Questions grow over debut vanishing act; no doubt over key Aussie spot: Talking Pts

Australia faces the prospect of a potentially tricky run chase on Day 4 of the Second Test of the tour of Sri Lanka after the hosts produced their best performance of the series to date on Saturday.

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Prabath Jayasuriya bowled superbly as Australia lost 7-64 to be all out for 414 in the first session of the day, while Angelo Matthews found form against a tiring attack to make sure the Aussies will need to bat again.

With Matt Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon shouldering a heavy load, Sri Lanka reached stumps at 8-211, giving the hosts a 54-run lead with two days remaining.

DAY 3 WRAP: Late drama as Aussie gamble pays off; ‘brainfade’ burns SL in brutal collapse

WAS DEBUTANT GAMBLE THE RIGHT CALL FOR AUSSIES?

While Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann have worked wonders with the ball in Galle, they have certainly earned their airfares.

Australia’s decision to opt for only three specialist bowlers raised eyebrows, with selectors making what assistant coach Daniel Vettori described as an incredibly tough call to drop off-spinner Todd Murphy for debutant Cooper Connolly for the Second Test in Galle.

When Mitchell Starc was reintroduced into the attack late on Day Three for just his third over after Australia had conceded the lead to Sri Lanka, the champion fast bowler appeared stiff and sore.

That is scarcely a surprise at the end of what has been a long summer, particularly as he spent much of the day in the field as the spinners whiled away in an ultimately fruitless bid to ensure Australia did not have to bat again.

Starc secured three wickets in the first innings from 16 overs, but was less effective on Saturday when used sparingly on a deck that was increasingly conducive to spin.

While Australia seems certain to clinch victory on Sunday barring a horror batting collapse, the three specialist bowlers in Starc, Lyon and Kuhnemann worked overtime in gruelling conditions.

The three specialists bowled 84 of the 98 overs the Sri Lankans faced in the first innings, with Lyon and Kuhnemann shouldering a heavy load for the Australians on Day Three of the Test. And clearly the absence of Murphy was felt as Sri Lanka forced the Aussies to bat again.

After bowling only three overs in the first innings, Connolly only managed four runs in a six ball cameo with the bat before contributing just a couple of overs throughout the remainder of the day.

It is not a criticism, for he clearly has potential and will have better days, but whether he was best served debuting in Sri Lanka can be argued.

With Starc contributing only a couple of overs and all-rounder Beau Webster was used only in the final couple of overs after contributing just three overs in the first innings, the burden on Lyon and Kuhnemann in particular was heavy.

When Webster was finally introduced, it was to bowl off-spin and the added bounce he was able to generate with his height troubled Ramesh Mendis, who fell for a duck.

JAYASURIYA ARRIVES BUT HAS THE BIRD FLOWN?

Sri Lanka’s hopes of squaring the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy appeared shot and the hosts were on the ropes once again when star spinner Prabath Jayasuriya delivered in Galle.

It is three years since the left-handed off-spinner put the Australians to the sword in Sri Lanka with a dazzling performance on debut after being included when a teammate fell ill with COVID-19.

He ultimately took six wickets in both innings in the second Test of the series to finish with 12-177, which are the best figures by a Sri Lankan bowler on debut.

Not only did Jayasuriya earn Man of the Match honours, the effort was enough to sew up the leading wicket taker award as well. He has continued to shine at home as the fastest Sri Lankan bowler to tick off the 50 and 100 Test wicket milestones at home.

But the 33-year-old effectively took until the third day of the Second Test of this series to produce a performance matching those deeds against Australia back in 2022.

Jayasuriya took 3-193 from 60 overs during the First Test in Galle, but only after the Australians had demoralised the Sri Lanka attack.

Amid the lean pickings on the second day of this Test for Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for four, with the struggling Queenslander deceived by the spinner.

But he was far more effective early on the third day. He struck to dismiss Steve Smith caught behind for 131, with the Aussie skipper adding only 11 runs in the morning session.

He then dismissed first Test centurion Josh Inglis two balls later clean bowled. Eight overs later he was able to sneak one through the defences of Alex Carey, who fell for 156.

This was the Jayasuriya Sri Lanka had hoped would help them regain the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy. When he snared the scalp of Mitchell Starc later in the first session, it earned him a “five for” in the series.

It is probably he made his presence felt too late, though former Aussie batter Greg Blewett said he had least given his nation an outside hope of an upset.

“It has been a good comeback from Sri Lanka after yesterday,” he said.

“What it has done is maybe set up a tricky little run chase for Australia late in the game. The conditions will get harder.”

