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Sri Lanka vs Australia: How spin and spirit combined to break 17-year jinx

A 229-run win at Galle apart from giving Sri Lanka a 2-0 lead in the Test series against Australia, broke a 17-year-old jinx, with spin and spirit proving to be major ingredients in it.

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Dilruwan Perera (left), Angelo Mathews & Rangana Herath (right) pose while the Sri Lankan team takes a lap of honour © AFP

You might have heard the phrase – “All’s well that ends well”, plenty of times in your life. Though not many know that one of the Godfathers of English literature, William Shakespeare had written a play with the same name, and that’s where this phrase has been picked up from, probably. Anyway, when Sri Lanka demolished Australia, in the second Test at Galle by 229 runs, it was a 17-year-old jinx that came to an end. Sri Lanka had last beaten Australia in 1999, in another three-match Test series, at home, by a 1-0 scoreline. If it was a six-wicket win at Kandy in the first Test that had made the difference then, Galle perhaps, had to witness Angelo Mathews’ spin attack knocking out Australia’s weak pillars. It was written. And it happened. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Sri Lanka vs Australia 2016, 2nd Test at Galle

Let’s try and recall how Sri Lanka started the series. Mathews won the toss in the first Test at Pallekele and decided to bat first on a dry pitch. Things did not go as per plans and the hosts were bundled out for just 117. Not the kind of start a team playing at home, would have wanted against the World No. 1 Test team. But they fought back.

Lakshan Sandakan, the left-arm wrist spinner and Rangana Herath claimed 4 wickets each to bowl out Australia for 203. Yet they needed someone to stand up and deliver after being reduced to 6 for 2. Kusal Mendis stepped up, made his maiden hundred, getting to the landmark with a slog sweep, despite losing partners at regular intervals. He took responsibility and made sure his team finishes with enough runs on the board. After being bowled out for 353, they set a 268-run target for the visitors. The spinners again came to the party and Australia fell 106 runs short. A 1-0 lead was more than enough for the Lankans to take confidence into the second Test.

Then, on Day One at Galle, Mathews again won the toss, elected to bat. Mitchell Starc’s five wickets on a dry pitch was worth acknowledging, but Sri Lanka had put on 281 in their first innings.

If Day One had seen both the sides, taking some positives from the proceedings, Day Two was about to come as a disaster for Australia. From 54-2 they crumbled to 59-4. Dilruwan Perera and Herath had just slid past Australia’s top-order. Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja saw their bails getting dislodged by quicker deliveries, but the worse was yet to come.

A few minutes later Australia were on their knees. Herath had become only the second Sri Lankan to take a Test hat-trick. Australia were now 80-7. They eventually were bowled out for 106. But more importantly, the tide had turned. Smith and co. had been puppets in front of the Lankan spinners. They were simply stunned, their No. 1 tag questioned. READ: Rangana Herath becomes oldest to take Test hat-trick, wrecks Australia

A 175-run lead for Sri Lanka was a big advantage. But Sri Lanka, scored 237 in their second innings, setting Australia a target of 413 to win the match. They had swept, reverse swept and kept the score ticking at almost all times. The Australian spinners Nathan Lyon and the debutant Jon Holland were no where as threatening as their Sri Lankan counterparts. But, Starc had taken 6 for 50, thankfully for the visitors.

And while Australia could have spared a thought about his brilliant display on a dead pitch, they had a mountain to climb in front of them. If not Everest, then K2 probably. They had to bat out six overs before stumps, with the Sri Lankans spinners on top of their game. Six overs, that would shatter their confidence to pieces. WATCH: Australia’s fall of wickets, 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka

Day Two ended with Australia staring at a humiliating defeat at 25-3. When they resumed batting on Day Three, the same story played on loop. With a new hero though — Dilruwan Perera. A 6 for 70 meant he then had 10 wickets in the game. Australia were all out for 183. Sri Lanka led 2-0. The game was over in two and a half-days.

Sri Lanka’s spirit, much to talk about

If you thought it was just spin that tricked the Aussies, you are mistaken. The Sri Lankan spirit had a bigger role to play. Yes the Australians could not stand a chance against turn and were completely ‘outclassed’ in all departments as Lyon later stated. But if Test cricket is about capitalising on moments, Sri Lanka did that to perfection. They showed tremendous determination, presence of mind and sharpness in the field.

From Herath’s hat-trick in the first innings to Mathews’ faith in Perera that reaped melons for Sri Lanka, despite him not having a successful first Test, every element associated with the Sri Lankan team played its role.

If Herath proved age is just a number by becoming the oldest to take a Test hat-trick, the youngsters Sandakan, Dhananjaya de Silva made sure they contributed to the cause as well.

There were instances when Sandakan got massive turn from the wicket. He might not have got a wicket. But then , it came as moral victory to the Sri Lankans. It was as if they were proclaiming – “Spin is our weapon and we’ll attack you with it, try whatever you can”. And Australia could still do nothing about it.

But it was Day Five of the second Test when they knew something big was in store. Barely a delivery was bowled, without sounds from everyone around the Australian batsmen echoing – ‘Come on Rangi’, ‘Come on Rangaya’, ‘Come on Dili’. The wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal was at the center of it all. If that wasn’t enough, Mathews’ judgement whether to go for a review or not, was on a different level. He was spot on most of the times.

And when you keep aside everything that happened on the field, everyone had counted them off after the 2-0 defeat in England. Even Muttiah Muralitharan had conceded the Australians to win the series. Muralitharan had said, “Australia is favourite at the moment because they have played good cricket in the recent past. Sri Lanka on other hand is struggling a bit in all forms of the game so Australia will have an edge over Sri Lanka.”

He added, “They (Australia) have a chance of winning the series because the Sri Lankan side is very inexperienced as lot of players retired recently and they are rebuilding the side so they won’t be strong enough.”

It might still perhaps go down as the ‘Underdogs win against World’s best’ story, but as the last sporting year has shown us, the Underdogs can never be underestimated, because when they strike, they strike big. Sri Lanka have broken the jinx. It took them 17 years, but well, ‘All’s well that ends well.’

(Karan Dewana reporter with CricketCountry, loves following and playing sports. He is a Team India fan and loves winning. Follow him on his twitter handle @karan13dewan)

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