Not for the first time during Australia’s doomed Test series in Sri Lanka, Steve Smith’s captaincy was a tad perplexing yesterday.
The 27-year-old has been Australian skipper for less than 12 months and undoubtedly will sharpen his tactics over time.
But these three Tests in Sri Lanka have been his first major challenge as a captain and even his most ardent supporters surely would concede he has failed.
Smith has looked lost at times, particularly as Sri Lanka’s middle-to-lower order repeatedly have rescued the hosts from precarious situations.
In all three Tests, Australia have been in a position on days two, three or four from where they could have put themselves either in strong positions or at least hauled themselves back into the Test. Each time they have faltered and Smith has been a significant part of the problem each time.
In the first Test, at Kandy, Australia had a prime opportunity to bat Sri Lanka out of the match and set up the series.
After rolling Sri Lanka for 117, Australia needed to score just 300 in their first innings on what was a decent deck and that likely would have been the match done and dusted. Australia were 2-69 when Smith played perhaps the worst shot of his career – a lurch down the pitch, an ungainly swipe, a humiliating stumping.
It would have been an immature and irresponsible stroke by a rookie, let alone a skipper. From there Australia subsided to be all out for 203, keeping Sri Lanka in the Test.
By Day 2 of the next Test, in Galle, the visitors were on their knees, having been shot out for 106 while chasing Sri Lanka’s 281 on a blameless pitch.
Australia’s only hope of clawing their way back into the match was to keep the number of runs they would chase to 300 or less. This would be a difficult but achievable total on a strip which was not offering the bowlers major assistance.
At lunch, Sri Lanka were 3-31 in their second dig. There was the narrowest window of opportunity for Australia to come out after the break and scythe through their middle and lower order.
To that point of the series, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had been comfortably Australia’s two best bowlers and the men responsible for reducing Sri Lanka to 3-31. It seemed obvious that pair would resume after lunch with a shiny ball only seven overs old.
Instead, Smith opted to bench both quicks in this pivotal moment and hand responsibilities over to offie Nathan Lyon and debutant Jon Holland.
The next seven overs went for 44 runs, the Lankans playing the slow bowlers with ease, just as they had done the whole series, in sharp contrast to their struggles against Starc and Hazlewood.
With the Sri Lankan lead having quickly swollen, surely it was time to reintroduce one of the quicks. Nope. “Have a bowl Adam,” Smith yelled to Voges, who must have been as shocked as the fans, commentators and the grinning batsmen.
By the time Starc came back on to bowl, Sri Lanka’s lead was nearing 300 with six wickets in hand, and captain Angelo Mathews was well set. The moment had passed. Whatever slight opportunity Australia had of a comeback had dissipated.
At Colombo, Smith’s handling of his bowlers has been similarly ponderous. In the first innings, even with the ball reverse swinging, he did not use all-rounder Moises Henriques and employed Mitch Marsh only as an after-thought. After snaring seven wickets at an average of 20 in the first two Tests, Hazlewood bowled only 18 out of 141 overs in Sri Lanka’s first innings, and 12 out of 95 overs in their second dig.
From the outside it has looked as though Smith has no confidence in any of his bowlers bar Starc and Lyon. A member of the 2015 ICC Test Team of the Year, Hazlewood is lethal with the new ball, yet in Sri Lanka’s past three innings he has had little chance to exploit it.
In the second innings at Galle, Hazlewood bowled one over with the new ball, took a wicket and then immediately was dragged for Lyon. First innings at Colombo, Hazlewood was given two overs with the fresh cherry, conceding a solitary run, before Lyon replaced him.
In the second dig, Hazlewood was treated like a change bowler – not only was he deprived of the new ball, but by the time he finally was used, Australia’s spinners had already wheeled down 21 overs.
Given how effective Hazlewood was in the first half of this series, it is puzzling the manner in which he since has been sidelined. Australia’s pacemen have offered them their one sole advantage over Sri Lanka, yet as the series has wound on Smith has been caught up in a battle of the spinners, something Australia never was going to win.
As a young skipper, he will learn from this, one would assume. He needs to, because if the same mistakes are repeated in India in six months’ time another whitewash is certain.
howzyapappa
Guest
That is true. The Asian teams do not do well here either. It is rare to win away from home. Somebody will point out wins by those on the road, but they are still rare. It also makes Pakistan's recent efforts in England even more outstanding. I am looking forward to when they come here. Should be a beauty.
howzyapappa
Guest
I wonder what will happen to us in India. There seems to be a big push to use spinners and that they should be able to turn the ball a long way. I read an article comparing the careers of Murali and Warnie. Both had excellent records in the sub-continent except for in India. They both had bowling averages in the 40s there. Considering their amazing careers, I am curious as to how you should bowl spin in India. I wonder if we will have an obsession with spin like the one we had in Sri Lanka. Such as bowling spinners when the opposition dines out on that stuff and we have them on their knees. Or when we take a wicket and instantly bring Lyon on. Bizarre stuff.
