Aus in Lanka

that's another interesting test series started
Aus does well in Lanka generally and inspite of playing 4 specialist bowlers only.....they bowled out lankans for only 117
that's a huge bonus after having to bowl first.

Lyon continues to perform with steady consistency

Lyon ...and O'Keefe both doing well. Remains to be seen how the Aussie bats handle the spinning conditions ; but the spin bowlers are off to a good start.

Bit cheesed off to get home late hoping to see some cricket and find only...rain.

Fancy Australia to win pretty comfortably to be honest. Sri Lanka just haven't covered their retiring stars yet at all . And Australia don't seem to have the problems in Sri Lanka that they experience in India/Pakistan/Dubai.

alfie wrote:  And Australia don't seem to have the problems in Sri Lanka that they experience in India/Pakistan/Dubai.

this is because the pitches in SL are  not slow, low turners.....but "sporting" instead that offer assistance to seamers also...as we saw when India toured there last....India seamers got seam movement and bounce off those pitches
they do help spinners also and significantly as the game progresses...and so Aussie spinners did well on D1.....I think i have seen O' Keefe some-where but cannot recollect what his bowling is like.
Lyon is a steady impressive bloke.

With SL the issue now is not one of skilled replacements....but rather lack of interest in test cricket...they are going the WI way...of playing tests because they have to , but their real interest is limited over formats

KP_fan wrote:

alfie wrote:  And Australia don't seem to have the problems in Sri Lanka that they experience in India/Pakistan/Dubai.

this is because the pitches in SL are  not slow, low turners.....but "sporting" instead that offer assistance to seamers also...as we saw when India toured there last....India seamers got seam movement and bounce off those pitches
they do help spinners also and significantly as the game progresses...and so Aussie spinners did well on D1.....I think i have seen O' Keefe some-where but cannot recollect what his bowling is like.
Lyon is a steady impressive bloke.

With SL the issue now is not one of skilled replacements....but rather lack of interest in test cricket...they are going the WI way...of playing tests because they have to , but their real interest is limited over formats

So what was their excuse for being rubbish in the world cup?

I think they also have a problem with lacking quality players. Their peak team has gradually retired, its not just the Sangarakarras but also the supporting cast. I dont see their side being packed with T20 superstars, aside from Mathews who best figures are in tests.

Sri Lanka is in decline in all formats. They have become average in limited overs as well.
And I believe it is a skill/ability problem. Other than Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, they don't have enough class in the batting department. And Herath, nearly 40, still remain their best bet with the ball, the seamers Pradeep and Prasad are steady but rarely fit, and it is almost a given that when one is fit the other would be down....... No other good spinner, and though they have an upcoming 140+ seamer who's name I can't recollect now, they overall, are lacking in that department as well. But the biggest problem is there in their batting.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva, the Lankan test openers are just about adequate. But of the next positions down to 7, only Mathews and Chandimal are good enough. They have given opportunities to a number of young batsmen, none of them have shown enough potential.......

they will come back up in limited over format quicker I feel.....in the ODIs in Eng....they scored big in all but one...but unfortunately ran into some mind blowing form of English batsmen.

The openers, who both having played close to 30 test matches, average less than 35. Young Kusal Mendis, their latest number 3 and new hope, into his 7th test, has only 1 50 from 13 innings and an overall FC average of 30. You expect such a batting lineup to struggle.
And other than Herath, their spin hopes are the 30+ Dilruwan Perera and the seriously inconsistent Suraj Randiv. No wonder the team is struggling. And I can't see a quick turnaround against the Australians.

are there limited over games also after tests
we will see how they fare in limited over

Sri Lanka are simply a team in transition at the moment

spinners take 8 wicket as Aus is bowled out for 203
They lead by 85

well Lankans need to bat well one time......and by well I mean get about 250 runs which is doable on the back of two solid 50s.....and a chase of 175+ in the 4th inning may not be easy at all for the Aussies
interestingly poised unless Lanka crash out again

Good fightback, and good to see a chinaman bowler in Test cricket. Can't remember who the last one would be?

As KP says, Sri Lanka need about 250 to make a game of this. One thing they have is plenty of time!

VTR wrote:Good fightback, and good to see a chinaman bowler in Test cricket. Can't remember who the last one would be?

that would be Bradd Hogg ( full time) and Michael Bevan ( part time).

