By Dr Muralidaran Ramesh Somasunderam

   Sri Lanka has performed poorly in the two Test Matches against Australia to date because they did not have the batsmen to combat the spin bowlers of Australia and score runs substantively to put pressure on the Australian team and Sri Lanka also did not have the bowlers penetrative enough to bowl out Australia cheaply in their first and second innings as the Australian batmen led by Steve Smith had the class, patience and poise to combat and get on top of the Sri Lankan spin bowlers in key sessions the two Test Matches.

What Sri Lanka must realize is that they need in a living cricket academy such as the one Australia has in Adelaide, South Australia. Here they coach a cricketer in every fascist the game, including physical fitness and the mental side of the game. So a cricketer is prime and ready for first class cricket.

Sri Lanka also prepares wickets that keep low bounce wise and are turners that suit spin bowlers. This is why I was surprised that apart from Jayasuriya that the other spin bowlers were not of Test Match quality and they lacked the needed skills to defeat a batsman in the air or turn off the deck to get wickets at regular intervals during the two Test Matches.

The other aspect was that Sri Lanka did not have batsmen who can use their feet to the spin bowlers like Steve Smith for example. They relied on the reverse sweep, which is a very dangerous stroke to play. It is a low percentage stroke, which is played more in One Day cricket. I realize the modern day player plays the reverse sweep to spin bowlers and the ramp stroke to fast bowlers, but it is not correct batting based on the M.C.C. Cricket Manuel an therefore if one wants to succeed as a Test Match batsman they must play within the V which is mid-off and mid – on and play the vertical and horizontal strokes in countries like Australia and South Africa for example where the bounce is true and consistent. 

Fielding also highlighted that Australia was far more athletic, including catching and fitness wise than Sri Lanka to field and concentrate effectively and efficiently in the hot sun in Galle.  The Australians were far more superior in these areas mentioned above than their opponents Sri Lanka.

The next aspect is wicket preparation where in Australia one learns this trade by an apprenticeship for five years before he or she graduates as a groundsman. This is not done in Sri Lanka and quality horticulturalists should help in the quality of soil and even preparing cricket wickets in nurseries and drop in wickets can be used as is the case in Australia with genuine pace and bounce. This will be ideal in underage cricket where batsmen learn their trade to play forward or back precisely, side on cricket and play correct cricket stokes as prescribed by the M.C.C. Cricket Manuel.  Unfortunately too much One Day cricket is being played in the Subcontinent in particular at present and the result is that our batsmen do not the technique or the mindset to play long Test Match innings. It is about hitting and playing big strokes, which are low percentage strokes, particularly the reverse sweep and the ramp strokes as stated above.  

Therefore in conclusion, if all the above can be addressed by the cricket authorities governing the game of cricket at the highest levels in Sri Lanka, we will be a much better cricket team then the one that exhibited their talents against Australia in Galle.