- Updates from the third day of play at Manuka Oval
- Any thoughts? Email or tweet @JPHowcroft
30th over: Australia 110-3 (Khawaja 50, Head 27) Usman Khawaja passes 50 for the 22nd time in 41 Tests. On seven previous occasions he has converted that start into a ton. Today would be an opportune time to make that eight following a below-par summer.
29th over: Australia 106-3 (Khawaja 49, Head 24) Spin from both ends last just one over with Fernando’s left-arm pace replacing Perera. More runs from Australia and another cover driven boundary for Khawaja follow, although this one was uppish and only just wide of the diving cover fielder.
28th over: Australia 98-3 (Khawaja 43, Head 22) Spin from both ends now with Dananjaya coming on but this partnership is well set now and happy to milk singles all over Manuka Oval.
Hi fans of wordplay! It’s belatedly come to my attention that Anderson Cummins (see Tea interval) is of course an amalgamation of James Anderson and Pat Cummins. Are there any other cricketers whose entire name can be made out of the names of two other players? Answers on a postcard. Or Twitter and email, if you prefer - details at the top of the page.
Travis Head has played 44% attacking shots this innings - the most among all the batsmen. He's been effective playing the attacking shots, scoring 89% of his runs so far. #AUSvSL
27th over: Australia 94-3 (Khawaja 41, Head 20) Perera drops short and Khwaja’s on it in a flash, cutting hard behind point for his third boundary since Tea. Following Starc’s five-for earlier, another of Australia’s senior figures is playing himself back into form.
26th over: Australia 87-3 (Khawaja 36, Head 18) Head reaches 500 runs for the Test summer with a powerful cut to the offside sweeper. That same fielder can’t intercept another Khawaja cover driven boundary, a shot squirted through the infield following some butterfingered fielding by Thirimanne.
25th over: Australia 81-3 (Khawaja 32, Head 17) Much tighter from Dilruwan Perera in an over that includes a delivery squirting off the outside edge of Khawaja’s bat while the left-hander was on the move down the pitch. The lead is now 400.
24th over: Australia 78-3 (Khawaja 30, Head 16) Chamika may regret his decision to leave the pavilion following his opening over after Tea. A no-ball and a Khawaja single precede a rock star cover drive from Head so photogenic it deserves its own Instagram account. Its status as an influencer was seen almost immediately by Khawaja emulating the shot for the second boundary of the over.
Put this on repeat.
A picture perfect cover drive from @travishead34#AUSvSLpic.twitter.com/ZTroeedxV3
You know I want your Tweets and emails. Send them to the following addresses please. @JPHowcroft and jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
This could include some Numberwang DECLARATION SPECULATION. The lead is 386 with seven sessions remaining.
If you like your evening sessions long and sweaty, you’re in luck! 39 overs are still to be bowled today which means we’re looking at another 150-minute session. Temperatures are in the mid-30s in the nation’s capital and a few ominous storm clouds are beginning to loiter.
Speaking of the weather, the forecast is for scattered thunderstorms this evening, but the likelihood of those rolling in is slim until after stumps have been called. Rain is more likely tomorrow, where thundery showers could well disrupt play from lunch onwards. If Sri Lanka hold out until Tuesday they may also benefit from some interruptions to play then as well. However, there is no persistent rain rain forecast during the Test, only showers.
Thank you very much Adam, my favourite cricketing AC since Anderson Cummins, a player with an unexpected number of career quirks to enjoy.
The obvious place to start is with his dual-international status. After debuting for the West Indies in ODIs in 1991 he later went on to represent Canada, becoming just the second man (after Kepler Wessels) to play for two countries in World Cups.
23rd over: Australia 67-3 (Khawaja 25, Head 11) Dhananjaya replaces Perera for a one-over spell, the two catchers at short cover not a factor when the spinner drops short with a long hop, hammered away through midwicket for four runs by Khawaja. A single gives Head one ball to negotiate for the break and he leaves it nicely. That’s tea on day three!