KP_fan wrote:

VTR wrote:Good fightback, and good to see a chinaman bowler in Test cricket. Can't remember who the last one would be?

that would be Bradd Hogg ( full time) and Michael Bevan ( part time).

Cheers - I didn't really remember Brad Hogg playing Tests, but he did play in 7 spread over 12 years!

Australia's Beau Casson was a chinaman bowler, albeit he only played one Test.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/4825.html

His only Test was in June 2008, which is slightly more recent than Brad Hogg's last Test in January 2008

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/5681.html

That's a great spot! I have been looking into a bit more and Dave Mohammed is more recent than Bevan, as probably is Paul Adams

I dug out a bit of an out of date article saying there have only been 9 ever (now 10 presumably) specialists in Test cricket. A very rare skill

I heard a Michael Clarke interview one time long time back....can't remember exact words....something he said implied...that Australians look at every left arm spinner as either a left arm leg or left arm off spinner.

that is so different from rest of the world where a left arm spinner defaults to SLA orthodox barring some exceptions

to me that shows....unlike rest of the world, aussie do encourage/ groom a left arm spinner to bowl leg-spin / use his wrist to spin...instead of orthodox SLA ( which in Aussie system would be called left arm off spin)...and that's why they have had most international representation in this rare art.

there have been some exceptions outside of Aus also, notably Paul Adams from SA ( frog in a blender fame) and another SA chinaman bowler who I cannot recollect .....and Dave Mohhamed from WI.

India has Kuldeep yadav successful from the recent U-19 world cup....first time a chinaman bowler of some standing....dunno how his FC career has progressed since
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuldeep_Yadav

Interesting - must be something to do with the pitches as right-armers are I believe encouraged to do similar, which gives more chance of producing a Warne or even a McGill

Sri Lanka is the home of the unorthodox bowler, I suspect from lack of structured coaching at an early age, so no its not surprising they have produced one of these rare types of bowlers

A lead of 85 is very significant in this type of track in a low-scoring game.
And Lanka has experimented unnecessarily and have already lost Kusal Perera who was promoted to open in place of Karunaratne. Kusal does open in limited overs and is a stroke-maker, and if he had come off, the lead of 85 would have quickly gone away. But he has been struggling for form, had (wrongly?) got entangled in dope aligations and has recently been cleared. And he would have been much better off in the middle order, could have managed the lower order better and would have had a better chance with the older ball. And the only relatively established part of the Lankan batting lineup other than Chandimal and Mathews at 4 and 5 are the openers, there was no need to try something different.

Kusal Mendis gets his maiden ton as SL start to build a lead. That the four batsmen out so far failed to make double figures (and at the time of writing Mendis has scored almost 75% of SL's runs) suggests that the pitch is probably no easier to play on and that SL need as many runs as possible from the Mendis/Chandimal partnership.

Well quite a turnaround for Sri Lanka! A target of 200+ isnt going to be a fun chase for Aus

Well now for the first time in the three days I've got home in time to watch this before the rain arrived ...

And I'm watching an absolutely superb innings from young Mendis

While the first four batsmen failed to reach double figures , he has skipped along to 150 ...at one stage he'd scored nearly 80% of his team's total !
Had the odd streaky shot ; but you wouldn't say he's looked in any trouble at all against an Australian attack rather missing the injured O'Keefe. Making Lyon look a bit ordinary at the moment , in fact ; he's having to carry a lot of the load with his spin partner out of action , in fairness.

I recall thinking that Mendis had the look of a handy batsman when he played in England earlier this year , though he didn't actually make a lot of runs. Back on home turf , he is staking a claim as a future star for Sri Lanka - he is only 21 , I believe.
Good stand with Chandimal , and now Silva is supporting him well : Australia will be hoping for quick wickets after tea ; else they are looking at a difficult fourth innings chase...in fact it may already e getting a bit tricky , given their issues with spin on Asian pitches.

Hope the rain stays away later as this is becoming an interesting Test Match.

Sri Lanka, Mendis in particular, showing a hell of a lot more fight than they did against England.

Duty281 wrote:Sri Lanka, Mendis in particular, showing a hell of a lot more fight than they did against England.

