Australia Overs 11-20:
The biggest chink in the Lankan armor began to manifest during this space. With just 238 on the board on a good battingtrack, the Lankans had only set the Australians an ask rate of under 5 an over – and this meant that Shane Watson and Michael Hussey could afford to take time to settle in, knowing that there was no pressure on them to look for quick runs.
A related problem was that once Malinga had completed his first ...
more Australia Overs 11-20:
The biggest chink in the Lankan armor began to manifest during this space. With just 238 on the board on a good battingtrack, the Lankans had only set the Australians an ask rate of under 5 an over – and this meant that Shane Watson and Michael Hussey could afford to take time to settle in, knowing that there was no pressure on them to look for quick runs.
A related problem was that once Malinga had completed his first spell, and a tiring Kulashekara was replaced after he had bowled six, the Lankans did not have the bowling to attack hard and apply relentless pressure. This allowed Watson and Hussey to play within themselves, get a good sight of the conditions and the bowling, ease into their knock with good placement and swift running, and only turn on the heat when it suited them.
The two took full advantage, inching along by a mere 12 runs in the first five overs of this phase before expanding their horizons and adding a further 36 in the next five to end this phase on a more comfortable 89/3 – against Sri Lanka’s 86/2 at the same point. That comparison underlines the problem – Lanka would, barring miracles, have to pay for making a meal of the second half of its innings. And it didn’t help the fielding side when Perera pulled up in the 17th over in manifest discomfort and had to be helped off the field, reducing Lanka’s bowling options.
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