Latest News

Sri Lanka’s ‘strength is spin’, but it’s a game Australia can play too

Published

10 months ago

2025/02/5

Priyan

Between them, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann (in pic) and Todd Murphy shared 17 wickets in the first Test [Cricinfo]

“The wicket was very good last time. I’m hoping it will turn more in this match.”

When a Sri Lanka captain says this in Galle on the eve of a Test, there might be a dustbowl in the offing. What is clear is that the surface Sri Lanka and Australia are set to play the second Test on appears substantially drier than the track they played the first match on.

Partly, this is down to bright conditions in the lead-up. Where the days before the first Test had been beset by rain, this pitch has more or less baked in ferocious heat since the first match ended, on Saturday.

There is also the theory that producing pitches that only break up after days three and four offers too substantial an advantage to the side batting first. Sri Lanka want to avoid conceding another score in the realm of 654 for 6 declared, which deflated them in the first Test. They are seeking an advantage and have fallen back to what they tend to rely on in Galle: big turn.

“Our strength is spin,” Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said. “If you look through the history in Galle, a lot of spinners have been among the wickets, and hopefully ours can be effective.”

The problem for Sri Lanka is that Australia have learned to thrive in spinning conditions as well. Their bowlers might have had the better bowling conditions in the first Test, but they made the unusual move of strapping three frontline spinners to the plow, and between them, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy shared 17 wickets, dismissing Sri Lanka for 165 and 247.

Australia have been outspoken about their having prepared for “extreme” surfaces as well as flatter ones, partly through their week-long training camp in Dubai. Steven Smith revealed ahead of this Test that it was India’s spin-blueprint in Asia that Australia had chosen to emulate, to some extent. Devising bowling strategy around three frontline spinners is not a challenge that many Australia captains have had to contend with, but on the evidence of the first Test, Smith has been relishing it.

“Looks a very dry surface and I dare say it will take a reasonable amount of spin,” Smith said. “In these conditions, it’s great to have more than two options of guys who can take wickets and build pressure. If you look at India, who have done it so well, they’ve had R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and either Kuldeep Yadav or Jayant Yadav or Axar Patel – someone who bowls good spin – with them in their line-up.

“In these conditions, it’s tiring for a spinner as well. It’s hot and humid out there, and you can get tired bowling spin as well as pace. If a batter looks comfortable against a bowler, you can take that bowler off and get someone else in. Even if a new bowler takes a wicket early in the spell, you can go back to the other guy, which is what India have done so well for a number of years. I just have a similar philosophy. ”

Australia’s batting against spin has also improved substantially, particularly since the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka, which they lost 3-0. Smith said many Australia batters’ exposure to big-spinning conditions – even through the T20 leagues in Asia – has helped raise their game.

“Even in one-day tours you can get similar wickets in the nets to what you get out there,” Smith said. “Last time we played in Colombo in one-dayers, the ball was ragging all over the place. For guys that play IPL and things like that, and you can get nets there that can be extreme, you just learn on the go through those experiences. It’s almost been attack before defence and thinking proactively. I thought we did that magnificently in the first Test.”

Because of how enormous the winning margin was in the first Test – an innings and 242 runs – Sri Lanka now find themselves having to prove that their own batting in spinning conditions is up to scratch. And that their own bowlers can be penetrative in helpful conditions. Early signs are that this game could be a classic low-scoring Galle shootout.

“In the first Test, a lot of our batters got starts but didn’t carry on,” de Silva said. “During the match and afterwards, what we’d talked about was that someone has to make 150 or 200, because then others can bat around him, and we can get to a big score. That’s what Australia did. I’m expecting that will happen for us in this match.”

[Cricinfo]

All News Advertisement

Latest News

Cabinet approves recruitment of 2,284 to government service

Published

13 mins ago

2025/12/11

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Prime Minister to recruit 2,284 to the government service as per the recommendations of the ‘Committee appointed to review the recruitment process of the Government Service at its meeting held on 14.11.2025.

1. Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education 196

2. Ministry of Health and Mass Media 480

3. Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and
Local Governments 04

4. Ministry of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic
Development 19

5. Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development 778

6. Ministry of Justice and National Integration 222

7. Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development 107

8. Ministry of Defense 73

9. Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources 20

10. Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs 21

11. Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development 36

12. Ministry of Buddha Shasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs
04
13. Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure
Facilities 02

14. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation 74

15. Western Provincial Council 230

16. Uva Provincial Council 08

17. North Western Provincial Council 08

18. Finance Commission 02

Latest News

Cabinet green light to obtain a grant from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund for post – disaster relief and rehabilitation activities

Published

31 mins ago

2025/12/11

Priyan

On a request made by the government of Sri Lanka, the Asian Development Bank has given its concurrence to provide a grant of United States dollars 3 million under Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund.

It is expected to supply materials required for providing essential life security services for the communities affected, from the said grant.

Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the President as the Minister of Finance, Plan Implementation and Economic Development to enter into the relevant agreements with the Asian Development Bank to obtain the said grant.

Business

Cabinet approves establishment of two 50 MW wind power stations in Mullikulum, Mannar region

Published

43 mins ago

2025/12/11

Priyan

Adhering to the broad plan of the Government to reach the objective of accomplishing 70% of the country’s electricity supply from renewable energy sources by the year 2030, the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted on 10.02.2025 to invite requests for resolutions from interested developers of the private sector in order to implement the Mullikulum Wind Power – 100 Mega Watts (two (02) wind power stations of
50 Mega Watts each) on the basis of construction, ownership and execution with a monitoring period of 20 years.

Accordingly, requests for proposals have been called to implement the relevant project by adhering to the international competitive bidding methodology, and seven (7) prospective project proposals were submitted.

Evaluating the said proposals, based on the recommendations submitted by the negotiation committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Power to award the contracts of establishing the two (02) 50 Mega Watts Wind
Power Stations to Consortium of Vidullanka PLC & David Pieris Motor Company (Lanka) Limited and WindForce PLC.