Pathetic is how if one was to summarise in one word, the performance of our cricket team in the first Test against Australia at Brisbane. Losing is part and parcel of the game but to lose in the manner the way our cricketers did with a spineless display of batting in both innings calls for a complete overhaul of the team and its management.
The downward trend of the side has to be seriously viewed and steps taken to halt its decline, the rapidity at which it is sinking is rather alarming. It was only in Test cricket that Sri Lanka were somewhat performing to some extent. But since November there has been a rapid regression in that format too being thrashed 3-0 at home by England and now an innings and 40 runs beating at the hands of a virtual second string Australian side inside three days.
We talk so much about the decline of West Indies cricket, but while their cricket is showing some signs of rising our cricket seems to be sinking to the depths that is unthinkable. It is the same England side that whitewashed us 3-0 that West Indies beat hollow in the first Test at Barbados by a record margin of 381 runs.
There is a famous saying that it is easier said than done. That was what happened to Sri Lanka in the first cricket Test against Australia at the Gabba where they were outplayed by a virtual ‘new look’ Australian side.
Pre-Test talks centred around Sri Lanka trying to take a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s Indians who beat the same Australian team by a 2-1 margin in the three-Test series to record their first ever series win on Australian soil.
To quote former Test fast bowler turned Sri Lanka fast bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake: “We have been studying India’s tactics closely. It’s one of the major things we looked at, the areas which they had bowled. It’s just making the bowlers believe that whatever their bowlers can do and the other teams can do, we also can do. That belief is something we are trying to work on. In batting and bowling, and even in the fielding, the Indians showed the world every place they go to is a home-from-home. I believe we can take that from the Indians. We came here with the motto to win a Test match - we are going to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa so we would love to win a Test match in a country and Australia is one of them.”
Skipper Dinesh Chandimal also spoke of taking a cue off India’s success. “India played some outstanding cricket throughout their series – between 40-80 overs they didn’t give any runs in that period they kept (Australia) to under three runs an over. That’s the area (where) I think they won the series. We watched the game (while touring) in New Zealand and we have an idea (from that) when we are playing in these conditions what we have to do. As a team we just want to do that.”
From a batting perspective Chandimal hoped that one of the top order batters would emulate the batting of India’s Cheteswar Pujara who occupied the crease for sustained periods, sapping Australian fast bowlers of energy in challenging conditions.
However sad to say none of the expectations materialized as Sri Lanka were well and truly outplayed in the Test. The batsmen were unable to handle the short-pitched balls as they had shown at Christchurch against New Zealand and succumbed to disappointing totals of 144 and 139. The longest innings a Lankan batsmen played in the entire Test was for 98 balls by Lahiru Thirimanne for 32 in the second innings and, Sri Lanka’s two innings lasted just 107.3 overs – figures that hardly raised a sweat on the Australian bowlers, let alone talk about wearing them down.
Sri Lanka are a far cry away from trying to emulate India, the no. 1 ranked Test team which is an all-round unit that hardly has any chinks in their armour and a bench strength that other teams can only envy. We don’t have a settled opening pair, a confirmed no. 3, a middle order in the absence of injured Angelo Mathews (the most experienced batter in the line-up) lacking the experience and stability, and a long tail where the bowlers hardly make a contribution to the total as some of the Indians do.
There are so many grey areas in our side that needs to be put right before we start trying to compete with other nations whether we play at home or abroad. There was a time that we were unbeatable at home, but no longer, as India and quite recently England have shown by making a clean sweeps of the Test series. Until such time we are able to put our house in order it is foolhardy to even dream of trying to emulate India.
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