Taking on Sri Lanka’s best slow bowler in the first of Australia’s innings, Steve Smith was dismissed 12 balls after Usman Khawaja.
Right at that moment, Australia’s hope of a Test victory were in jeopardy.
It wasn’t so much the fact that Smith was dismissed after the Aussies had lost early wickets, it was the mode of dismissal that many took exception to.
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Sri Lanka defeat Australia: Scoreboard
Sri Lanka score famous Test win over Australia
Having resumed at 2-66, still 48 runs in arrears, Smith took two off the first over from seamer Nuwan Pradeep before facing up to his first ball from veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
Renowned for his ability to play spin, Smith ran down the wicket, and with an ugly swipe, connected with nothing but air.
All that was left was for Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal to complete what was a simple stumping as the Aussie skipper trudged off the field cursing himself.
Early on, a batsman’s innings can go either of two ways. You can take risks early to try and spread the field then take advantage of pushing singles into the gaps, or, you can assess the conditions, taking a few overs to get yourself ‘in’.
Either way, the difference between success and failure is a fine line.
If Smith hits a boundary, all of a sudden the field spreads a bit and then he can knock the singles around. Reality was though, an ugly looking swipe that cost him his wicket.
In the lead up to the opening Test, the Aussies drafted in slow bowling coaches as well as utilised local net spin bowlers in the hope of blunting Sri Lanka’s bowling attack.
Perhaps it was because Australia hadn’t played a Test since February this year but shot selection and execution left a lot to be desired.
Despite numerous interruptions and having made a poor start, the home team fought back well to clinch the opening match of a three-Test series. On the other hand, the number-one ranked Australia, will be looking to avoid further embarrassment against a much-lower ranked team, who have struggled in recent times.
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