Australia has been dealt a brutal reality check at the hands of a weakened Sri Lanka side, powered by its humiliation in the first Test and the brilliance of Dinesh Chandimal and debut spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.
Chandimal’s double century batted Australia out of the second Test in Galle, while Jayasuriya — thrust into the Test arena due to Covid cases — proved simply unplayable.
He took 6-118 and 6-59 as Australia’s ability to play left-arm orthodox spin on the subcontinent was woefully exposed.
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The series is tied, but it will feel lost for Australia.
Australia blitzed Sri Lanka inside seven sessions to win the first Test, then won the toss in the second and reached 5-298 after day one.
How we find ourselves here, with a tied series after four days, beggars belief.
Ultimately, Australia paid the price for two disastrous sessions with the bat.
In the first session of day two, Australia lost 5-35 to be all out for 364.
In the final session of day four, the hosts lost 9-92 — a total collapse of 10-102 — to be all out for 151, losing the match by an innings and 39 runs.
As such, it’s the batters who pay the price in the ratings, while the bowlers could be forgiven for feeling let down in the days and weeks to come.
Australia bowled well and, if not for a couple of missed stumpings, poor use of the review system, and some questionable umpiring calls, things could be very different.
Here’s how every Australian fared in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
DAVID WARNER — 3
64 runs at 21.33, HS 25
Couldn’t make an impact in three innings and there will inevitably discussion about his performances in Asia — although he certainly won’t be alone. Didn’t look to be a player particularly out of form, and it should be said he got a couple good deliveries, but this proved to be a wasteful series from the left-hander. His dismissal in the first innings of the second Test was a low-point as his footwork was exposed yet again by around-the-wicket bowling from a right-arm quick.
USMAN KHAWAJA — 6
137 runs at 45.66, HS 71
No harm was done to Usman Khawaja’s stocks at the top of the Australian order this series, but it also could have been much more. He made good starts in every one of his innings, but his highest score was his 71 in the first Test. In the second, he was out for 37 and 29. Again, good bowling was involved, but Australia needed one of its openers to kick-on and it was Khawaja who seemed more likely yet didn’t produce.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE — 7
149 runs at 49.66, HS 104
His numbers received a healthy boost in the first innings of the second Test which saw him score his first Test century away from Australia. There was an early blip when Niroshan Dickwella missed a stumping, but the innings was virtually chanceless otherwise from Labuschagne. Australia would have liked him to go even further like Steve Smith did, but you surely can’t knock a player for making 104 on the subcontinent. His other two innings were disappointing, however. In the first Test, he reverse swept straight to point. In the second, he was out in the second innings sweeping a ball that was virtually a yorker it was so full. Australia sorely needed him to stick around.
STEVE SMITH — 7.5
151 runs at 75.50, HS 145*
A century at long last for Steve Smith. He reached three figures in Test cricket for the first time since January 2021 when he made 145 not out in the first innings of the second Test. Smith was a cut above the rest in that innings. His steely gaze all innings said he was going to go big — and he would’ve gone even bigger if not for running out of partners. The shine was somewhat taken off that tremendous knock in the second innings, however, when he made a duck and called for one of the all-time terrible reviews as Australia collapsed. His only other innings in the series saw him run-out for six in comical fashion.
TRAVIS HEAD — 3
23 runs at 7.66, HS 12
Four wickets at 9.25, economy 3.41
Travis Head’s series highlight was with the ball, which is both a good and bad thing. The good is that this was one of the all-time epic part-timer spells. He took 4-10 in less than three overs as Sri Lanka crumbled to a 10-wicket defeat in the first Test. The batting left plenty to be desired on a Galle minefield, but the bowling was good, too. With the bat, Head was poor. Scores of six, 12 and five as his batting average in Asia slumped to 21.30 from 11 innings. He’s surely still a lock for the home summer, but his spot for next year’s India tour is seriously under threat. He still earns three points, mainly for that spell in the first Test.
CAMERON GREEN — 5.5
104 runs at 34.66, HS 77
No wickets, economy 3.33
A mixed series for the young all-rounder. He was outstanding with the bat in the first Test. Truly beyond his years and experience, as he played with a nous against the spin that guided him to a well-composed 77. He couldn’t replicate that display in the second Test with scores of four and 23. It was a shame that his final act in the series was a clumsy bit of footwork to Prabath Jayasuriya that saw him stumped. It might’ve been asking too much at the time, but Australia relied on him sticking around with Alex Carey after a top-order meltdown and he couldn’t produce. This wasn’t his series with the ball — he was only bowled for six overs as he was kept in cotton wool.
ALEX CAREY — 5
89 runs at 44.50, HS 45
The wicketkeeper is looking more and more assured as a Test batter by the series. He was one of Australia’s better players of spin — which should probably be expected of a player with good sweeps and reverse sweeps in his locker. As Australia crumbled to be all out for 151 in Galle, Carey was the only one left standing. He was also solid in the first Test when he made 45 while only two other Aussies passed 30. Not his best display with the gloves, notably missing three stumpings in one innings in the second Test. It should be said that these were not ordinary conditions — his opposite number Niroshan Dickwella was comfortably worse — and some of the chances were difficult.
MITCHELL STARC — 7
Five wickets at 28.60, economy 3.57, SR 48.0, BBI 4-89
Australia’s spearhead arrived in Sri Lanka with a good record and left showing he still remains a force. Starc took 4-89 in the second Test and was Australia’s most threatening bowler. He should have Chandimal for 30, but by that point Australia had burned all of its reviews and the right-hander survived. To make matters worse, he ended up belting Starc for consecutive sixes to bring up his double century.
PAT CUMMINS — 4.5
Two wickets at 60.00, economy 2.85, SR 126.0, BBI 1-25
A first Test loss as skipper, Cummins failed to make the inroads he usually does with the ball.
He took just one wicket in the second Test – bowling No.9 Maheesh Theekshana for 10 – and didn’t bowl in the second innings in the opening match. While Cummins’ decision not to bowl in the second innings a week earlier showed his maturity as a captain, there were some questions that could be asked from his tactics in Galle in the second Test. He wasted his reviews and unfortunately that came back to bite him. He also allowed Chandimal to free his arms and explode with the bat when Australia stopped looking to get him out and instead tried to coax him into taking singles. He didn’t and in the end he hammered Australia.
NATHAN LYON — 7
11 wickets at 28.63, economy 3.15, SR 54.5, BBI 5-90
Brilliant in the first Test, Lyon led Australia to victory as he took nine wickets for the match including 5-90 in the first-innings. The veteran spinner toiled away in the second Test, but didn’t get the rewards he craved. There was one missed stumping, which hurt. In the end he sent down 64 overs, taking 2-194 and going at 3.03 runs per over.
MITCHELL SWEPSON — 6.5
Eight wickets at 24.00, economy 3.31, SR 43.5, 3-55
Swepson’s credentials have certainly gone up from the series, but whether he holds his spot in India remains to be seen. Finger spin in the subcontinent, particularly in India, has proved effective in recent years on their slower wickets. And with Cummins having Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – two batters more than capable of bowling useful overs of leg-spin – it leaves his role in the XI vulnerable. Nonetheless, Swepson starred in the first Test and once again bowled well in the second too. He took 3-103 during Australia’s long slog in the field and should have had another wicket when a plumb lbw shout was turned down.