So after Australia finished the Sri Lankan innings in eight balls after the resumption, they lost three wickets in 100 minutes at the crease. Harris won’t want to be seeing his dismissal again, nor Labuschagne, but Burns got an excellent delivery from Fernando, who has been the most impressive visiting seamer.
22nd over: Australia 62-3 (Khawaja 20, Head 11) Head tries to smash Karunaratne over extra cover into the apartment I’m staying at just beyond the grandstand in that direction, but instead he plays and misses the moving ball. After that near miss, he keeps bat and pad close together in defence, mindful surely that they have a cup of tea waiting in a few minutes from now.
21st over: Australia 62-3 (Khawaja 20, Head 11) Pererahas been swung around to the nortern or Manuka Pool End for a dart before the break, replacing Rajitha who did well picking up a couple of wickets. He picks up his earlier contest with Khawaja, both the spinner and No3 doing their jobs, a maiden the result.
20th over: Australia 62-3 (Khawaja 20, Head 11) Karunaratne is on for a twist. Despite struggling pretty badly in the first dig, he did get the new ball to move around early on - picking up Labuschagne with a good one - so I’m a bit surprised they have delayed his introduction. Anyway, Khawaja gets a single away first ball to midwicket, moving into the 20s with the stroke, Head then playing out the rest conservatively. They should get three more overs in before the tea interval.
19th over: Australia 61-3 (Khawaja 19, Head 11) Rajitha does go again and nearly picks up Head! That’s the second inside edge of the Australian second dig to miss the woodwork by a matter of millimetres, this time passing just by the leg stump before spitting out to fine leg for a couple. But he can’t keep the pressure on, overstepping before giving Head three balls on a trot that he can leave alone.
18th over: Australia 58-3 (Khawaja 19, Head 9) Perera’s turn to get the treatment, Head getting off the mark by creaming a cut. Confidence up, he then jumps down at the spinner and smashes him down the ground. He’s in fantastic nick.
17th over: Australia 49-3 (Khawaja 19, Head 0) The old captaincy nightmare, giving a bowler one extra over following a wicket, then going around. It’s what Rajitha does here, Khawaja pulling him for four with ease then tucking another to the rope, the bowler overstepping too. Nicely bowled but time for a breather.
“I only remember Marsh brothers,” the best bit of this exchange. He’s a gem, Dickwella.
SOUND ON
'I really wish you could get some runs here'
Niroshan Dickwella with some words of advice for Usman Khawaja.#AUSvSL#FoxCricketpic.twitter.com/RG41wBdUoy
16th over: Australia 40-3 (Khawaja 11, Head 0) Khawaja grabs a couple to midwicket against the turn then another down the ground to keep the strike.
Horses is nominated, noted but rejected. Aim high. “The Slab is Hunters and Collectors finest,” argues Graham Crouch. “‘I was looking to see some dreams dripping from your fingers...’” And the Big V blue singlet! I made one of those for a Bay 13 excursion to an early-2000s ODI. On the back it read: DEANO: ONE-DAY KING. He sure is.
15th over: Australia 37-3 (Khawaja 8, Head 0) Head gets out of the way of a bumper first up to complete the Rajitha over.
Labuschagne has been so assertive in defence until now, prodding forward to edge a little outswinger from Rajitha, into the book for a second time. After doing the hard work, that’ll hurt. Fair play to the Sri Lankan openers for sticking to their task and doing enough to create these chances. After chasing leather the first time around, this is no easy job backing up without even 24 hours to rest.
OUT. Labuschagne the latest to edge behind the wicket. Australia 3/37 #AUSvSLpic.twitter.com/3EXRx4AO1x
14th over: Australia 37-2 (Khawaja 8, Labuschagne 4) Labuschagne takes one around the corner off the second ball of Perera’s new over, Khawaja jumping forward then using the depth of the crease to defend the rest.