I think this is because they are at home and they can play to their strengths i.e. spinners doing most of the bowling and ability to play spin. Put them on some fast wickets in Australia and I think they get just as badly beaten as they did in England

De Silva gone for a useful 34 ; but Sri Lanka now 190 ahead.

Smith bowling himself now ! And getting some spin too...which just cost him an lbw

New ball due in two. Will be important...

Told ya....lanka has talent

Kusal Mendis with a FC average all of 30 odd stands up so tall in a low scoring game against world's top side on a difficult pitch....and scores an unbeaten 169 pushing the lankan lead to 200 and might take it closer to 250 tomm.

going purely on stats...you won't expect this from him or even expect him to be in the test side either .....BUT...that's why the best of cricketers are picked on potential...as visually seen by selectors
( that's how Waqar, wasim, tendulkar, Inzy, Sehwag and dozens of young sub-continent talent is picked.....on potential..and that's why I am pushing for Pandya...cricketing potential and attitude)

you can't write Aus off......but it's a very hard situation for them.

This Mendis innings, given the circumstances, has been really outstanding. SL could well win from here, whereas earlier in the day defeat seemed certain.
Wonder if anyone can recall a similar Test where one guy has SO outscored all the others on a difficult pitch.

This is one that immediately springs to mind - also a third innings century

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63818.html

KP_fan wrote:

going purely on stats...you won't expect this from him or even expect him to be in the test side either .....BUT...that's why the best of cricketers are picked on potential...as visually seen by selectors
( that's how Waqar, wasim, tendulkar, Inzy, Sehwag and dozens of young sub-continent talent is picked.....on potential..and that's why I am pushing for Pandya...cricketing potential and attitude)

It probably does happen more in the SC, but isn't that rare even in England. Of the current England team Cook, Root, Stokes, Broad and Anderson were all picked from an early age without having having much FC cricket behind them, and certainly having poorer stats than more experienced alternatives would have had

Inevitably , not much play after tea.

New ball in the morning now crucial...if Mendis can nurse the tail to add another fifty or so Sri Lanka will really fancy their chances. Even now the last innings chase is potentially "interesting".

VTR wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

going purely on stats...you won't expect this from him or even expect him to be in the test side either .....BUT...that's why the best of cricketers are picked on potential...as visually seen by selectors
( that's how Waqar, wasim, tendulkar, Inzy, Sehwag and dozens of young sub-continent talent is picked.....on potential..and that's why I am pushing for Pandya...cricketing potential and attitude)

It probably does happen more in the SC, but isn't that rare even in England. Of the current England team Cook, Root, Stokes, Broad and Anderson were all picked from an early age without having having much FC cricket behind them, and certainly having poorer stats than more experienced alternatives would have had

they should get in Roy.....he has evidenced his potential in ODIs against an international side on repeat occasions
and should keep a close eye on the 2 guys who scores 175 and 200 odd recently in was it A game vs. Lanka

Bar a quick collapse, I think Sri Lanka have this game wrapped up. Getting to a lead of 240+ will make it certain in a low-scoring game.

Apart from Mendis, no other batsman has made it past 47, which puts the achievement in true context.

6/4 odds on the Sri Lanka victory! It's print money time.

How do the bookmakers come up with these insanely kind odds...where do these inventions come from? I've said it so many times, they really don't understand cricket. I can't wait for the odds that will be available on England beating India this winter.

Duty281 wrote: I've said it so many times, they really don't understand cricket. .

True they don't read the multi-dimensional , multi-variable match situation...leave aside the even more complex 5 day test match situation..

These betting sites...their approach is 90% statistical and barely 10% subjective
whilst in reality reading cricket situation 90% subjective .

I made some money( quite some money actually) especially on non India games.... on bet365, until they closed it for those with Indian passport.

In my experience One is more likely to win, when betting on neutral games.....with no emotional attachment to one side or moral dilemma of betting on the loss of the team you support.

KP_fan wrote:

they should get in Roy.....he has evidenced his potential in ODIs against an international side on repeat occasions
and should keep a close eye on the 2 guys who scores 175 and 200 odd recently in was it A game  vs. Lanka

I agree on Roy - I have the feeling he would do better in international than FC cricket. Something tells me he is the kind of player who thrives on playing in front of 20,000 rather than two men and a dog. I am not writing off Vince as yet but he looked so nervous on debut it was untrue and obviously he hasn't settled in very well

I think you are referring to Billings and Duckett, both I am sure will become more prominent (and debut in the case of Duckett) in the short format teams in the next year

Mighty fine innings from Kusal Mendis. Mentioned above, he's their big hope and so have been picked on potential at a very young age. He has delivered now, with a seriously impressive innings, after not quite getting the big runs so far in his career.

