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Australia’s reliance on batting first could again be a factor in the second Test against Sri Lanka which started yesterday in Galle.
The tourists finished the day behind in the match due to the last over wicket of David Warner, which left them at 2-54 in response to Sri Lanka’s total of 281.
With 375 the average total for the team batting first in the past five Tests at Galle, Australia would have been pleased to limit Sri Lanka. Hanging over their heads, however, is the prospect of batting last on a pitch which historically favours spinners and on which Rangana Herath has thrived.
To gain the ascendancy in this match, Australia will need a first innings lead of at least 100. With Warner gone that shapes as a formidable task, particularly given their very poor recent record when batting second in Tests.
Under the leadership of Darren Lehmann, the Australians have turned into a formidable team when batting first, with a 13-2 win-loss record. Yet they have been very vulnerable, by comparison, when batting second as evidenced by their 6-8 win-loss ledger.
And among those eight losses batting second have been several hammerings by margins of 357 runs, 346 runs, 231 runs, 221 runs and 169 runs.
By comparison they have run rampant in their 13 wins batting first, with 12 of those victories by huge margins. Even in England, where Australia have been poor during Lehmann’s tenure, they have a solid win-loss record of 2-2 batting first.
The reason for this discrepancy in performance lies in Australia’s batting. They have shown an ability to rack up giant totals when offered first use of a pitch. Australia’s average total batting first has been a whopping 450 during Lehmann’s reign, compared to just 299 when batting second.
The Australians, quite clearly, have been unable to handle the heavier pressure of batting second. Opposition teams must feel that if they can win the toss and put a solid score on the board that Australia’s batsmen will wilt.
Even at Kandy, where Australia’s bowlers did an outstanding job in dismissing Sri Lanka for 117 on the first day, the batsmen largely wasted that effort with a limp display in their first dig.
This recurring issue, of undoing the fine labour of the bowlers, has haunted Australia for years now. Going back to Lehmann’s first series as coach, when his team were clobbered 3-0 in England, Australia’s attack did a sterling job.
All the England batsmen struggled in that Ashes, bar Ian Bell. Yet the ineptitude of Australia’s top seven left the team floundering.
Australia’s attack again did a good job yesterday, albeit with spinners Nathan Lyon and debutant Jon Holland both struggling against some aggressive Sri Lankan batting. Lyon had not been able to offer his side any control in the second innings at Kandy as the Sri Lankans ran away with the Test.
Again yesterday, Australia’s first-choice tweaker could not subdue the hosts. Lyon went at 4.3 runs per over from his 18 overs as the Sri Lankans made a concerted effort to target Australia’s slow bowlers.
Holland, meanwhile, had a mixed first outing in Test cricket. His figures of 1-64 from 15 overs do not look pretty, particularly when you consider his only wicket was from a full toss.
Yet there was plenty to like about Holland’s day one offerings.
Fellow left arm tweakers Xavier Doherty and Michael Beer largely bowled shapeless darts during their brief Test careers, making it unlikely they ever would challenge quality international batsmen. Holland, though, was prepared to operate with generous loop, giving himself a chance of deceiving batsmen in the air.
Similar to Lyon, Holland gets up and over his front leg in his delivery stride, ensuring that he imparts plenty of revs on the ball and earns lovely drop and drift. He was noticeably slower through the air than Lyon, with an average speed of 83kmh compared to his teammate’s figure of 86kmh.
Holland’s pace dropped to as low as 75kmh at times as he looked to arc the ball up above the eyeline of the batsmen. Occasionally he beat one of his opponents in the flight. But the 29-year-old was on the back foot for most of the day due to the offensive approach of the Sri Lankan batsmen.
Australia, too, find themselves on the back foot after a day which shaped as being dead even until the last-gasp wicket of Warner swung things firmly in favour of the hosts.