Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Real test begins for Michael Clarke

With the ODI series under his belt, Australian skipper Michael Clarke gets ready for his first official Test as a captain with the Kangaroos taking on Sri Lanka in the first of the 3-match Test series at Galle.

It is a new-look Aussie side which is touring the island nation with majority of its players visiting this place for the first time in international arena. Clarke himself is playing his first game on this soil and apart from Ricky Ponting, there is no one experienced in the side. The men in yellow did well to win the ODI series after a humiliating loss in the T20Is but Tests in Sri Lanka are a different proposition.

Australia have been nowhere near their best since the retirement of the greats like Gilchrist, Hayden, Warne, McGrath and co. with the results clearly showing. Their last series win came in 2009/10 against the Kiwis but they have not won a series against a top-ranked Test nation since South Africa in 2009. That was the series which gave them back their number 1 ranking in Tests but now, after 2 years, they have slipped to number 5, winning just 2 out of the 9 Tests played in the last 12 months.

The reason has been the overall failure of batting and bowling. The batsmen have struggled to adjust to alien conditions while the bowling lacks depth. Interestingly, with the sub-continent tour underway, Australia would most likely be going in with two spinners, a theme which they usually do not follow.

The side contains plenty of youngsters with a few experienced players in Ponting, Hussey, Watson and Clarke. The skipper’s leadership skills will come under question as he gets set for a barricade of spin bowling in the coming few weeks. The Aussies had a good outing in the warm-up game with Trent Copeland and Khawaja impressing but this will be the real Test.

Talking about Sri Lanka, irrespective of their form, they are always a formidable side at home. They too, have not won a Test series since 2009 where they beat New Zealand at home, but compared to Australia, their results have been much better. The Lankans have won just 2 matches in 9 games but lost just 2 as well.

Having said that, the volume of Test matches played by the Island nation is far less as compared to that of the Aussies. Tillakaratne Dilshan will relish the conditions at home in leading a fairly experienced side as compared to that of the visitors. With the Aussies thinking of going in with two spinners, the Lankans might also adopt the same strategy.

The main reason for the loss in the ODI series was some abject batting by the Lankans, which is a cause of concern. They would be reminded time and again about the recent capitulation in England where they struggled to bat out 25 overs in a Test match. Dilshan is the key as his quickfire starts unsettle the opposition. 

The Lankans will know that the first match is always the key to a series and will come out in full force to win the game. They have played 17 games at this venue, winning 9 of those. Interestingly, in the two games played against Australia, the Kangaroos have won a match and drawn one, with the victory coming in 2004, the last time Australia toured Sri Lanka for a complete tour.

The Lankans start off with a value of 194 on the Castrol Index while the Aussies are on 184.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Teams look for momentum before Tests in dead rubber

With the series already 3-1 in favour of Australia, both sides would be playing for pride in the fifth and final ODI at Colombo and take some momentum into the Test series.

Just a meager formality is left in the ODI series as Sri Lanka and Australia face each other in the fifth match at R Premadasa Stadium which is a dead rubber.

Australia had a perfect outing in the last ODI, with bowlers faring amazingly well to dismantle the Lankan batting line-up and the batsmen chasing the required runs with little bit of fuss.

However, even though the series is in the pocket, Aussie skipper Michael Clarke surely will not allow complacency. The team would hope to keep up with the good work and carry the winning momentum into the Test matches.

The hosts, on the other hand, after a strong show in the third ODI once again flopped with the bat. The batting lacked depth and class and once the top four were removed, there was no fight from the middle and lower order. This is one area they would look to work on; otherwise the bowling and fielding have been steady.

Australia have been fairly dominant in this series so far but the Castrol Index does not see much difference between the two sides - 48 to Australia, 46 to the Lankans. The batting has been the area where the hosts have scored winning the race in Batting Momentum, and the Quick Start Overs as well as the Extreme Performance ones with the willow. In terms of bowling, Australia have been ahead in terms of the Efficiency but the Lankans have won the battle with the ball in the Quick Start as well as the Extreme Performance ones.

Ricky Ponting has dominated with the bat for Australia and earned a Batting Momentum of 53 while for Sri Lanka, it has been Nuwan Kulasekara with a value of 48. As far as the bowling is concerned, Mitchell Johnson of Australia has earned 55 points for Bowling Efficiency while Ajantha Mendis has been Sri Lanka’s best.

Overall, Mitchell Johnson has been the best player with a Castrol Index value of 53 while for the hosts, Nuwan Kulasekara has earned a value of 48.

This match will be played at the same venue and as we witnessed the track will offer good assistance to the spin bowlers. It will be a tricky call at the toss after the last game but still the side winning it could opt to bat.

Sri Lanka start off with a value of 194 on the Index while Australia are on 184. Should be a cracking contest which will commence at 0900 GMT!