13th over: Australia 36-2 (Khawaja 8, Labuschagne 3) A lot to like about the way Labuschagne has started, unlucky not to beat midwicket with a firm clip, then defending with purpose. He is off the mark from the final Fernando delivery, this time beating midwicket with the same shot from earlier in the over, galloping back for three.
“My suggestion is ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ by The Avalanches,” writes Simon Pertie. Very clever after the year that has been, and a real earworm too. Let’s pop it on.
12th over: Australia 33-2 (Khawaja 8, Labuschagne 0) Khawaja is on the advance to the spin of Perera, going over the bowler’s head for a couple. He uses his feet again later in the over, albeit to defend. It should be a good little contest between these two, the No3 surely busting out the reverse sweep soon as well.
11th over: Australia 31-2 (Khawaja 6, Labuschagne 0) Fernando isn’t giving Labuschagne an easy option to get off the mark, the Queenslander looking organised in defence throughout this maiden, leaving as required too. I love the huge, red spot in the middle of his blade, as though he has sandpapered (nurse!) every other cherry aside from those that hit the meat. A real power move.
“It has a good long instrumental intro and a repeating fade out chorus at the end so it’s actually a pretty practical option,” says Michael Cooney in his email about My Island Home. I’ll take the Christine Anu version. Better still, how about her other big single? This featured on Hit Machine 10, my first CD.
10th over: Australia 31-2 (Khawaja 6, Labuschagne 0) Spin to win, or something like that. Dilruwan Perera is on for a quick set before they break for drinks, Khawaja patting back an accurate maiden from the offie.
9th over: Australia 31-2 (Khawaja 6, Labuschagne 0) Fernando bumps Khawaja again to begin, two men set out after his miscue in the previous set. Off strike to midwicket, Labuschagne deals with the rest easily enough. There was a long chat between the Sri Lankans, Khawaja and an umpire before the over for reasons that are not yet obvious but I’m sure we’ll find out at drinks, coming up shortly.
Thick and fast come the nominations for Australia’s new walk-out song. Mick Jumpertz wants Wedding Cake Island by Midnight Oil. Get in. My dear old pal Michael Cooney goes with Warumpi Band - My Island Home. Nice. Sure enough, Farnsy gets a mention from Irish gun umpire Laura Caughney. I’m only sympathetic on the basis that we went to the same high school in Dandenong.
8th over: Australia 30-2 (Khawaja 5, Labuschagne 0) So close to three! After collecting his first boundary with a clip through midwicket, next ball Khawaja has a pop at the Rajitha short ball but it comes off the top edge, hanging in the air for a long time before landing about ten metres short of the man running in from fine leg. Had the No3 fallen like that it would have made for a headline or two.
7th over: Australia 25-2 (Khawaja 0, Labuschagne 0) Two Queenslanders yet to score, both having failed in the first dig. The younger of the two, who got a good’un on Friday, leaves the one Fernando ball left in the set.
Fernando has Burns! A very tidy piece of bowling across the right-hander to find the edge, another catch for Mendis at second slip snaffled; his sixth of the series. “That’s the Chaminda Vaas of old!,” says Mike Hussey of the left-armer on telly, “running his fingers down the seam to create that lovely off-cutter.”
First Harris, now Burns.
Australia falls to 2/25 #AUSvSLpic.twitter.com/PmQlwW1Uhn
6th over: Australia 19-1 (Burns 3, Khawaja 0) Rajitha is a bit all over the place early on, spraying one so wide of Khawaja that it is signalled as one by the ump. Khawaja cops a whack on the shoulder from a short ball but either side of that is patient outside the off-stump.
Gav Joshi is an obsessive watcher of batting, so if you are trying to work out what’s going on with Khawaja this summer, this is worth a click.
Why has Usman Khawaja struggled this summer? I managed to do a bit of research and put together this video. #AUSvSLhttps://t.co/KdLfM96SkR
5th over: Australia 17-1 (Burns 2, Khawaja 0) Whoa, it should be 16-2! Burns has somehow survived by no more than half a centimetre with an inside edge moving from his blade to his back pad, trickling back towards off-stump only to just miss. A single to long leg gives Khawaja one ball to look at and he defends it competently. That’s a better over from Fernando.
