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Can Sri Lanka spin out Australia?

Sri Lanka's bowling has been their Achilles heel in recent tournaments. (AP Photo/Theo Karanikos)
Expert
7th March, 2015
23

Trent Boult was showered in praise and swing was identified by many as the cause of Australia’s downfall against New Zealand last weekend.

Veteran spinner Dan Vettori, however, would have been just as deserving of the man-of-the-match award as its recipient Boult, who took five wickets.

Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum placed extraordinary faith in Vettori when he introduced him after just six overs.

Australia had 51 runs on the board and spearhead Tim Southee had bowled poorly, giving up 32 runs from his first three overs.

With only two men allowed outside the circle and Eden Park’s absurdly short boundaries on offer to big hitters David Warner and Shane Watson, Vettori’s task was immensely difficult.

Bowling around the wicket to Warner, the finger spinner managed to concede just two runs from his first over while denying the Australian the chance to free his arms.

Varying his flight and pace like the old pro that he is, Vettori helped to halve the momentum of the aggressive Aussies. They managed to score only 13 runs from his first 23 deliveries.

Then, Watson’s eyes widened when Vettori sent down a shorter, quicker delivery. Having been tied down by the Kiwi, Watson tried to inflict maximum punishment but instead of clearing the fence his pull shot lobbed into the hands of deep mid wicket.

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Soon after, Vettori outfoxed Steve Smith, Australia’s most in-form batsmen and one of the finest players of spin in world cricket.

After letting the ball float gently through the air to Michael Clarke and seeing the Aussie skipper knock a single, Vettori’s next delivery was 10kmh quicker without a pronounced change in trajectory.

Playing for the spin, Smith tried to drive the delivery through the offside from the back foot. The extra pace saw the ball skid straight and kiss his inside edge, ending in the keeper’s gloves.

By the time Vettori completed his 10th consecutive over, Australia were 9-124 and New Zealand had one foot in the winner’s circle.

While his figures of 2-41 don’t catch the eye like Boult’s 5-27, he was every bit as influential and his miserly efforts may well have prompted some of the loose strokes which brought Boult his cluster of wickets.

Australia’s next opponents, Sri Lanka, will have noted how Vettori frustrated the Aussie batsmen and the manner in which other bowlers benefited from this.

The Sri Lankans may well try to execute a similar bowling strategy against Australia at the SCG this Sunday. Their spinners Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jeevan Mendis are similar in method to Vettori.

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Like the Kiwi, neither of them give the ball extravagant loop or extract sharp turn, rather they are accurate, vary their flight and angles, and look to choke the run rate.

While that pair, and injured spinner Rangana Herath, have not taken many wickets in this World Cup, they have still performed this defensive role very well, conceding just 4.6 runs per over combined.

Herath is a big loss for Sri Lanka, having needed four stitches on his spinning finger following his side’s nine-wicket smashing of England last Sunday. Of course, Sri Lanka’s spinners are not the only threat to Australia’s batsmen.

Their economical work can, however, make Sri Lanka’s pacemen even more effective. Skipper Angelo Mathews may use Dilshan or Mendis early in Australia’s innings to try to dry things up in the hope the Aussies will react by going hard at their quicks, as they did with fatal consequences against New Zealand.

Sri Lankan spearhead Lasith Malinga will be more than pleased if the Aussies try to collar him. With his swing and clever variations in pace, Malinga is one of the most deceptive pacemen in the world.

Australia’s batsmen may identify him as their main threat. But if Sri Lanka’s spinners can emulate Vettori then it could be them, and not Malinga, who derails the Australian innings.

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