Earlier, after Sri Lanka elected to bat first, Mitchell Starc bowled a zestful spell up front to dislodge both Karunaratne (0) and Silva (5) and leave the hosts wobbling at 9 for 2. The 28-year-old left-handed opening batsman walked back to the pavilion with a forlorn look on his face after he flicked the very first delivery off the match bowled by Starc straight into the hands of Joe Burns stationed at midwicket.
Starc compounded Sri Lanka's problem by dismissing Silva in the fifth over. The opener had produced an eye-popping pull shot off the left-arm pacer before edging a full-length delivery, well away from the body, behind the stumps. Mendis, though, for the second time in the series, gauged the pace of the wicket quite quickly and chose calculation over taking risks to compile a well-constructed knock and lift them to safer waters.
Only when Starc overpitched did the 21-year-old promising batsman unfurl a couple of drives. He then essayed crunching slog sweeps and lofted strokes off Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh to break the shackles.
Mendis was assisted by Perera. The aggressive left-handed batsman rode his luck a bit early on in his innings. However, it was a testament to his resolve that he was able to withstand testing spells from the able duo of Josh Hazlewood and Starc. As the session progressed, he bristled with intent at the crease to remain unbeaten at lunch.
The only chance he offered was when he charged down the track and slogged a tossed up delivery off the debutant, Jon Holland, towards Lyon at midwicket. However, despite the offspinner making a desperate attempt, he couldn't cling onto the catch.
Starc was the best bowler on show for the visitors. He landed it on a fuller length and got a few to veer away viciously from Perera. Hazlewood bowled with diligence and purpose. However, on a track that is already offering turn and uneven bounce, the tourists would hope for Lyon to make a significant contribution.
The home side has done well to recover after they found themselves in early trouble. On the other hand, Australia would hope for the bowlers to explore an unerring line in the corridor of uncertainty as they aim to make further inroads into the batting line-up. It has to be noted that the tourists are set to bat last on a turning pitch.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 109/2 (Kusal Mendis 52*, Kusal Perera 47*; Mitchell Starc 2-14) vs Australia.
No comments:
Post a Comment