Sri Lanka v Australia, 2nd Test - Australia Player Ratings

Australia inflicted their second consecutive loss in the sub-continent after Sri Lanka handed them a 229 runs defeat inside three days at the Galle international Stadium. The Sri Lankan spinners were completely on top of them. Chasing an improbable target of 414 runs, the Australian were rattled by off-spinner Dilruwan Perera’s 6 wicket hauls. The whole Australian team looked without a plan. With the help of this win, the hosts also gained an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and lifted the Warne-Muralitharan trophy.

1.Joe Burns – 1/10:

Joe Burns was a complete flop. Burns was dismissed for single-digit scores in both the innings. His quick departures meant that Australia never had a good start in the match.

2. David Warner – 8/10:

David Warner looked like the only batsman who had some fight in him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do any better than reaching the forties. He batted in natural approach and came with a pre-decided counter-attacking approach scoring quick knocks of 42 & 41 in each innings. His tactics worked to some extent but his batting partners could help him much.

3. Usman Khawaja – 2.5/10:

The first half of the year was fantastic for Usman Khawaja. He reaped runs in home conditions but when the challenge of playing in unknown territories arrived he flunked big time. He scores of a duck and 2 in both the innings are very terrible.

4. Steven Smith – 3/10:

It has been skipper Steven Smith who has bailed out his team out of in tough situations. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to that in this game. In both the innings, he came in a situation when his team was crumbling. The failures of Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja added more pressure on him. The effect of which was clearly visible as he could make only 5 & 30 in the game.

5. Adam Voges – 3/10:

Adam Voges impeccable run at the Test level has taken a serious hit in the series. So far in his career, Voges looked like a man who was putting in all his domestic experience to great use at the international level. But, in the past Test he has looked like a complete rookie searching for a way to answer the Sri Lankan spin attack.

6. Mitchell Marsh – 4.5/10:

Mitchell Marsh had a tough game. He tried his best penetrate with the ball and was successful to some extent taking 1/30 in the first innings. However, Australia required him more as a batsman in this game. But, Marsh, unfortunately, wasn’t able to help his team in that matter.

7. Peter Nevill – 5/10:

Peter Nevill’s story was also the same in the match. He registered a duck in the first innings and was the part of the slump which saw his team getting folded for just 106. In the second innings, He looked little comfortable but was unfortunately run out for 24 in the second innings. The only positive for him was as the gloveman. He had a good time behind the stumps taking six catches in the match.

8. Mitchell Starc – 9.5/10:

Mitchell Starc was the lone shining star for the Australians. First of he snapped a match figures of 11/94 with the ball. On a slow turning wicket where spinners were having all the fun, Starc’s sheer speed and reverse swing helped him overshadow the spin bowlers in the match and end up as the best bowler of the match.

9. Nathan Lyon – 6/10:

Nathan Lyon underperformed to some extent. The pitch gave a lot of assistance but he simply wasn’t able to create an impact. His performance wasn’t dissatisfying. He took 2/78 in the first innings and 2/80 in the second innings. But, the fact that another offie in the match, Dilruwan Perera, snapped ten wickets in the match, making others think about what went wrong for him.

Josh Hazlewood – 7/10:

Josh Hazlewood did his job well. The right arm fast bowler complimented his new ball partner Mitchell Starc wonderfully.  His disciplined bowling from one end and Stac’s force from the other end made life tough for the Lankans.

Jon Holland – 6/10:

Honestly speaking, there were a lot of expectation from Jon Holland. The highly rated left arm spinner looked completely ineffective. His story in the match is pretty similar to his more experienced bowling partner Nathan Lyon. Like Lyon, his failure to build pressure and give away easy runs to the opposition was his main drawback.