Well Head has been announced as opening so that could mean 2 changes at least if Konstas is dropped with Cummins unavailable, and maybe 3 changes if they go in with only 1 quick out of Starc & Boland and play 3 full time spinners as unlikely as it seems.
Hopefully Inglis gets a berth in the middle order although I reckon they may bring back McSweeney to bat 5.
I can see 3 changes I would be surprised if they play Boland no need for quicks in Sri Lanka, so thats either Murphy or Connolly. If they play Murphy do they need three off spinners because im sure there is a chance the slug will bowl medium over the opening overs and come back and bowl spin, or do they take the second left armer and a longer batting order?
Of more interest to me if they go with Murphy when has it become apparent for spinners to not be able to bat in Australia - Starc at 8, then Lyon 9 Murphy 10 and Kuneman 11, that’s a long tail and none of them can bomb the other team with quick bowling
Good toss to win. Both Uzzie and Head have shown great intent from ball 1. Need to go big in the first innings, 350+ if possible. This will set up the game for the spinners, some turn even on day 1
At 2 for 222 (yes thanks Richie) of 47 overs let’s hope they score 550+ shame that winning the toss has such relevance on the result.
The best rule change the OCC can make is getting rid of the coin toss and allowing the away side to choose to do, do they bat or bowl, that way the toss is irrelevant and if you want to make a green top or a spinning deck the other team chooses how they play it first
Pushed on now at 2-298.Still 15 overs remaining today.
Smith approching 100,Uzzie 135 no.His first test century in 18 months.
Trav was of to a good start.
Sri Lanka are a shadow of the side.They where in the late 1990’s till the early 2,000’s.
Think they would struggle to beat our better shield sides.
tempered aggression still has a good part to play in Test cricket
this first innings thus far has been excellent long way to go yet but the runs are on the board
and the wicket will eventually turn square as is usual custom
I think it’s this wicket that is affected by the ocean tide too at times
get 550 and dictate terms from that is the go here
unless it pisses monsoonal
gtr, don’t forget SL thrashed NZ just recently at home, who then thrashed the all mighty India in their own backyard…so they aren’t all that bad…though some folk on here think Aust are shite…so yeah you could be right mate…
good first day for the Aussies…Uzzie locks himself in for the Ashes this summer…Labuschagne looked all at sea, out of all the 4 Auat batsmen today. Good luck to Inglis in his debut…though not sure how a fella who ave mid 30’s gets to bat 5 at the international level…yeah horses for courses I know…but Inglis is surely a 6 at best…
I Imagine the plan would be to push on to around 600 today and get Sri Lanka in to bat in the last session sometime. The plan may change with the weather, showers are forecast for the next few days.
Quite alarming the way that Labuschagnes performances have fallen away over the past few years. From an average of over 50 with a strike rate of over 50, his average in 2023 and 2024 is just over 30 with a strike rate of about 40. Invariably he chews up deliveries without scoring and stalls the innings. Wonder how long the selectors are prepared to give him?
century on debut coming up here
you have got to love the way Inglis plays the game
further proof regeneration is imperative
Kudos to Inglis for his century on debut…fantastic knock from the get go. Realistically such a knock should see Inglis right till the Ashes this summer selection wise…rather Inglis batting 6/7 instead of Carey…and keeping too. Touch wood Inglis can have as productive test careers as Hussy and Voges had, getting selected as mature age players.
Great stuff JI.
A long well deserved opportunity and he has well and truly taken it.
Interesting to see Inglis is the first Australian to score a century on debut since another West Aussie in Adam Voges 10 years ago, another WA boy in Shaun Marsh was before Voges and yet another WA boy in Marcus North was before Marsh.
Makes you ask the question why more WA batsmen dont get a look in?!
Great knock by Khawaja but this may setback the team in the long run as I can see him batting on until the Ashes now when he will be a rising 40yo!
Nathan Mcsweeney would be reflecting on the ironies of cricket. He made his debut as an opener on a spicy pitch against a rampant Bumrah. Inglis walked in at 3 for 400 against a group of tired and ineffective trundlers. Luck of the draw I guess. But take nothing away from Josh, he deserved his opportunity and he made the most of it. You can only play what is put out in front of you
As for the state of the game, only a significant weather interruption will prevent this being an innings win for Australia. All the bowlers were getting quite a lot of assistance from the pitch in the period before stumps and that will become more pronounced as the game goes on
a crushing landslide
that would have to rank as one of the more dominant sub-continent performances ever seen from an Australian team that always struggles in the region
Sri Lanka went for the ultra aggressive method in the 2nd innings but picked out fielders or misread the ball
did not see this sort of demolition not by us anyway
It’s quite remarkable that the Australian men’s Test team, women’s Test team and men’s “A” team all won by an innings on the same day.
The two Test teams were going wicket-for-wicket all afternoon and must have chalked up victory within five minutes of each other.
It was also the fourth-biggest margin by the men’s team in Tests that they’ve won by an innings.
Sheesh what a hiding.
I cant remember a poorer performance from a Sri Lankan side even going back to their days as a minnow cricket nation in the late 70s/early 80s.
On paper they are a lot better side than they performed especially with the bat.
As for Australia we hardly put a foot wrong.
I know the selectors wont make any changes after this Test but I would bring Connolly in for Murphy for the 2nd Test.
Seems like Aust have their version of Santner BH…Kuhnemann taking a 9 for…if only Aust pitches were sub continent ones…he may get more of a look in.
Be interesting to see if Aust have learnt anything from their previous tour of SL…1-0 up last time from memory, after a similar convincing victory…Can’t see any changes either…Murphy struggled compared to Lyon and Kuhnemann…but did bowl far less overs and deserves another crack…though Smith does seem to prefer’s Gary’s offspin compared to Harry Potter’s..
More spin in this pitch apparently so Australia may go in with another spin option ( Connelly) at the expense maybe of Labuschagne who trained away from the main group yesterday. The toss is going to be crucial again.
Has just been announced that Cooper Connelly will make his test debut today. Very exciting news for the young man. Will be either Webster or Murphy to drop out. Tune in for the toss at around midday as this may well be when the match is decided. Ridiculous I know but unfortunately the pitch looks like its going to turn square so the sooner you get runs on the board the better.
Murphy
Solid start by SL, now going a bit pear shaped post lunch, with Gary leading the way. Looks like it’s Lyon’s turn to take some wickets…with Kuhnemann/ Santner missing out…must not be a sub continent dust bowl if he is missing out.
Good luck to the WA youngster…hopefully his first FC wicket is a test wicket.