Sri Lanka in Australia - 2010

Crapbag, Kulasekara should be kept, he bowls some of the best inswingers for modern day players, he just gave Haddin a bit too much room in the first ODI.  If i remember correctly, Kulasekara wasn't too long ago ranked quite highly in the ODI bowlers rankings.

SL 122-2 after 25 overs with Tharanga 59* and Sanga 1*. Dishan made 47 and Jayawardene just 5. Still , a solid start and they'll be looking to set a more than decent total. Ponting back for Australia today and he'll be doing his damnedest to prevent 7 losses on the trot.

cannot believe that X.Doherty was left out for Hauritz.  How can a captain be such bull headed???

Apart from doing well for AUS X.Doherty gives us all a chance of typing the letter "X" which is very rarely used otherwise! This is  a big reason why I want Xavier to play!!!

can't understand why should Huaritz play the first test no matter what! You have someone who has bowled really well and what does he get? Sitting out for no fault of his own won't do his confidence any good.

even when it's obvious that he won't be doing anything good? Play him just for the sake of it?

Why not 4 fast bowlers and Smith the main spinner?

Anyways SLN have done well to reach 213/3 in about 41 overs, Rain has stopped play but another impressive showing by Lanka, if play resumes they have a real chance of securing their first series win in Australia.

Originally posted by sam_ahmed Why not 4 fast bowlers and Smith the main spinner?

  Smith's still learning his trade and bats much better than he bowls - playing him and seeing him annihilated would be counterproductive - he simply isn't ready for test cricket yet.   Hauritz is probably their best spinner and has been successful against England.

Let's not to get to harsh on Hauritz, no offense to England but they're not the greatest players of spin - that's Hauritz consolation, he should cope much better seeing he won't be getting belted around at 5-6 runs per over like against the Indians.  Clearly Hauritz is not the long term option but what i'm basically trying to say is that it won't haunt them that much against the like of England, Pakistan, West Indies, NZ as it would against Ind, Sri Lanka.  

Edited by spin wizard - 05 November 2010 at 12:43pm

Good comments Sledge and Spinny and what you have said is correct but still I do not understand how can an international match in which the series is at stake can be treated as a warm up for the Ashes and you drop your best bowler from the last game, ask him to play some domestic matches if he wants to be match fit.

It serves Australia right though, Historic win for Sri Lanka, their first ever series win down under and well deserved too! Terrific stuff SLN, they look so confident as a unit at the moment and seem to have found the right combination of players! This is one team to seriously watch out for come the WC next year!

Originally posted by Sledger  7 straight losses in all forms of the game - who would have predicted that!  Well done Sri Lanka , well deserved and you'll be a genuine threat in the World Cup .

Edited by MalhotraRaj84 - 05 November 2010 at 3:03pm

What Dilemma?  Chance to create history means there won't be any dilemma.

Now I call that a "Flas in the Pan"  . The losing streak starts afresh till the end of Ashes.

Clint McKay won't be playing the first test so this win doesn't mean nothing as far as the test series goes.  Mitchell Johnson was the only bowler in the xi that would start the first test.

Johnson is a funny customer, can bowl crap and still take 5 wickets.

Mitch is a good bowler  but inconsistent ,erratic too many of a times, his mind is weak , that is why I said that England should dominate the moment he comes to bowl in the test match to destroy his rythem. Dominate few of his overs , then you actually end up playing 3 frontline bowlers.

Yeah, that's Johnson, you can belt him for some boundaries then the really troublesome delivery just comes out of nowhere.  He's not to be taken lightly and I think that's why Australia are really persisting with him because surely, the likes of Hilfenhaus, Mckay, Siddle, Bollinger, Harris are far more tidy.