Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Australia vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Player Ratings
Went to grab a drink? You missed a couple of wickets.
Felt like checking what was happening in the New Zealand v India ODI series? Pat Cummins had 10 wickets.
Blinked? You missed it.
Australia, the world’s number six Test side has swept aside Sri Lanka inside three days. Rivals England are having a horror Test in Barbados, and Cheteshwar Pujara has long left Australia (Tim Paine is certainly happy), making it a pretty happy Australia Day. The bowlers dominated, as expected, tearing through Sri Lanka twice as they miss Angelo Mathews like the deserts miss the rain. What was also not unexpected was Mitchell Starc’s struggles, as well as no Australian reaching a century. The Canberra Test is Australia’s last chance to keep a 133-year record exactly that, and improve more with the bat as the performance still left a little to be desired.
However, Sri Lanka barely made it over 100 themselves. It was an awful display. It most certainly wasn’t the quickest of Gabba pitches, with the Sri Lankans falling numerous times to loose drives as Australia pitched the ball up nicely. The millions of flies across very hot Australia were sure to provide greater resistance in annoying humans than the Sri Lankan batsmen, who have a whole lot of work to do if they wish to be competitive in the second Test starting on Friday.
Below are my player ratings for the first Test. As always, it is a light-hearted review on the play gone by!
Australia
Marcus Harris: In Canberra, Sri Lanka might look to bowl Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella first up to Marcus Harris, let him fly to 30, and then get him out. It’s not often a player looks so good at the start of his innings, and then is not able to carry on. Another start unconverted. 6
Joe Burns: Addressing the full length ball moving away is crucial for Joe Burns if he wants to get on the plane to England. Because, guess who will be targeting him come Ashes time? Burns will look to deliver with the bat in Canberra, after taking some nice catches in Brisbane. 4
Usman Khawaja: Usman’s UAE heroics seem a really long time ago. He has unfortunately been one of the summer’s biggest letdowns, which hurt Australia against India but no so much here. Trying to cut a straight ball perhaps isn’t a sign of a lack of confidence. It’s just muddled thinking. 2
Marnus Labuschagne: Reached Australia’s highest Test score of the summer (before Head did), and fell with a century in sight. Labsuchagne possesses a solid technique, but the question will be how hungry he will be for Test runs. With a FC average of 33 (and closer to 40 over the last couple of years), those questions are still asked loudly. The signs are positive, though. 8
Also read: Does the MRF “Chase Master” make it to number one? Top 10 cricket bats of 2019!
Travis Head: Australia’s new co-vice captain (whether you like that or not) had a few nervy moments early, but settled in pretty well. Also missed out on a century with three figures in sight, but his partnership with Marnus Labuschagne really took the game away from Sri Lanka. 8
Kurtis Patterson: Looked promising on debut, and would have loved to have had more support from the middle-lower order. An absolute blinder of a catch on the third day to dismiss Dilruwan Perera. 6
Tim Paine:
A golden duck for the skipper. Was victim of a very good ball, but would like some runs in Canberra after a barren last few innings. Led his side well, but the opposition didn’t offer too much. 2
Patrick Cummins: Absolutely outstanding. Got Australia off and running on the first day, and never looked back. Looked pretty keen for a trip to the beach on Australia Day, completely ripping through the Sri Lankans on the third day. Finished with 10 wickets. 10
Mitchell Starc: Find someone who looks at you the way Mitchell Starc looks at tailenders. Unfortunately, Starc was all over the place, picking up just two wickets in the Test, and those were numbers eight and nine. Reached 200 Test wickets, but should he play in the second Test? 2
Jhye Richardson: An absolutely outstanding debut. Bowled with excellent pace, targeting the stumps and the outside edge of the Sri Lankan batsmen. Highlight was his great ball to Kusal Mendis in the first innings. Superb stuff, and has to be picked again in Canberra. Australia certainly have found a gem. 9.5
Nathan Lyon: Found turn and bounce, and bowled well. Sri Lanka feared him so much, even with the bat, that they even used up a review on him! 7
Sri Lanka
Dimuth Karunaratne: Raised hopes of a fighting first innings effort. Wasn’t to be. At least he didn’t get out to an out-of-form Mitchell Starc, right? 3
Lahiru Thirimanne: Snicko went off after the ball passed his bat in the second innings, which made for an unlucky dismissal. Showed more character than most of his teammates. “Marais Erasmus used the Snicko as an excuse to get the game finished early and head to the beach for an Australia Day barbecue”, an annoyed Thirimanne said. 5
Dinesh Chandimal: Dinesh Chandimal is now proudly sponsored by “Squared Up“, an Enterprise IT Visualisation service. Did cop a brute of a delivery in the second innings in just his second ball, but the Sri Lankan captain has to deliver in Canberra. 1
Kusal Mendis: A total of 15 runs for the next Mahela Jayawardene. In all seriousness, Mendis certainly has plenty of talent, but if he is to reach his potential at Test level, he has to show greater consistency away from home. Victim of a beauty from Jhye Richardson in the first innings, but his second innings waft was reflective of a player who perhaps had his mind elsewhere. Ugly. 1
Roshen Silva: A player that Sri Lanka would have had an eye on to perform in this game, but the Australian slip fielders will be ready to pounce when he walks to the crease in Canberra. 1
Dhananjaya de Silva: Feet stuck in cement at times. In Australia, your footwork has to be precise, and de Silva needs to get things right ahead of the second Test. 2
Niroshan Dickwella: Plenty of entertainment from Dickwella, playing some extraordinary shots in both innings. “I wouldn’t mind the top order doing their job”, said Dickwella. “I want to be helping the team reach 300+, not 100.” 7
Dilruwan Perera: Bowled well for the most part after getting struck on the thumb. The Canberra track might offer some turn in its debut Test, and Perera will be crucial for Sri Lanka with both bat and ball. Will dream about Usman Khawaja. 4
Suranga Lakmal: This man is always capable of such incredible spells, like we saw in Kolkata vs India in 2017 and New Zealand in Sri Lanka’s previous Test. His performance here was excellent, displaying the fight that some of his teammates need to show as well. Moved the ball nicely. 9
Dushmantha Chameera: An economy rate of 4.24 in eight matches. Very respectable in this day and age…. in ODI cricket. This is Test cricket. Again loose at times, when Sri Lanka are crying out for consistency. 3
Lahiru Kamara: Massive blow with Kamara out of the Canberra Test with a hamstring injury. Bowled with good pace, and looked good when pitching the ball up fuller. Will be a miss for Sri Lanka. 6
Also read: Does the MRF “Chase Master” make it to number one? Top 10 cricket bats of 2019!
So, a happy Australia Day indeed for Australia, with the chance now to pick up their first series win in any format since the Sandpaper Gate.
Can Sri Lanka put together a better fight than the Gabba Test? On the evidence we saw, unlikely.
Thanks for reading!
Australia vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Player Ratings
Australia vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Player Ratings