“Rufus - Treat You Better” writes Doug Thompson. I must admit, that’s not in my immediate hitting zone but I’ll pop it on at tea. Keep them coming.
4th over: Australia 16-1 (Burns 1, Khawaja 0) It’s a slightly different story for Khawaja with so much experience at this level, but he’s the other Australian well out of form and in need of a couple of hours in the middle, perhaps with a bit of red ink to go with it. He’s defending and leaving the last couple of balls of successful Rajitha over.
“The Saints,” nominates Diego del Mercato. “I’m Stranded.” Now we’re cooking. With this occasionally thrown in to mix things up.
Oh, hold on! Against the flow of play, Harris has given Mendis a low chance at second slip and he makes no mistake. It’s another unattractive dismissal, on the drive against Rajitha without a lot of footwork. With life moving pretty fast at the top, has Australia’s most consistent player from the India series gone and batted himself out of an Ashes berth against Sri Lanka?
Harris is OUT. Edges and a sharp catch taken in the slips #AUSvSLpic.twitter.com/MP9RbJNBn6
3rd over: Australia 12-0 (Harris 10, Burns 1) Easy pickings for Harris, tickling the tired Fernando to the fine leg rope for Australia’s first boundary. The Sri Lankan band are still giving it big below the media centre here but that’s all that is going on here right now.
2nd over: Australia 7-0 (Harris 5, Burns 1) There is nothing going on here, Rajitha’s medium pace clipped into the deep by Harris for three first up. Burns is in no rush, ignoring the majority of the over. No swing, no chance.
Glenn Hoen has a nomination for Powderfinger - My Happiness. If we’re going to go down that path (and I wouldn’t), let’s go with this. On the proviso that the memorable film clip is also popped on the big screen each time it is used.
1st over: Australia 3-0 (Harris 2, Burns 1) With 62 overs up their sleeve today, the working assumption is that Australia will declare at some stage in the final session and have another pop at the sore and sorry visitors. That should give Burns enough time to notch twin tons. It could be a more important innings for Harris, yet to nail down his spot with Warner back for the Ashes. Obviously, this is junk time. But still, he needs to stick the landing on this summer. Both men are off the mark, the left-hander tucking Fernando around the corner, the right-hander doing the same down to long leg. Harris keeps the strike with one to midwicket.
Great Southern Land is playing, which means the Australian openers are on their way. I issued my usual whinge around the press box that we should change the song next summer. An open-minded CA operative suggested that I give her something better to put to their event team. You beauty. What should I pitch? Send me your best. It’ll have to be an Australian song; no other rules. Go!
Starc’s fifth wicket. Comprehensive. Interesting innings for the left-armer, looking fast but very ropey in his first spell, given a long breather, getting a bit of tap when he came straight back late yesterday. But he got in the book before the close with an accurate bouncer and never let up today. I don’t think he’s back in business, but this can only help his confidence at the end of a middling summer.
✋ for @mstarc56! #AUSvSLpic.twitter.com/4PGzCObYzp
Nine out, all out! It has taken Starc two balls to knock over the No11, with an accurate full ball from round the wicket, angled in at the off-stump and too good. It is a five-wicket bag for him too, finishing with 13.3-2-54-5. Sri Lanka’s final three wickets all fell with the score on 215, not adding to their lunch score. As expected, Australia will bat again, building on their first innings lead of 319.
Starc picks up a wicket with his first ball after the break. It’s poor batting from Perera, edging an attempted cut from a delivery that wasn’t much more than a loosener, short and wide outside the off-stump from round the wicket. With the other Perera injured, Australia need just one wicket to finish this off.
68th over: Sri Lanka 215-7 (D Perera 10, Rajitha 0) Forget what I said below, it is Rajitha walking out at No10, not Fernando. He elects to throw his hands at full, wide leg break, his blade beaten. To end the over, he’s beaten again by a proper beauty. “Good skills, Marn!” roars Tim Paine. He’s not wrong, that was an excellent wicket maiden.
