***Official*** Australia in Sri Lanka

[Redbacks]

Watson needs to get one of his ODI style tons if they are even thinking of winning.

It's very unlikely, but if we somehow limited the lead to 150 or less, we would then have to make 350 and be bowled out, then manage to roll them for 170. Not very likely at all. Being up 1-0 I can see our plan being very cautious, no need to declare or attempt to make a game of it.

 

[Bun]

SL's game to lose.

 

[Jono]

When is the last time SL won a test vs. Aust by the way?

 

[Lostman]

When is the last time SL won a test vs. Aust by the way?

1999 Kandy

 

[Lostman]

Not getting this match heading for a draw comments. It's 50/50 draw or SL win imo.

Batting out draws over 1.5 days is not as easy as people are suggesting. Even if this deck is flat.

SL need at least another 90 runs to make the lead ~200, can't see the last 4 wickets doing it.

 

[SamSawnoff]

Disagree. I know it's very flat, but Watson, Ponting and Clarke haven't shown any capacity for patience in quite some time and Hughes looks like a walking wicket at the moment. Plus the humidity here is completely foreign to all our players, they're all pretty visibly affected by it which I can't imagine is going to help enhance their staying powers. If Marsh and or Hussey aren't able to dig in then I think we're going to be in big trouble here.

Watson will probably be pretty knackered regardless of him not batting for long in the first innings. Punter and Clarke have to show some stuff, can't leave it up to the two players who batted the longest in the first innings. They'll both be feeling that on top of one and a half days in the field.

Considering the Aussies propensity to collapse under very little pressure, we could be in for an exciting ending.

 

[Lostman]

Considering the Aussies propensity to collapse under very little pressure, we could be in for an exciting ending.

Yea but if they manage to fold up against Herath and Co. on this wicket, they would honestly need a second review.

 

[BlazeDragon]

Johnson should be at least good enough to get rid of the tail quickly otherwise he is completely useless now. Might as well send him back to county cricket also if he can't even do that now.

 

[SamSawnoff]

Yea but if they manage to fold up against Herath and Co. on this wicket, they would honestly need a second review.

I'm hoping that Punter pulls his head in. It's about time.

 

[stephen]

Well after two days without the internet... nothing much has happened. I did read though that Copes was robbed of a michelle by two plumb LBWs and a dropped catch and Clarke not giving him long enough spells. Still scorecard is a little depressing from an Aus point of view, even if this match is hopefully headed for a draw. One win, the better of one draw and the worst of another is acceptable to me. I really think that this is an accurate reflection of where we are now and I would expect us to improve with Copland and Lyon getting more experienced.

 

[Furball]

Well after two days without the internet... nothing much has happened. I did read though that Copes was robbed of a michelle by two plumb LBWs and a dropped catch and Clarke not giving him long enough spells. Still scorecard is a little depressing from an Aus point of view, even if this match is hopefully headed for a draw. One win, the better of one draw and the worst of another is acceptable to me. I really think that this is an accurate reflection of where we are now and I would expect us to improve with Copland and Lyon getting more experienced.

A few of you have criticised Clarke for this - he's playing in Sri Lanka ffs where the humidity is about 17,000%. What do you want Clarke to do, bowl him until he physically can't stand up?

 

[Himannv]

Be great if we can put up about 200 or 250 runs lead and put them into bat. I hope we can somehow pull off a win but its going to be really tough.

 

[morgieb]

I still think we might balls it up somehow. Will be a great injustice if the series is a draw, we were clearly the dominant team in the first 2 tests.

 

[adub]

A few of you have criticised Clarke for this - he's playing in Sri Lanka ffs where the humidity is about 17,000%. What do you want Clarke to do, bowl him until he physically can't stand up?

Copeland can handle it. It's what he does. He's so thin and wiry and his action so economical he's one of the few guys you could ask this of, but he'd handle it no problems. You may need to let him go off and hit the ice bath for half an hour, but one 12-15 over spell is better for him than three 4-5 over spells. It's just how to get the most value out of him. You could bowl him virtually the entire morning session and give the other guys short spells from the other end, let him hit the ice bath and rehydrate over lunch and stay off a for maybe another half hour or so, then he'd be right to bowl almost the entire after-tea session. Not bowling him in long spells is like telling Malcolm Marshall to pull back on the pace and leave the bouncers out, or telling Warne to bowl darts. If he's only bowling 5 overs batsmen will simply wait on him. If they have to face a session of him he'll usually catch them out.

 

[adub]

Interesting also the Roebuck was rating Siddle, but not Copes. No real complaints from Siddle's work, but yesterday it was Copeland that took two wickets, had a pretty legit LBW turned down, had an edge dropped and another shot just evade the trap at mid wicket. No one else created as many chances on the road they're bowling on. All that and he only got three overs with the new ball and wasted sighted again until Dilshan and Mathews had put on another 90 runs. Siddle was fine as it goes, and his ball to Sanga was a beauty, but talk about him replacing Copeland in the line up is way premature.

 

[Spikey]

i can't believe you guys don't get how it goes by now:

- awesome performance (That ODer)
- tolerable performances for the next few matches (the next few matches)
- terrible performance (currently)
- awesome performance (Next innings!?)

Siddle is the same. Except MJ's tolerable performances gets him wickets while Siddle goes wicketless, but skips the terrible performance, and gets the fiver (this innings!?)

Time running out for Johnson | Cricket | Fox Sports
Sri Lanka v Australia, 3rd Test, SSC, Colombo: Mitchell Johnson still searching for consistency | Cricket Features | Sri Lanka v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo

And here we are, we've done the terrible performance, the press are getting on his back...lookout guys. It's either this test or next.

 

[Burgey]

Be great if we can put up about 200 or 250 runs lead and put them into bat. I hope we can somehow pull off a win but its going to be really tough.

Mate, is the history of this pitch that it doesn't generally dteriorate much later in the match?

 

[uvelocity]

It's either this test or next.

or the one after that.

 

[Burgey]

Woeful that this starts half way through parliamentary Question Time. Short rain dealy and a 3.30pm AEST start ftw today.

 

[robelinda]

Nerd.