howzyapappa
Guest
I get what you are saying Tim. I am confused about the Mitchell Marsh handling as well. I don't think he got a lot of bowling under Clarke either. But he averages 34 with the ball (not a lot of wickets, but hard to get if you don't bowl). Lyon averages 32 but Smith seems obsessed with him now. Not to say he is a bad bowler (he has the most wickets for an Aussie off spinner so he is not garbage), I would just like to see others get a go. I am not sure what sort of team discussions they had before they went to Sri Lanka but they seemed completely introverted and shell-shocked by the mere thought of spin. Maybe that was the obsession with Lyon. Because we can't play spin, we will try and get the opposition out with spin. Only problem is they love playing spin. Our best success with wickets was with the quicks. I agree with Ronan. Sri Lanka were 3-31 after lunch and we bowled our spinners???? I was confused at that. Sri Lanka knew we were frozen in our tracks thinking about spin. You could hear one of the Sri Lankan fielders saying "Watch out for the turn". It was quite funny hearing that. I think we have been watching out for turn in our nightmares at night.
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
Why not make David Warner the captain & Smith the vice-captain. Warner has shown very good result in recent IPL as a Captain.
Don Freo
Guest
Wow Rob. You'd have Cowan ahead of the guy that top scored in the first dig and was second top score in the second?
Don Freo
Guest
Because, until today, they were #1 Test nation in the world and still are #1 ODI nation in the world. Pretty good creds.
Don Freo
Guest
Because, until today, they were #1 Test nation in the world and still are #1 ODI nation in the world. Pretty good creds.
Rob
Guest
The Australian team is an embarrassment and it start in the selection room followed by there aplication and lack of respect for the opposition. What attention was given to playing on low turning pitches in preparation by the batsmen? NOT MUCH. starting to try playing reverse sweeps halfway thru a Test match because some blokes in SL team got away with it is stupidity. How is Maxwell not of value? He can bowl, field and if given clear direction to build a big innings can bat better than Henriques? Holland brings little to the table and Hazelwood is ineffective on that type of pitch. Team should have been Cowan, Warner, Smith, Khawaja, Vogues, Maxwell, M. Marsh, Faulkner, Lyon, Sweepson/Ahmed, Starc. Having a team bowled out for 117 and 5/26 should have been matches that they were winning. Instead the batsmen played arrogantly and selfishly lead by Smith and Warner.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Herath is incredible in his home conditions but, like many other fine cricketers, is not nearly as effective on the road. Home ....... 231 wickets at 23 Away ........ 101 wickets at 40
armchair expert
Guest
Hearth has a pretty good test record in Australia.
1st&10
Guest
-- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
1st&10
Guest
How does Lehmann and the selectors keep their jobs ? -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
JoM
Guest
They were outbowled by their spinners on their pitches. Put those same spinners on Australian pitches and how would they go? Until our pitches are put back to what they used to be we have no chance at all but that ain't going to happen when AFL is in control and we continue with all these dead drop ins. Hopefully the Gabba and SCG stand firm on that.
Buddha9
Guest
all this may be right but the rock bottom fact is EVERY team in the world currently struggles to win away from home ----- and this is regardless of the skill otherwise of the captain or the team ---
danno
Guest
Smith needed his spinners to have an impact this series for him to look good as a captain. Lyon and Holland are average spinners. They were completely outbowled by their counterparts. Mitchell Marsh is not a test number 6 batsman and will never be, his shot selection is poor, hence the average in the mid 20s.
LordBrucie
Guest
The aristocratically named steve smith is a hapless drongo to be sure but he hath not been assisted by the woeful younger marsh who cannot justify his place in either batting or bowling- the sign of a true allrounder is that he could get into the team in either! Young marsh is not up to standard.
Andy
Guest
Having some spinners who can turn the ball on turning decks would help
JoM
Guest
Don't think his batting has gone to his head. Since he has taken over the captaincy it has been nowhere as good and the great majority of runs he scored was when Clarke was captain and he didn't have any of that pressure on him. Now he's finding out how tough it is and I agree with Nordburg that he is petulant. Having a go at his team on the field for dropping catches and other things yet he is dropping just as many.
Oscar Dawson
Roar Rookie
I agree, he's always yelling at his own players or having a go at the umpires. All his batting success i think has rather gone to his head. The only real reason he's captain is because there's no one else for the job, apart from Warner This is just a suggestion and people can talk it down if they want, but what about Voges' as captain? He's popular with the team, he's got years of experience captaining WA and he's a prolific scorer. Yes he's old, but look at what Misbah has been able to do with Pakistan at his age
Rellum
Roar Guru
There are plenty of breaks for instructions from the dressing room. There are also those bowling plans they alwaysvtalk about so I do wonder how much bowling changes are set down before play. One would hope not but in the world of professional cricket the team may think that it is the profesdional thing to do to have plans all mapped out before play