“We were at day 2 of this Test yesterday, and were able to walk over to Manuka, eat a quick lunch and back and only missed a couple of overs,” reports Penelope Cottier. “Just wondering at which other grounds this is possible, either in Australia or overseas? Manuka is a great little oval.”
G’day. With the Bradmaneque follow-on mark of 334 still 119 runs away, Tim Paine will have the option at some stage this session to pop Sri Lanka in again. Of course, it is very unlikely they would pull that trigger, so strap in with me for some of that old, fashioned, average-inflating declaration batting! Huzzah!
Some brilliant work from SEN statistician Andrew Samson, who told me at lunch that the last time a man who had retired hurt replaced somebody retiring hurt - as Karunaratne did this morning - was at Kingston in 1991. On that occasion, the do-si-do was between Desmond Haynes and Gus Logie, against Australia. There is nothing that man can’t get to the bottom of.
67.1 overs (Dilruwan 10) The break will be called with the wicket, and Labuschagne will bowl the other five balls after a feed. What a session for Australia! Most importantly, Mitchell Starc has got himself going a bit. Somewhat fortunate with his top edge wicket of Chandimal last night. Extremely fortunate with his hit-wicket dismissal of Dhananjaya this morning. But looked a bit more threatening thereafter, got the conventional wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne, who had batted well, and should have had a fourth from a good ball had a slip catch not been shelled.
A disastrous session for Sri Lanka, on the other hand, with four wickets going down plus the concussion injury to Kusal Janith Perera. A really unfortunate one from a heavy blow to the helmet. He’ll play no further part in the game, surely.
Has Marnus got himself into the game? Dickwella sweeps and is given out immediately by Umpire Gough. He reviews it just as quickly. Thinks he got some glove on the sweep. And looking at the replay, he might be right. This is another strange one. There’s the tiniest little flicker on the Snicko graph just as the ball passes glove. But the umpire has obviously deemed it insufficient to overturn the on-field call, because it’s been upheld. HawkEye shows the ball would have bounced quite high but it’s umpire’s call clipping the bails.
67th over: Sri Lanka 215-6 (Dickwella 25, Dilruwan 10) A maiden for Lyon, featuring one big appeal against Dilruwan that is not upheld.
66th over: Sri Lanka 215-6 (Dickwella 25, Dilruwan 10) Time for a bit of Marnus Labuschagne. Of course, you can only call him Labuschagne if he comes from the Labuschagne region of France. Anywhere else it’s just Sparkling Marnus. He bowls a leg break, and Dickwella sweeps it to fine leg. Labuschagne appeals vociferously for leg-before. Might need to do a refresher on the rules of this sport. Tim Paine tries to explain that if the bat hits it, you can’t be lbw.
65th over: Sri Lanka 210-6 (Dickwella 22, Dilruwan 8) Straight to him off Starc, and Usman Khawaja is having a shocker. Watched three of his teammates rack up hundreds after he played a poor shot for a third-ball duck. Now an edge comes straight at him, head high, and he palms it down into the ground. First ball of the over, and it would have given Starc four wickets and a great chance at five, which would have been a tonic for the bowler given his recent struggles.
Dickwella enjoys his reprieve, cutting a wider ball to third man for four. Ah, second chances. To be fair Australia owe their opponents a few.
64th over: Sri Lanka 206-6 (Dickwella 18, Dilruwan 8) Dickwella has suddenly switched into Hungry Mode. Better against Lyon than pace. He reaches well outside off stump to drag a slog-sweep for four. Then cuts a brace. Sweeps another. Smacks another through covers. Serving up more doubles than Mooseheads on a Saturday night. Then taps a single to keep the strike. I’ll have 11 runs, thanks.
