:
Where have you seen these guys play Heath? You may have said earlier but can't be assed going through the thread
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I spent a while over in Australia over the Christmas period - December through to January. Tried to watch as much cricket as I could. Even watched a grade game or two whilst over there. Good times.

The missus spent most of her time shopping, mind... So whatever I did had to be comparatively cheaper! Other than watching the Ashes test at Melbourne, which we all enjoyed - obviously!
 
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