Despite Mendis' performance, I don't think Sri Lanka has managed to put the game beyond Australia. They do have an issue v spin, but Smith and Voges are quite capable and more in such conditions, and all that takes to win the game would be 2 big half-centuries. And the new ball will be available in the morning, and it won't be easy for the Lankan lower order to survive Starc. If Mendis can guide them to a lead of around 250, it will indeed be very difficult for the Australians.

VTR. Ta for that Slater tour de force (see above). Forgotten about that. As for betting on cricket, seems to me the best thing is to bet against the team you support. That way you can salvage something from the wreck of a defeat.

I think Roy would get found out in Test match cricket. Especially in England. Those hands are awfully hard and that bat angle is ungainly.

Bell-Drummond has been on the ECB radar for years. Certainly been touted as the next big thing and is starting to fulfil some promise. Would imagine he is next in line to open the batting in Tests.

Duckett is the same. Played all England age groups as far as I know. Him or Malan will bat three in the ODIs vs Pak I would hope. Give Root a well needed rest.

As for the SL/Aus game, what a ridiculous knock from Mendis. Genuinely special. Hopefully Sri Lanka can get it done from here, and think they are strong favourites from here. Would take a special knock from one Aussie to knock there off.

Sri Lanka have pushed onto a lead of 225 this morning before rain set in - Mendis is out for an outrageously good 176.

I think they already have too much for Australia already

Herath has added a crucial 34 runs as well, still unbeaten for now.

Lead up to 264 - surely too much for Australia?

And now he's gone after a brilliant catch, but those are vital, vital runs.

268 for Australia to win. Plenty of time and overs to get a positive result, for either side, even with the inconsistent weather and fast deteriorating light.

But Sri Lanka are surely firm favourites.

Warner, surprising absolutely no one, surrenders his wicket cheaply.

2/1.

Can we start talking about gow australia dont care about test cricket and are concentrating on the short formats now?

Its a hell of a chase last up against a side with decent spin options...but one big aggresive innings could change that (as evidenced by Mendis)

Gooseberry wrote:...

Its a hell of a chase last up against a side with decent spin options...but one big aggresive innings could change that (as evidenced by Mendis)

Much as it pains me, I do agree with Gooseberry.

smith is the one who can play the big inning....get him and Voges / Marsh are good for 30s and 40s....and the rest would be gobbled by 3 lankan spinners rather easily

cliched as it might sound.....Smith is standing between Lanka and victory

and from the way chinaman bowler is bowling and smaith playing him....he could get caught at short leg / mid wicket any time

sandakan ( chinaman) and Perrera ( offie) are getting sharp turn...ball is jagging sharply off the ptich with good bounce...hard to keep defensive shots downs....bat pad and close-ins always have a chance
Burns was gone one that spun in sharply and bounced ...he coudn't control and played on.

the too much spin saved Voges.....

every over looks like producing a wicket...survival harder then it seemed before i saw 3 / 4 overs of play

Who can? Sandakan

I'll grab me coat

Australia need another 185 runs, and Sri Lanka 7 wickets on the last day. Going by the weather pattern, its about 2 sessions of play time available. This partnership is the absolute key for Australia. If they can push the side pass 150, then Australia would be in with a very good chance. But if they get one of them early tomorrow, Sri Lanka will have Marsh, the wicketkeeper and the lower order to target....... None of them are great against spin.

msp83 wrote:Australia need another 185 runs, and Sri Lanka 7 wickets on the last day. Going by the weather pattern, its about 2 sessions of play time available. This partnership is the absolute key for Australia. If they can push the side pass 150, then Australia would be in with a very good chance. But if they get one of them early tomorrow, Sri Lanka will have Marsh, the wicketkeeper and the lower order to target....... None of them are great against spin.

Hi msp, haven't chatted for a while. No disagreements there. My gut feel though is that Australia have at this stage lost one wicket too many and it'll be difficult for them to get back on top.