Australia convincingly back to winning ways

 
Kersi Meher-Homji Columnist

By , 4 Sep 2011 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert

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Michael Clarke

Australia's captain Michael Clarke throws a ball during a cricket practice match between Australia and Sri Lanka Board XI in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A Test victory at last! Australia, under new captain Michael Clarke, defeated Sri Lanka by 125 runs in the first Test at the picturesque Galle, to lead 1-0 in the series. Chasing 379 to win in a low-scoring match, the home team was on her knees at 5-68. A defeat on the third day looked likely.

But gallant batting by Mahela Jayawardene (105) and Angelo Mathews (95) added 142 runs for the sixth wicket and took them to 5-210 and the impossible target looked plausible.

But once the elegant Jayawardene fell to Harris, the rest caved in.

Still, to reach 253 after faltering at 5-68, kept the interest alive till almost tea on the fourth day.

It was Jayawardene’s 29th Test hundred to equal Don Bradman’s tally. However, Bradman had hit 29 centuries in 52 Tests against Jayawardene’s 29th ton in his 120th Test.

It was for the second time that Mathews was out in the nervous 90s. In a Test against India in Mumbai in December 2009, he was run out for 99. He has still to hit a Test hundred.

The man to reach a unique milestone was former skipper Ricky Ponting. Yesterday, he became the first player to figure in 100 Test victories.

In the 2009 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne against Pakistan, Ponting had become the most successful captain in Test history after eclipsing fellow Australian Steve Waugh’s record of 41 wins. In the same Test, he overtook Shane Warne’s 92 victories, as the most by an individual in Test history.

The others to figure in more than 70 Test triumphs are all Australians; Steve Waugh 86, Glenn McGrath 84, Adam Gilchrist 73, Mark Waugh 72 and Matthew Hayden 71.

Then come South Africa’s Mark Boucher and Australia’s Justin Langer with 70 wins each, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis at 69, West Indian Viv Richards 63, India’s Sachin Tendulkar 61 and West Indian Desmond Haynes 60.

Back to the Galle Test. It was not just a win, it was a convincing, confidence-boosting victory.

Australia had so many heroes; Man-of-the-Match Mike Hussey (95 and 15), debutant Nathan Lyon (5-34 and 1-73), Shane Watson (3-11 and 2-19), Ryan Harris (0-6 and 5-62) and skipper Clarke (23 and 60).

Sri Lanka had only three performers; left-arm spinner Rangana Herath (3-54 and 5-79), world-class batsman Jayawardene (11 and 105) and never-say-die all-rounder Matthews (95).

Looking at their strength, Sri Lanka prepared a spinning dustbowl of a pitch, which turned from day one and became dustier by the day.

But it back-fired on them. It was like a well-trained cobra biting the hand that fed him milk!

The curiosity of the Test was that Nathan Lyon took a wicket off his first ball and off his last ball!

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