by Rex Clementine

This has got to be one of the most spineless Test series Sri Lanka have played in their storied history stretching over four and a half decades. The Warne-Murali Trophy wasn’t just handed over – it was gift-wrapped, express-delivered, and presented with a bow to the Aussies. If you thought a lack of fight was only in politics, think again. Chamara Sampath is putting up more resistance in Parliament while Ravi Karunanayake showed more imagination in securing a National List seat for himself.

It was an utterly baffling performance. Just two months ago, Sri Lanka were in contention for the World Test Championship final. Now, they’ve slid to a sorry sixth place, courtesy of four consecutive defeats to South Africa and Australia.

What’s even more perplexing is the venue choice—Galle, the fortress where Sri Lanka have historically spun visiting teams into a web of misery. This time, however, they weren’t fit to hold a candle to the Aussies, let alone outplay them.

Credit where it’s due – the Australians did their homework. They knew exactly what was coming. Normally, when they tour, we roll out raging turners on match days while letting them practice on decent batting tracks. Not this time. The Aussies didn’t fall for the bait. Instead, they flew to Dubai a week early, fine-tuned their game on pitches turning square, and arrived in Sri Lanka with all the answers. When the series began, they were battle-ready. Sri Lanka? Clueless.

This was the fourth straight Test where Sri Lanka’s batting unit collapsed like a Jenga tower. Three failures in a row should have been enough to trigger a shake-up – new faces, fresh thinking. Against South Africa, you could argue they were still in the WTC race. But against Australia, they had no excuse. At least one, if not two, misfiring batters should have been benched.

Yet, the same old suspects kept walking back for single-digit scores. Across four innings, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, and Dimuth Karunaratne failed to register a single half-century. Oshada Fernando and Pathum Nissanka fared no better, between them failing to cross fifty even once.

Angelo Mathews did notch up a half-century, but it was a case of too little, too late. Given his experience, you expect more than just a token fifty to cement his place for the next series. He should be pulling off a Steve Smith – big hundreds, match-defining knocks. That’s what senior statesmen do.

The most embarrassing part? Watching Sri Lankan batters fumble their sweeps and reverse sweeps like schoolboys playing with tennis balls, while Usman Khawaja, Josh Inglis, and Alex Carey made the stroke their bread and butter.

Serious questions need to be asked about Dhananjaya de Silva’s leadership. Laid-back, lethargic, and far too casual – his captaincy was a recipe for disaster. His review decisions alone cost the team dearly. With a bit more thought, the story could have been very different.

His batting wasn’t any better. Casual dismissals have become his trademark, but when you’re captain, you’re expected to lead from the front – not giggle in the corner like a teenage girl in a classroom. The problem for the selectors is that there’s no clear heir apparent. Kusal Mendis with the captaincy? Surely not. Charith Asalanka? Maybe, but he’s hardly shown any interest for First Class cricket in recent years. .

Ramesh Mendis was dropped last year with a clear message – fix your control. When he was recalled, you’d expect he had ironed out his flaws. But if anything, his performances suggested nothing had changed. So why bring him back? Either the selectors misread his improvements, or they had no better options. Neither is a good look.

Then there’s the ultimate insult – Matthew Kuhnemann, a guy with just three Test caps before this series, walked into Galle and made Sri Lanka’s batters look like amateurs. A left-arm spinner with barely any international experience finished as the highest wicket-taker of the series, exposing just how dire the situation is.

This was more than just a bad series. It was a wake-up call. Sri Lanka didn’t just get their tactics wrong—they’ve got a batting unit that’s past its expiry date. If they don’t hit the reset button soon, the slide will only continue.