***Official*** Australia in Sri Lanka

[Furball]

Galle pitch being reported is absolutely dire IMO.

Difficult pitch yes, but it made for enthralling, exciting Test cricket. Give me a pitch that produces exciting Test cricket over a complete road every day of the week.

 

[aussie tragic]

For some unrelated trivia (unjinx)....only # 3 Aussie Batsman to make a hundred on debut is Bill Ponsford in 1924...

 

[robelinda]

Marsh looks so good in defence, lovely straight bat alongside pad, glorious. Bill Lawry would be proud. I know Marsh is inconsistent but he does look good. As his fans will tell you his last 3 seasons have been really good for WA, unlike North who was always fairly average for WA.

 

[Nate]

Three of his last four, anyway.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Couldn't have done any better on debut. Deserves a ton tomorrow but it will be a real test for him starting again in the morning. Hussey just carried on again. When he is in good nick he doesn't half cash in. Bat all day tomorrow has to be the plan and see where they are this time tomorrow as to whether to declare or not.

 

[Furball]

Couldn't have done any better on debut. Deserves a ton tomorrow but it will be a real test for him starting again in the morning. Hussey just carried on again. When he is in good nick he doesn't half cash in. Bat all day tomorrow has to be the plan and see where they are this time tomorrow as to whether to declare or not.

There's been a fairly significant amount of time lost already and both days have ended early due to bad light, so I don't think Australia can bank on getting in 180 overs should they declare overnight after batting tomorrow.

 

[Spark]

I'd look to declare a bit after tea tomorrow. That ought to give us a lead of about 250, which should be solid.

 

[marc71178]

There's been a fairly significant amount of time lost already and both days have ended early due to bad light, so I don't think Australia can bank on getting in 180 overs should they declare overnight after batting tomorrow.

Will they even need half that time though?

 

[Furball]

Will they even need half that time though?

Well I haven't watched much of day 2 so not really sure how the pitch is playing; bowling first in the subcontinent can sometimes be the right move if you can exploit the movement you sometimes get in the first hour (and getting 5 wickets in the morning session was a great example of Australia doing just that) so I'm not sure if Sri Lanka's below par score can be put down to conditions or just rank bad batting; in either case if the pitch has flattened out I wouldn't put it beyond Sri Lanka to bat out 2 days at home quite comfortably.

 

[Spark]

Rank bad batting. There was some assistance in the first hour, but it was clear that this was a 350 minimum pitch from late in the morning session.

It wasn't that much assistance either. You'd be pretty unhappy to lose three wickets in that session, let alone five.

 

[Furball]

Rank bad batting. There was some assistance in the first hour, but it was clear that this was a 350 minimum pitch from late in the morning session.

It wasn't that much assistance either. You'd be pretty unhappy to lose three wickets in that session, let alone five.

Fair enough, Eurosport threw up some highlights once they went off for bad light; Harris and Copeland were getting the ball to nibble around a bit off the seam from what they were showing; I dare say that if Sri Lanka had shown more application with the bat they might have been 50/1 or 2 at lunch and cashed in as the assistance wore off.

 

[Spark]

Fair enough, Eurosport threw up some highlights once they went off for bad light; Harris and Copeland were getting the ball to nibble around a bit off the seam from what they were showing; I dare say that if Sri Lanka had shown more application with the bat they might have been 50/1 or 2 at lunch and cashed in as the assistance wore off.

Yeah that's what I thought too. I was fully expecting a very long day in the field even with a few early wickets, but the batting just got worse and worse.

 

[Xuhaib]

this is so odd from SL at home they usually pummel any bowling i feel the runs will start flowing in the next sries.

 

[Himannv]

Yeah our batting has been abysmal.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Just finished watching the highlights of the first two days. Ryan Harris and Copeland were top-notch with the new ball and Ryano, in particular, seems to be giving the Lankan batsmen a headache with the deliveries nipping back in.

Yet another good knock by Hussey and the first impression regarding Marsh is pretty good. Lad is willing to stay out there and battle it out and cannot say that many established batsmen from both sides have displayed that trait very well in this series so far.

Sri Lankan batting is a real disappointment as many others have ruefully noted. I have a feeling that there's more to it than what meets the eye. Even in England, one got the uneasy feeling that Sanga, in particular, was mentally not quite there. They'd have to set it right otherwise I foresee some big decisions being taken in the coming few months.

 

[Furball]

Had to laugh when I was watching the highlights and Tony Greig admitted he was suprised at the speeds Copeland was clocking at Galle.

You'd think a guy who works for Channel 9 might be clued up on Australian cricket.

 

[Prince EWS]

Had to laugh when I was watching the highlights and Tony Greig admitted he was suprised at the speeds Copeland was clocking at Galle.

You'd think a guy who works for Channel 9 might be clued up on Australian cricket.

Nothing will beat the time Bill Lawry admitted to not having having heard of Grant Elliott before even though it was his Elliott's third game of the tour and Lawry had not only commented in the previous two but actually called his dismissal in one of them.

 

[Howe_zat]

Nothing will beat the time Bill Lawry admitted to not having having heard of Grant Elliott before even though it was his Elliott's third game of the tour and Lawry had not only commented in the previous two but actually called his dismissal in one of them.

Amazing.

 

[social]

Had to laugh when I was watching the highlights and Tony Greig admitted he was suprised at the speeds Copeland was clocking at Galle.

You'd think a guy who works for Channel 9 might be clued up on Australian cricket.

What about the current Australian selector who advised a player that he'd have more chance of selection if he opened the batting for his state

Good advice that calmy ignored the fact that said player had been opening all year

 

[social]

Win, lose or draw, I'm just happy to see Australia playing like a professional outfit again.

It's amazing what can happen when a captain has a plan, the bowlers have the ability to adhere to it and the batsmen put some sort of price on their wicket