Poor batting by Sri Lanka - shot out for 174:

Australia on top in second Test

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE Reporting from Pallekelle

Top class bowling by Australia and very poor batting by Sri Lanka has placed this Second Test for an early finish like what we saw in Galle unless the home team can show guts and fight back when they bat a second time.

After Sri Lanka surrendered for 174, the Australian openers Shane Watson and Phil Hughes showed the home team batsmen how by putting on 60 runs, still 114 runs behind when bad light stopped play with 6.2 overs remaining. Watson was on 36 and Hughes on 23. After having the advantage of winning the toss and batting on a wicket that had even bounce with the ball coming on nicely to the bat, the Sri Lankan batsmen gave yet another pathetic display to be shot out for 174 in their first go.

If not for the breezy knock of 58 from Angelo Mathews and a patient 48 from Kumar Sangakkara, the scoreboard would not have made good reading. Mathews who squandered the opportunity of making his first Test century, being out for 95 in Galle, gave a batting lesson to his team mates.

The day dawned bright and sunny and the surroundings of the ground made a lovely picture with the unbelievable hills and valleys in the background.

While everything looked a picture for a good and exciting Test match, the bad news from the Sri Lanka camp was that Galle Test wicket taker left arm spinner Rangana Herath was out with a fractured finger.

Off spinner Ajantha Mendis who was a hot favourite to play in this Test, was suddenly found to be having back problems and was not considered. Pity. Chanaka Welegedera passed a fitness test on his knee and was declared fit to play.

Great News

Great news was that leg spinner Seekkuge Prasanna was making his debut. Prasanna was given his cap by former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya. It would have been an emotional moment for this lad from Balapitiya.

For Australia one up in the series after their convincing win in Galle, Shaun Marsh, son of former Australian opener Geoff was making his debut. And now to the wicket. It looks a nicely rolled one with the usual few cracks and will have the early movement and then play easy. It certainly does not look ‘poor’ like the Galle wicket did to those who let their imagination run riot.

Advantage

With the advantage of winning the toss, one expected to see the Sri Lankan batsmen revel on it. But it was not to be. In the first 35 minutes they were shell shocked and found the batting in shambles losing 3 for 14.

This was due to some excellent new ball bowling by Ryan Harris and Trent Copeland. They pitched line and length and moved the ball disconcertingly to lure Tharanga Paranavitana, Tillekeratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardena.

Paranavitana lunged forward and touched to Brad Haddin behind the stumps for no score. 2-1-0. Dilshan who always wants to hit the cover off every ball, did not offer a stroke and was bowled by a Copeland delivery that cut in like an off break for 10-2-4.

Century maker

Century maker in Galle and who made the ‘poor’ wicket look rich for runs with a classic century Mahela Jayawardena got an edge playing forward and the ever reliable Michael Hussey who has the knack of grabbing the most difficult of catches dived goal keeper like to his left to take the catch at gully. 14-3-4.

Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera chugged along against some aggressive bowling. The runs were not easy in coming. They put on 43 before Harris got one to kiss Samarweera’s bat for Haddin to pocket the catch. 57-4-17.

Prasanna Jayawardena came in and seemed like he wanted to make a century before lunch hitting two fours and a six and then hit against the off spin of Nathan Lyon and Harris at square leg took the catch. 6-5-18.

First slip

Fortunately for Sri Lanka Shane Watson at first slip put down Kumar Sangakkara off Mitchell Johnson when the batsman was on 27 and the total 55.

Had Sangakkara gone the scoreboard would have looked awful at lunch. The batsman went to lunch unbeaten on 29 with Angelo Mathews still to open his account. It was a very poor batting effort by the Lankan batsmen

considering that this was a five day Test and made me wonder whether this was also going to be a three and a half day Test like in Galle.

After lunch the batting no show continued with Sri Lanka losing 3 wickets for 72 that of Kumar Sangakkara for 48, Suraj Randiv for 4 and Seekkuge Prasanna for 5. Sangakkara was over cautious in his approach. After hitting 48 with 7 fours he lofted part time bowler Michael Hussey to Phil Hughes at short cover. He added 52 for the 6th wicket with Angelo Mathews. 128-6-48.

Dolly catch

Suraj Randiv dollied a caught and bowled to Lyon after making 4. 133-7-4. And Prasanana made 5 before being bowled by

Harris. 150-8-5. Sri Lanka took tea at 150 for 8 with Mathews on 43 and Suranga Lakmal 0. After tea Mathews completed his 50 with 3 sixes and 6 fours and attempting a big drive was caught behind by Haddin off Mitchell Johnson for 58. 166-9-58.

Eight runs later Welegedera guided a Johnson delivery to Copeland in the slips to end the Lankan innings. 174-10-2.

Once again Ryan Harris bowled a good line and length to take 3 for 38. He had good support coming from Trent Copeland 2 for 24, Mitchell Johnson 2 for 48 and Nathan Lyon 2 for 41.

SRI LANKA                         1ST INNINGS
T. Paranavitana c Haddin b Harris 	 0
T. Dilshan b Copeland  			 4
K. Sangakkara c Hughes b Hussey 	48
M. Jayawardene c Hussey b Copeland 	 4
T. Samaraweera c Haddin b Harris 	17
P. Jayawardene c Harris b Lyon 		18
A. Mathews c Haddin b Johnson 		58
S. Randiv c and b Lyon 		 	 4
S. Prasanna b Harris 			 5
S. Lakmal not out 			 7
C. Welegedara c Copeland b Johnson 	 2
Extras: (b2, lb4, nb1) 			 7
TOTAL (all out, 64.1 overs) 		174
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Paranavitana), 2-10 (Dilshan), 3-14 (M. Jayawardene), 4-57 (Samaraweera), 
5-76 (P. Jayawardene), 6-128 (Sangakkara), 7-133 (Randiv), 8-150 (Prasanna), 9-166 (Mathews), 10-174 (Welegedara).
Bowling: Harris 16-7-38-3, Copeland 12-5-24-2, Watson 10-5-17-0, Johnson 15.1-1-48-2 (nb1), Lyon 10-2-41-2, Hussey 1-1-0-1.

AUSTRALIA                         1ST INNINGS
S. Watson not out 		36
P. Hughes not out 		23
Extras: (nb1) 			1
TOTAL (for no loss, 17.4 overs) 60
To bat: Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland, Nathan Lyon.
Bowling: Welegedara 5-0-27-0, Lakmal 2-0-10-0 (nb1), Prasanna 6.4-1-18-0, Dilshan 2-1-1-0, Randiv 2-0-4-0.