“Will Take lessons from Sri Lanka to India next year”-Pat Cummins after huge defeat against Sri Lanka in Second Test
Australia was handed a huge defeat when they came crumbling down against the Sri Lankans in the Second test. According to the skipper Pat Cummins, the innings and 39-run loss in Galle has come as a “reality check” for this Australian side, who want to improve on their test cricket record in Asian conditions.
Pat Cummins said this on the backdrop of the huge loss in the second test in Galle where Australia capitulated to an innings defeat against the Lankans, where debutant Prabath Jayasuriya wreaked havoc on the visitors by picking up 12 wickets.
“Some batters went out with a really clear plan, and you just get a ball with your name on it earlier than you would’ve liked. It’s a good reality check for people touring over here that it’s really hard. So many positives out of last week, that we did find methods that work. One small hiccup doesn’t mean you have to change everything. And it makes for more learning than after a win,” Cummins said.
“I think half our batting line-up and half our bowling line-up hasn’t played a lot over here in the subcontinent. So the experience on these two vastly different wickets [in the two Tests], I think we got a lot of lessons out of it to take to India next year,” he added.
Cummins said that the second-morning session was where Australia let the match slip. Although they had won the first day, ending at 298 for 5 at stumps. They then lost their last five wickets for 35 runs, finishing at 364 all out. This was after Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne had hit hundreds. While Smith remained at the crease, the wickets kept falling at the other end.
“That was probably an opportunity missed. The way we set up the game on day one, we were hoping to get 400-plus, which history suggests here puts you in a really good position. Unfortunately, none of us hung around with Smith long enough to get up to the 400-plus, which meant even if we were out there for 180 overs you were kind of level at the turn,” Cummins said.
“Certainly, as the game went on the footmarks started to react a bit more. A fresh bowling side always makes a bit of a difference as well. So it all happened pretty quickly, and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side,” he concluded.
Pat Cummins hopes to learn from this big loss and use the learings to good effect when the Australians tour India later on in the year.
