The one area where Sri Lanka can be confident heading into the second Test
A unique scheduling quirk may be the only thing standing between Australia and a 2-0 series win.
IMAGE: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
The current Australian tour of Sri Lanka is a short and sweet one ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy later this month. The tour comprises two Test matches in Galle, followed by two ODIs in Colombo.
The Australians cruised to victory in the first Test, winning by an innings and 242 runs. Stand-in skipper Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bat before the Aussies ground the Sri Lankan attack into the ground for the best part of two days, finally declaring at 6/654.
The score, a record for Australia in Asia, was built on the back of Usman Khawaja’s 232, although he received good support from Smith (141, including his 10,000th run in Test cricket) and the debutant Josh Inglis (102).
After that, it was our bowlers who dominated for the next two days. The returning Matt Kuhnemann (5/63) led the way in the first innings as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 165. Smith enforced the follow on, with Kuhnemann and Lyon taking four wickets each in the second innings as Sri Lanka finished on 247.
Spare a thought for poor Dinesh Chandimal (72 & 31) who was one of, if not the only, Sri Lankan batsman to put up any real resistance – only to become the 12th man to be dismissed twice in the same session of a Test match.
The second Test, which starts later today, will mark the…