63rd over: Sri Lanka 195-6 (Dickwella 7, Dilruwan 8) Alright folks, Dickwella has reconsidered his strategy of getting off strike the first ball of a Starc over with a single. Instead he’s going to get off strike first ball with a three. Drives down the ground. Dilruwan takes his place down the wrong end of the shooting gallery for the next five balls. The last of them is wild and he’s able to clip it fine for four.
62nd over: Sri Lanka 188-6 (Dickwella 4, Dilruwan 4) Against Lyon things don’t look quite so tough for this pair. Dickwella cuts a single. Dilruwan has a good look, then ends the over by galloping down to clatter the ball into the LED advertising screens behind midwicket.
61st over: Sri Lanka 183-6 (Dickwella 3, Dilruwan 0) If you’re wondering, the follow-on is one Bradman. As in, 334 runs. Sri Lanka are currently somewhat short of that. Starc bowls medium short, at the body, to Dilruwan, who had his bowling hand tenderised by Cummins at the Gabba. Keen to avoid a repeat of that experience, he nearly skews a leading edge up for a catch. Maybe Dickwella shouldn’t take singles from the first ball of Starc overs?
60th over: Sri Lanka 182-6 (Dickwella 2, Dilruwan 0) The spare Perera, Dilruwan, comes to the middle. The other one, Kusal, will stay at the ground to be monitored and will not go to hospital. That’s according to the update we’ve just received from the camp. Lyon has his second wicket as the over comes to an end.
Karunaratnes come, Karunaratnes go. Sri Lanka spending them like they’re going out of style. As for Mitchell Starc, you can’t keep him out of the game. Who has ever said anything different?
He’s at leg slip to take a simple catch from a classic off-spinner’s dismissal: turning in towards a right-hander, taking the inside edge onto the pad and into the air.
59th over: Sri Lanka 181-5 (Dickwella 1, C Karunaratne) It was one injured batsman replacing another, now it’s one Karunaratne replacing another. Chamika K is the first of the bowlers to join Niroshan Dickwella, the wicketkeeper. He must have some ability to come in ahead of Dilruwan Perera, who can bat pretty well.
So Sri Lanka are five down, but effectively six with the injury to Kusal Perera.
My word it’s done damage! That’s a bit more conventional for Starc, who bowls fast outside off stump and draws a big drive from Karunaratne. The thick edge flies straight to gully, and Starc has two in the over! How the worm can turn.
That is extraordinary. By definition. The batsman gets a short ball, tries a hook, and in his lavish follow-through ends up holding the bat in one hand as it twirls behind him. That lack of control of the blade sees it clip the top of his bails, and one of them agonisingly tips off. He’s out, clear as day, though they check the video replays to be sure.
Mitchell Starc has in some fashion picked up a second wicket. Bowling to that plan, no doubt. Sloppy batting, and it’s done Sri Lanka real damage.
58th over: Sri Lanka 180-3 (Dhananjaya 26, D Karunaratne 60) Alarms as DDS lunges forward to Lyon and gets an inside edge into pad. It pops up on the off side but there’s no one there, and short leg can’t get across in time. The batsman finds a single, giving Karunaratne one ball to face, which that man plonks dead straight down the ground for four.
57th over: Sri Lanka 175-3 (Dhananjaya 25, D Karunaratne 55) Wide and carved away! Starc comes on for his first over at last, and probably wishes he hadn’t. The first ball is buffet stuff, and Karunaratne carves the square drive for an admirable fifty. To come back from hospital and play on in impressive. If he hadn’t been injured yesterday, the way he and the opening partnership were going, who knows what dreams may have come.
Starc tries to find his yorker length, but Karunaratne blunts it with a straight drive for three, then Dhananjaya de Silva whips another through midwicket for two. Starc loses his line and DDS profits by a leg glanced single. Ten from the over.
56th over: Sri Lanka 165-3 (Dhananjaya 22, D Karunaratne 48) Just a brace from Lyon’s over, with de Silva driving through the covers, and that will raise the drinks break. Not that we need one, with the three breaks we had when Perera was hit. But it’s cricket.
