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Australian player ratings vs Sri Lanka

4th February, 2019
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4th February, 2019
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Australia finally have something to cheer about after they thumped Sri Lanka 2-0 in their final matches of the home summer. Here are The Roar’s player ratings for the hosts.

Tim Paine (c) – 6/10
45 runs at 45, 10 catches, 1 stumping
A golden duck in Brisbane wasn’t helpful for Paine, who has been under just a little bit of pressure through a lack of runs throughout the summer, but then, most of Australia’s batsmen have been.

Still, Paine has been exceptional behind the stumps and in his captaincy, which, when you put the two jobs together, is one of the most physically and mentally draining things a player can do in cricket.

He fought back with a good 45 not out in Australia’s first innings during the second Test, and was also exceptional behind the stumps again, taking ten catches, a stumping, and letting through just 11 byes in 227 overs, most of them caused by unruly bowling which you could hardly blame him for.

While runs are going to be talked about, there is no question Paine will skipper this side in England.

Pat Cummins (vc) – 9/10
14 wickets at 7.78
Cummins is the beating heart of the Australian team, and while he didn’t have to do anything with the bat like he did against India, he was fantastic with the ball.

Ignored with the new ball again, Cummins came on and made things work for himself each and every time, taking at least three wickets in three of the four innings, with only the first innings of the Canberra Test being a struggle.

It meant he led the Australian wicket-taking column, averaged 7.78 and had a strike rate of 22, meaning he was breaking through once every 3.4 overs.

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Travis Head (vc) – 9/10
304 runs at 152
This is the breakout series Head needed to have ahead of a tough trip to England, where he will be undoubtedly a focal point of both the ODI and Test teams.

Head earned the right to bash some runs against Sri Lanka, given his solid performances against India, and had the breakthrough innings in Canberra, belting 161, while he backed it up with a pair of half-centuries in his other two innings – one under pressure in Brisbane and the other guiding Usman Khawaja to his century in Canberra.

Travis Head

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

For a guy who potentially wasn’t even in the Test team according to some at the start of the summer, it’s been a fantastic run over the last couple of months.

Joe Burns – 8/10
204 runs at 68
Burns was re-called to the side once again for the series, and didn’t let anyone down.

While his 15 in Brisbane wasn’t the innings to set the world on fire, he was exceptionally strong in Canberra, racking up 180.

It wasn’t just the score though, it was the way he was able to build an innings with wickets falling all around him against an inspired Sri Lankan bowling attack who had the ball talking, then go up and down the gears throughout the day to ensure a big score.

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Excellent batting from Burns, and it’s booked his spot on the plane for the A tour of England ahead of the Ashes, at the very least.

Marcus Harris – 3/10
69 runs at 23
One man who might not feature on that A tour to England is Marcus Harris. He had a horrendous series, scoring just 69 runs.

He ruined another start in Brisbane, scoring 44, before falling apart in Canberra, chasing wide ones which didn’t need playing at, to be caught in both innings.

It just about sums up his summer, and you just feel to stay onside with the selectors, he needed at least one big score in this series.

Usman Khawaja – 5/10
112 runs at 56
Khawaja struggled in his first three innings of the series after a rough series against India. The problems were mounting in his technique and temperament at the crease, and they may well still be there, but a confidence-restoring century in the second innings yesterday was crucial moving forward.

Hard to rate him highly because those runs were scored without pressure and his shot to get out in the first innings of the Canberra Test was an absolute shocker in a tough spot for Australia, but it’s positive to get the runs back under the belt.

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Marnus Labuschagne – 5/10
91 runs at 30.33
Labuschagne had a shocker of a time in Canberra, but it was his Brisbane innings of 81, coming in under a bit of pressure after a top order collapse where he probably bought himself a chance or two in the Aussie side.

Scoring 81 was solid, and the selectors seem to like him. His first class average is extremely low for an international batsman though, so he needs runs at the back-end of the Shield season.

It’s a pass mark because of Brisbane, and Brisbane alone.

Nathan Lyon – 6/10
4 wickets at 44
This is up there with the worst series Lyon has played in the last couple of years. Only four wickets from more than 60 overs throughout the two Tests, and while the conditions weren’t all that conducive to spin bowling, Lyon didn’t bowl exceptionally well.

He just did his job, and for that, Lyon has become reliable in the Australian set-up – almost first picked at this stage.

Nathan Lyon of Australia smiles

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Kurtis Patterson – 7/10
144 runs at 144
Patterson wasn’t even in the squad when it was first announced, but centuries in the lead-up match forced the selectors’ hand, and boy would they be thankful they did.

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He made a solid 30 on debut against a swinging ball in Brisbane, then took his average to 144 with a stunningly good century in Canberra, before Tim Paine declared, leaving him not out.

Sri Lanka bowled a lot better on Day 2 of that match as well, with Patterson having to earn his runs in a far tougher way than Burns and Head had the previous afternoon.

Jhye Richardson – 6/10
6 wickets at 20.5
Richardson has made a solid debut to Test cricket, there can be no doubt about that.

His efforts in Brisbane were really solid as he grabbed five wickets for the match. While he only got one in Canberra and bowled with a little bit too much width most of the time, the future is there for the Western Australian youngster.

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Mitchell Starc – 6/10
12 wickets at 16.41
Mitchell Starc needed to hit form in this series, and while he had his struggles in Brisbane where he picked up two wickets in the Test, it was in Canberra where he came back into form.

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Starc demolished the Sri Lankan batting order in both innings, taking a pair of five-wicket hauls to finish the match with 10 for 100 on the dot.

He was still a little erratic at times, but the wickets will give him untold confidence moving forward, and if he can put that into practice, it’ll make Australia all the better come Ashes time.

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