CANBERRA, Monday - Man of the moment Pat Cummins hopes Australia’s first Test thrashing of Sri Lanka has left some mental scars on the visitors as the teams head south for the second Test in Canberra.
The Aussies completely outclassed the Lankans on a lively Gabba pitch in the series opener, claiming victory by an innings and 40 runs inside two-and-a-half days.
Cummins was the standout performer, taking 10-62 – his first 10-wicket haul in Tests and the first at home by an Australian quick in more than a decade.
Both sides now turn their attention to Manuka Oval in the national capital, which will be hosting a Test match for the first time from Thursday.
“I hope so,” Cummins replied when asked if the Australians had secured a mental edge over their opponents in Brisbane.
“A two-and-a-half day win is brilliant when there’s a tight turnaround, for sure.
“I know at Manuka we’re going to have really different conditions – we played a Shield game down there earlier in the season and it was a pretty good wicket, but probably more reverse swing than traditional swing.
“It’s good that not too many of their batsmen got going and I feel like our batters got a good hit-out there and obviously we bowled well. So it was a pretty complete game.”
Recalled opener Lahiru Thirimanne (32) and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella (64) were the only two Sri Lankan batsmen to pass 30 as Cummins and debutant Jhye Richardson (5-45 from 27 overs) produced clinical performances with the ball.
“I thought he was brilliant, Jhye,” said Cummins. “He’s quite shy at times but he’s got a real inner-confidence and we saw that out there – he looks like a veteran.
“He loves bowling, he’s got all the tricks, and the thing that pleased me most was he was quite restrained; he didn’t try the big inswingers or the big bouncers or anything, he just did his job and I’m glad to see he got some rewards.”
Head coach Justin Langer said he would be sleeping easier after the first Test win and said a victory over the Sri Lankans – which would ensure a clean sweep and a first Test series win during his tenure – was important not just for the outcome itself, but in a psychological sense for a team largely new to Test cricket.
“You’ve got to build confidence,” Langer said. “Winning is really important … I kept thinking before the (first Test), imagine if we get beaten by Sri Lanka at the Gabba. That’s why I haven’t slept much the past week.
“Every time you play a Test match you want to play your best cricket and we obviously go straight into World Cup preparation (afterward).
“We’ve got India, we’ve got UAE (tours), a few weeks off and then into the World Cup. They’re all important games. Every game you play is an important game for different reasons.”
Cummins’ outstanding form this summer (he has 24 wickets at 18.79 in five Tests) hit new heights at the Gabba, a fact that was reflected by his rise to number three in the ICC Test bowling rankings.
Australia captain Tim Paine said the 25-year-old had attained a “perfect” seam position at times during the first Test, and Cummins revealed his improvements had come about as the product of simple hard work.
“I felt like I was in control of the seam pretty well,” he said. “I didn’t overly try and swing it, I just felt like I was in the game trying to nip the ball, especially around the wicket to the lefties – just trying to sit the seam up, kind of a wobble seam, and hope that it would take every now and then, and it seemed to.
“I did a bit of work the last couple of weeks, just trying to work on seam position and always trying to improve it.”
Cummins took three wickets when New South Wales played at Manuka Oval against Queensland in last month’s JLT Sheffield Shield clash, including that of Test teammate Marnus Labuschagne, but it was off-spinner Nathan Lyon who stole the show, bowling the Blues to victory and returning match figures of 9-177.
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