@abcgrandstand what you have been referring to as the “Pool End,” has been referred to during this match by the ground announcer as the “Telopea [pronounced I think Tell-oh-pee-ah] End” in honour of the park behind the pool on that side of the ground. Not sure if that’s typical
55th over: Sri Lanka 163-3 (Dhananjaya 20, D Karunaratne 48) Header question resolved: Karunaratne will be listed second, but with an initial so that you don’t confuse him with the bowling Karunaratne who will come later. This is my arbitrary decision, sorry if you don’t like it. Dimuth Karunaratne looks pretty good initially, driving two from Richardson.
54th over: Sri Lanka 158-3 (Dhananjaya 18, Karunaratne 46) Kusal Perera is not ok after all. He takes a long delay before the over from Lyon starts, talking to the physio. Stands at the non-striker’s end for three balls, then he calls it off. Bent double out at point with the physio. He’s obviously dizzy.
“That’s clearly concussion,” says Chris Rogers on ABC Grandstand. He would know, having suffered a couple of bad ones in his late Test career, and those blows probably played some part in his decision to retire. “For me that means he’s ruled out of the game. From what I know about concussion and how it’s viewed these days, if you show symptoms like that it’s seven days really. There’s going to be a lot of concern about him now to show symptoms like that in the ten minutes after you’re hit, that’s worrying.”
53rd over: Sri Lanka 157-3 (K Perera 29, Dhananjaya 17) That’s almost identical to the Karunaratne one, except Richardson is the bowler and Perera has the protective neck gear. He’s ok, still standing and being assessed by medical staff. Flat track, flat bouncer, and he took his eyes off the ball while jerking his head away. Hit in the side of the grille or the neck as he turned, and the neck guard flew off as it’s designed to do. Second time today that Perera has been hit, though the first wasn’t flush.
The batsman will continue. Richardson makes sure he’s ok, then follows up immediately with a bouncer. It may seem harsh but that’s how the game gets played. You can’t be out there if you can’t handle everything that can happen under the Laws.
52nd over: Sri Lanka 155-3 (K Perera 27, Dhananjaya 17) Lyon comes on for the first over of spin. Still no Starc. He bowls too far to leg and Perera is able to sweep him powerfully and fine for four, then push a single to point.
51st over: Sri Lanka 150-3 (K Perera 22, Dhananjaya 17) Cummins pitches up to de Silva for the first four balls of the over, doing the mature and responsible thing. Then lets loose from the last two with a couple of short balls. Still bowling fast. No score.
50th over: Sri Lanka 150-3 (K Perera 22, Dhananjaya 17) De Silva looks good, pulling Richardson for a single fine. Perera does not, with another streaky drive. Surely this can’t go on for long. He goes in the air again, splitting cover and mid off, though some brilliant chasing work from Travis Head keeps the ball from the boundary rope. Three runs. De Silva glances a single, then Perera goes hard again and flashes the ball to third man for four. Can’t last. It nearly ends from the last ball of the over as it beats his edge.
49th over: Sri Lanka 141-3 (K Perera 15, Dhananjaya 15) Oof, that’s some bouncer. Cummins has Perera whipping his head way from the line of the ball as it sizzles over his stumps. The speedo clocked that as 143.6, and we know the speedo measures short balls as slower than full ones. That’s serious, serious heat. Like, Australian average temperatures in January in the last ten years heat. Cummins’ speed chart is trending upwards, his fuller balls getting over 145 kph. An inside edge into pad provides the only run from the over.
48th over: Sri Lanka 140-3 (K Perera 15, Dhananjaya 14) Well if the last over brought some yelps of excitement, this one brings howls. De Silva again, flicking into the leg side, but he gets a fair bit more on this shot and gets it over the top of midwicket. It flies away for four. Perera wants to match that, for risk and reward, so he lashes Richardson airily through cover to end the over for four more. Easily catchable but the angle was wrong. Perera is a lefty, de Silva bats with the right, so they’re moving the field around.