ANOTHER SRI LANKAN STAR JOINS THE PARTY

Speaking of better late than never, Sri Lankan veteran Angelo Matthews also demonstrated his pride in performance with a spirited stand in what could be his final Test knock against Australia for a couple of reasons.

The 37-year-old had endured a lean series to date, contributing just 49 runs for the series when falling to Lyon on all three occasions. But the No.4 batted superbly under pressure on Saturday to give Sri Lanka an outside chance of pulling off a massive comeback.

Matthews arrived at the crease with Sri Lanka at 2-33 and in danger of falling to another innings defeat to Australia, but he was able to guide the hosts to a position from which they could at least challenge the nerves of the Aussies on Sunday before falling

The Sri Lankan, who passed 8000 Test runs in this series and has averaged 44.69 in 117 Tests, was superb against both his nemesis Lyon and also the rest of the fatiguing Australian attack, with his partnership with wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis important late in the day.

But just as the Aussie bowlers were tiring, so too was Matthews, who started to play a couple of sloppier shots with stumps within reach before falling to Lyon once again with a shot former Australian opener Simon Katich could not believe he had attempted.

“He had played so well for 76 but … just picked out Beau Webster at deep-backward square. The ‘Goat’ (in Nathan Lyon) gets a crucial breakthrough,” he said.

“It is a poor option because he was hitting into the breeze and he has decided to get under it with a man hovering out there. That is exactly what Steve Smith wanted.

“They were well on top. Angelo Matthews, with his experience, you can only think that the Galle heat sapped him, because that was a strange shot.

While Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey batted superbly when scoring a second Test century, Mendis has more than done his part for Sri Lanka in this Test.

After finishing unbeaten on 85 from 139 balls in the first innings, his rapid knock late on Day Three was impressive as he went at quicker than a run-a-ball in partnership with Matthews as the produced a 70-run partnership.

THE TIRELESS GOAT

While Lyon carried a heavy load, it is another day the South Australian will remember fondly after he surpassed the 550 Test wicket milestone when finishing with three wickets for the day, including the vital one of Matthews in the latter stages.

It has been a superb return to form for the champion, who managed only nine wickets during a Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series played on tracks that heavily favoured fast bowlers.

Both Lyon and Kuhnemann have bowled both tirelessly and superbly in partnership throughout the Sri Lanka series and Lyon, who snared six wickets in the First Test, has matched that feat in the second as well.

“There was a period there where Australia went through a dozen spinners trying to find another Shane Warner and this man bobbed up after being a groundsman,” Katich said in commentary.

“South Australia saw a fair bit in him and rushed him into their team and the next thing you know he was playing for Australia.”

Kuhnemann, meanwhile, will return to Australia having taken the most wickets in this series having already secured 16. It has been a superb tour for the left-arm spinner, whose place was in jeopardy in January after he injured his right thumb in a BBL mishap.

He ended the day with four wickets after claiming Jayasuriya with the final delivery of the day.

CAREY SECOND ONLY TO GILLY AMONG AUSSIE KEEPERS WITH THE BLADE

Alex Carey was cruelly denied a second Test century in New Zealand last year in Christchurch, but the Australian gloveman only needed to wait eleven months to pass the milestone.

The 33-year-old thwarted Sri Lanka’s spinners during the first innings in Galle, compiling a career-best 156 that featured 17 boundaries to put the tourists in a dominant position on Saturday before the hosts spirited fightback with the bat.

It was the highest Test score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia, toppling the previous record of 144 by the legendary Adam Gilchrist.

Carey, who was promoted to No. 5 for the first time in his Test career, swept with precision and authority and scored the majority of his runs through square. But he wasn’t afraid to shuffle down the pitch and attack straight when required.

He made batting on spinning decks look easy.

The left-hander now boasts a Test batting average of 35.14, which among Australian wicketkeepers is second only to Australian great and Fox Cricket expert analyst Adam Gilchrist. His Galle masterclass was also the fifth-highest score by an Australian gloveman in Tests.

Meanwhile, Carey’s glovework throughout the Warne–Muralitharan Trophy has been exceptional, executing a couple of stumpings while holding onto every chance that has come his way.

Inglis poached Carey’s spot in the ODI team in 2023, but the South Australia has locked down his place in the Test side for the foreseeable future. He looms as a crucial figure ahead of next summer’s Ashes campaign.

Highest Test batting average among Australian wicketkeepers

47.60 – Adam Gilchrist

35.14 – Alex Carey

32.98 – Brad Haddin

32.63 – Tim Paine

29.12 – Wayne Phillips