Australia v Sri Lanka

First Test at the Gabba...pink ball and all.

Sri Lanka win the toss and bat. Aussies introduce two new men in Kurtis Patterson and Jye Richardson . Pretty much as I expected.

Tourists will be hoping Karunaratne can get them off to a start ...which he does with an on-driven three from Starc's first delivery...

Good first over from Richardson ...very nearly a chance at bat-pad from his first ball ; and an lbw appeal correctly denied due to height.
But a good start to Test Cricket.

Bounce is going to test the visitors this afternoon.

Starc thinks he's got his 200th...but the lbw decision is overturned on review.
Good - tight - call to ask for the referral . Thirimanne seemed unsure whether to try it or not...but he's been saved by millimetres.

Cummins gets the break after ten overs...Thirimanne edges to slip. In truth he always looked a little uncertain though he'd done well to see Starc off.

26/1.

And now Chandimal becomes Richardson's first Test wicket courtesy of an excellent low catch by Burns diving forward at second slip...wouldn't have carried to first. 31/2 and Mendis comes in with a lot to do...

Big wicket for Australia just before tea...Karinaratne nibbles Lyon to Paine (nice take !)
54/3 in the twenty third now (appalling over rate) ...last ten minutes will now have Sri Lanka under pressure. Their chances of mustering a "good" score have dropped in this first session. Need a big score from someone.

58/3 off 26. Slow session but the home side on top. They won't mind the slow over rate as it allows them to bowl more under lights later

(I really don't believe it was a deliberate ploy ; though the more cynical might) I don't think they need that advantage as this pitch suits them against these opponents.

140/8 Sri Lanka are awful arent they.
And of course Australias pace attack pretty good.

144 in the end was more than I thought they'd muster at 66/5...Sri Lanka have Dickwella to thank for even that level of success. Cummins and the excellent Richardson (fine debut ) did them over nicely.
Lakmal bowling well in reply ...has picked up Burns via a fine slips catch from Mendis : another wicket now would expose the inexperienced Australian middle order under lights...but so far he's not had good enough support from the other end.

72/2 puts Aus in a decent position. Its no secret that Sri Lankas seamer resources are the weakest part of a weak team, so even with a flimsy batting line up they should be looking at a decent lead.

Lakmal has bowled extremely well , taking five wickets (Head and Paine in successive balls) ...but 80's from Labuschagne and Head have seen Australia to a lead of about 170 with the last pair at the crease.

I think it will be enough to ensure a comfortable win for the home team.

All out now , 179 ahead. Sri Lanka will have a few uncomfortable overs to bat...

Too easy for OZ innings victory, and career best figures for Cummins!!

A working day so I've only seen highlights : but it appears Sri Lanka have had the day from hell. (And the home team have had one to enjoy !)
Reduced to handing the new ball to the work-experience lads with all the main bowlers injured , Sri Lanka surprised by having Australia reeling at 28/3 ; though that position owed a lot to a couple of pretty awful shots from Harris and Khawaja ( he has really fallen on hard times lately ! Was touted as the Main Batsman in the absence of Smith & Warner ; but it hasn't worked out that way. His place may come under threat when the sander paper mob return if the drought continues)
Then the Burns & Head show started...and just kept going. Aided , it must be said , by some butterfingered fielding. Both dropped (as was Patterson when he eventually got in) : doesn't help when your bowling attack has all the cutting edge of a butter knife anyway...
No centuries all year and now two together , each over 150 : late Christmas for Australia

You do have to wonder , though , whether runs and wickets against Sri Lanka are only fools gold ? After the way England have come back to reality in the Caribbean , you might be excused for thinking so...

Anyway , it is 384/4 at the close : six hundred looms ; and I expect an innings win for Australia. My brothers have gone up to Canberra for this one : hope they haven't bought tickets for day five

This Lankan team will surely lose to BD....and might give a run for money to Afg/ Ire/Zim

I dont think anyone was kidding the,selves that Sri Lanka were absolute junk when England played them, and this side is missing even more players. It was still a big deal for England to go there and win though, their record away in Asia has been abysmal, bar the India series when they were world number one, for a decade. They couldnt even beat Bangladesh on their home turf 2 years ago. Following on from beating India at home it was a pretty huge turn around in results after 18 months of poor results.
The optimism for England was partly based on them managing to cope at all without Cook, including Jennings making a century, and them collectively being able to take wickets on any surface.
There was an element of fortune in beating India, and to a lesser extent Sri Lanka, winning tosses and largely getting the best of conditions. It seems that luck has deserted them on the current tour, and the West Indies are combining that with a level of focus and intensity we havent seen from them as a side for a long time. How they managed to avoid losing a wicket last night is still baffling.
Anyone who was watching England closely whilst being optimistic they were turning a corner, especially in terms of their spinners and ability to play spin, wouldnt have kidded themselves that there weren't still huge issues around the batting and that they lack genuine pace in the bowling attack. Just how utterly outplayed theyve been so far though was not realistically predictable, its not just them being bad but also the West Indies raising themselves up so far.

As for Sri Lanka their decline has been a continuous process for a number of years now. The big name stars of the 90s and 00's just haven't been replaced. Mathews is the last one left now, and hes a shadow of the player he was at his peak, and out injured for this tour.
They've never really had much of a seam attack either, so touring New Zealand and Aus would always be a tricky prospect for them. Aus are making them look very ordinary, but you do have to consider home conditions as well, whereas England beat them in their own back yard with their spinners out bowling the Sri Lankan strength.

When it comes to the Ashes though Aus must be looking at England struggling against pace bowlers and hoping for some lively tracks. The momentum and confidence will certainly have shifted back to their camp. There might be some commercial and team led pressure for the groundstaff to prepare as dead wickets as is possible though.

Feel for the Sri Lankans with the opener injured when a partnership was going very well. Some of the shot selection after that though...