47th over: Sri Lanka 131-3 (K Perera 11, Dhananjaya 9) Cummins to de Silva, into the pads and de Silva flicks away, airborne, through square leg. A few shouts of excitement but it travels safely.
46th over: Sri Lanka 130-3 (K Perera 11, Dhananjaya 8) De Silva is looking pretty good. Very solid defensive stuff against Richardson, well forward and getting the middle of the bat. There’s nothing lateral off this wicket so far, that’s for sure. De Silva rides a short ball and knocks away a single, calm and steady.
45th over: Sri Lanka 129-3 (K Perera 11, Dhananjaya 7) Hmmmm, interesting. Mitchell Starc will not open the bowling for the day. He got four overs yesterday and got dragged after constantly bowling on the batsman’s hip. Then he got one later spell after a very long delay and got a wicket thanks to Chandimal’s horrible shot. Bowled eight overs of the 45 so far. And the men trusted to start today are Cummins and Richardson.
Our man de Silva is keen to take on Our Pat though, hooking him right out of the middle to the square leg boundary, then top-edging another attempt for a single.
44th over: Sri Lanka 124-3 (K Perera 11, Dhananjaya 2) Jumping Jhye Richardson gets us going from the Manuka Church end. And let me tell you, it is an utterly stonking day in Canberra. Yesterday started cloudy and graduated from cool to sweaty, as most people do between about 20 and 40 years of age. Today is glorious: clear blue above, slight breeze, feels like mid-20s in the temperature range. English willage green weather, with an Antipodean edge on the UV index.
Richardson swings the ball into de Silva’s pads, and the batsman glances a single. Kusal Janith Perera, as Sri Lankan supporters often call him, wants to get going. Smashes a drive straight to mid-off, then tries to pull and gets in a tangle. Gets hit, but there are no dramas like yesterday, as the impact was glancing enough for him to carry on.
The Jack Fingleton scoreboard at Manuka used to be the scoreboard at the MCG
The 62nd run of Sri Lanka's innings was the 60,000th Test run recorded on the scoreboard
@cricketcomau@OfficialSLC#AUSvSL
Wow, say the name Greg Chappell and...
Monday. 10pm.
The story of the most infamous ball in Trans-Tasman history. pic.twitter.com/m2gFZhVRZE
The star for Australia on day two, meanwhile, was Kurtis Patterson. That’s right, Test cricket has a new KP. This one isn’t quite like the old one. He’s quiet and modest and more modestly talented and left-handed. But he is very tall, and he does give the pull shot a mighty whack. He made 114 not out, batting through to the declaration, after Joe Burns and Travis Head had already made hundreds.
West Indies thrashed England overnight Australian time, bowling them out for 132 to go with a measly 187 in the first innings (not to mention 77 in the first Test). That left West Indies with only 17 runs to score for a ten-wicket victory, and a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. It’s been a truly remarkable one for many reasons. Here’s Ali Martin’s report to give you some of those.
Related: Alzarri Joseph stands tall for West Indies despite death of his mother
In other major news, Greg Chappell will end his term as an Australian selector after the Ashes mid-year. There hasn’t been a statement from the man himself, but Cricket Australia comms staff have made it known that’s the case. It will be interesting to see how that news is received. Chappell was obviously one of Australia’s greatest batsmen – the rare feat of averaging over 50, plus the iconically stylish way he went about it.
But he’s also the architect of some very controversial renovations to junior and state cricket which have been broadly criticised by others as having damaged the sport at the professional level, and he’s been part of a selection panel that has invited anger and ridicule for its opacity and erraticism in decision-making. That scrutiny won’t get any less in the lead-up to an away Ashes.
The time has come, the walrus said, to speak of many things. But principally Sri Lanka’s resistance against Australia in the second Test of the 2019 series at Canberra. The visiting side will resume on morning three with their score at 123 for 3, which is 411 runs adrift of Australia’s declaration score yesterday of 534 for 5.
The pitch looked very good for batting yesterday, so there will be some hope that Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera in the first instance can see of the early attack and settle in.
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