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Yesterday was a day to remember for Australian Test debutants, tall quickie Trent Copeland and offie Nathan Lyon, in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka.
Australia’s modest score of 273 on the opening day of the Test on Wednesday suddenly looks a winning total, thanks to the rookies from NSW and South Australia.
Off his second ball in Test cricket, Copeland dismissed the Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, thanks to a brilliant catch by Ricky Ponting.
As if saying what “Copeland can do, I can do it better”, Lyon captured a wicket off his first delivery. And what a victim: the champion batsman Kumar Sangakkara!
But Lyon has to thank his skipper Michael Clarke for this as he took a blinder in the slip.
Inspired, Lyon grabbed four more Sri Lankan scalps to end with splendid figures of 15-3-34-5.
To take 5 wickets on debut in a Test innings is far from being a record, as six bowlers have taken 8 wickets in a debut innings eight times.
Australia’s fast bowler Bob Massie and India’s spinner Narendra Hirwani did so in the first and second innings in their first Tests: Massie against England at Lord’s in 1972 and Hirwani versus. West Indies at Chennai in 1987-88.
The first bowler to take 8-fer in Test debut was Australia’s Albert Trott against England in 1894-95.
Another Aussie to take 8 wickets in an innings in his Test debut is Jason Krejza, vs. India at Nagpur in 2008-09.
Thus, Lyon’s 5-34 in his Test initiation pales in comparison. However, it has gone a long way towards Australia regaining confidence.
More significant is the fact that Lyon became only the 14th bowler and second Australian to capture a wicket off his first ball in Test cricket.
Here is the list:
Arthur Cunningham, Aus vs. Eng, Melbourne, 1894-95.
Bill Bradley, Eng vs. Aus, Manchester, 1899.
Ted Arnold, Eng vs. Aus, Sydney, 1903-04. His first ball victim was the immortal Victor Trumper.
George MacCauley, Eng vs.S Af, Cape Town, 1922-23.
Maurice Tate, Eng vs. SAf, Birmingham, 1924.
Matt Henderson, NZ vs. Eng, Christchurch, 1929-30.
Dennis Smith, NZ vs. Eng., Christchurch, 1932-33.
Tyrell Johnson, WI vs. Eng, The Oval, 1939.
Dick Howorth, Eng vs. SAf, The Oval, 1947.
Intikhab Alam, Pak vs. Aus, Karachi, 1959-60.
Richard Illingworth, Eng vs. WI, Nottingham, 1991.
Nilesh Kulkarni, Ind vs. SL, Colombo, 1997-98.
MKGCP Lakshitha, SL vs. Bangladesh, Colombo, 2002.
And now; Nathan Lyon, Aus vs. SL, Galle, 2011.
The bowling performances of the debutant bowlers, and by Shane Watson, gritty batting by Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke, and athletic fielding have put Australia in a winning position.
The Aussie morale is high after a long time. Clarkey’s men are at long last smelling a Test victory.