Sixth ODI: Australia vs. Sri Lanka at Perth

February 15th, 2008 | by Ravi

It’s apparent Australia is not pulling its weight in

batting. Ricky Ponting’s slump in form is glaring but

others are also not kicking on for big scores.

Australia’s scores in this CB series are not in tune

with their status. Fans should brace themselves for a

few heartaches before the series is out.

Adam Gilchrist made his legions of fans’ wish come

true today yet the innings didn’t last its’ length nor

score could go beyond 236 runs. The champion cricketer

batted with an eye on a century but nobody was holding

it against him. His timing at times was awry and

placements not perfect yet it was a knock to remember.

The likes of his won’t be seen in a hurry.

Sri Lanka should have similar concerns with its

batting. It’s second time they have kept the world

champions in check yet its’ batsmen are not showing

up. For too long the Lankans have relied on Sanath

Jayasuriya to fire for a reliable total. One man alone

is no recipe for success.

Sri Lanka are missing out on a simple plan which all

teams should use against Australia. India did it

splendidly this summer: forge partnerships and the

cheeks of the Australians lose colour. They are not

used to being in the field for long without success.

It’s then that you see catches go down or fielding get

ragged.

In two matches against Australia in the triangular,

Sri Lanka have batted in two extremes. In Sydney, they

were too cautious; in Perth too adventurous. In both

matches they lost Jayasuriya early and couldn’t find a

happy balance. Mahela Jayawardene’s loss in both

matches came at a critical time. He left his reliable

partner, Kumara Sangakkara, with too much to do for

the second time.

Both teams can do with reliable lower orders. The

all-rounders and bowlers start too early. A good start

is thus rarely built upon as teams get more concerned

with lasting full overs. They can only covet what

Indians possess in extremes. Time and again, Indians

have stuttered in the middle order and unfailingly

its’ lower half has come to the party. India’s batting

depth is an object of envy for the world cup

finalists.

Australia’s bowling though is another issue. It’s not

easy to get past their fast bowlers who all bowl

run-denying length and with extreme discipline on the

off-stump. The likes of Nathan Bracken are blessed

with variety. Mitchell Johnson all the time has

batsmen hopping on the backfoot. Johnson has really

come on as a one-day bowler. Brett Lee has good

understudy to pin opposition down.

It was interesting to see Australia field Brad Hogg

ahead of Stuart Clark. The memory of defeat in the

Perth Test surely is too fresh in their memory. The

then fielded an all-pace attack and came a cropper to

the Indians. Here they opted for variety and given the

rather slowish pitch at the WACA, it was a cool move.

The series is now hotting up and Adelaide, where two

matches are due by 19th, would make the picture

clearer. It’s far closer than was previously thought.

That makes it exciting.