Injuries cast shadow over SL ahead of Aussie tour

Australia Team Head Coach Darren Lehmann, Australia Team Captain Steven Smith, Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva, Sri Lanka Team Captain Angelo Mathews and Sri Lanka Cricket Team Head Coach Graham Ford

By Madushka Balasuriya

Sri Lanka may need to brace themselves for the worst, as a spate of injuries to key personnel ahead of Australia’s tour of the island nation this month may just mean results need to get worse before they can get any better. 

Coming off the back of a comprehensive series defeat at the hands of England in the cold early English summer, Sri Lanka would have been aching for home comforts. However the relatively quick turnaround - the team arrived back in the island on 6 July and the first Test starts on 26 July - will mean that the Lankan outfit will still be licking their wounds, both figuratively and literally, when the first ball is bowled.

“I think in one way it helps us in that we’ll be playing cricket competitively, but it is an adjustment for us to get used to the conditions back at home,” explained head coach Graham Ford at the pre-tour media briefing last evening. 

“Yes it’s always easier to come home and adjust, but it is a little bit of an adjustment. We do have some Test specialists who have been back for a while and been doing some good work, but yeah, the other boys have to get stuck in now and make sure they get used to the home conditions.”

Injuries have ravaged the Lankan bowling department over the past few months with team having only the services of Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep as frontline fast bowlers towards the end of their England tour, with even Pradeep nursing a minor knee injury. The tour saw Sri Lanka lose Dhammika Prasad (shoulder) and Dushmantha Chameera (back) due to injuries, while Shaminda Eranga, was found to have an illegal bowling action. This was in addition to other absentees Lasith Malinga and Jeffrey Vandersay. 

Ford acknowledged that the injuries have not made for ideal preparation, however he was hopeful it would provide some of the younger players an opportunity to prove their mettle.

“We certainly had some problems in terms of injuries. We lost quite a few key bowlers who were important to the attack. Hopefully one or two of the younger guys who have been putting on some good work in the junior levels can come into the squad and step up to the plate.

“I’m not going to start naming individuals, but there are couple of young guys we’re looking at. And any time there’s a disappointment with an injury it’s an opportunity for the younger guys to show what they’re about.

“Having played a really tough series in England has certainly toughened up a lot of players, who are in the earlier stages of their career, and hopefully we’ll see them putting in some really top performances in the next couple of weeks,” he added.

Sri Lankan Captain Angelo Mathews meanwhile offered hope on Dhammika Prasad’s fitness, saying that he was improving even though still not at 100% fit. The prognosis on Vandersay though was not so rosy, as Mathews explained how the young spinner was struggling with his injured finger and “suffered quite a lot” after trying to bowl in a few net sessions. The Lankan skipper was however quick to assure that despite these struggles the team would be at the top of their game against Australia.

“Apart from the injuries our preparations are going very well. We know we have to play well because the Australian team is very, very strong. We’ve been working on a lot of our weak points, one of which is running between the wickets.

“We have discussed this issue with the coaching staff and in this series we hope not to have a single run out.”

While the Sri Lankan preparations have been plagued with injuries, Australia’s only injury doubt, David Warner, looks to be well on his way back to full fitness, with him expected to be fit for the first Test.

“His recovery is coming on pretty well, he’s itching to get out in the middle. He went out and batted at training with one hand today, so he’s pretty keen to get back into things. We expect him to be fine for that first Test,” said Australian Captain Steve Smith.

On Australia’s preparations so far, Smith added: “We’ve got a little bit of time before the first Test. It’s great to be here early to try and adjust to the conditions here in Sri Lanka. We’ve got a couple of tough days training to get used to the heat and humidity and the different wickets as well. We’ve got plenty of time so no excuses, come the first Test.”

Australia rope in Muralitharan as consultant ahead of Sri Lanka Tests

ESPNcricinfo: Muttiah Muralitharan has become the second former Sri Lanka cricketer to work with Australia’s players ahead of the upcoming Test series on the island. Captain Steven Smith confirmed Murali had begun to work with Australia’s spinners in their training sessions in Colombo, where the team arrived last weekend. Murali is expected to continue in this consulting role until the start of the first Test, in Pallekele. Some Australia players had also worked with former Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera, who is presently coaching at the National Cricket Academy in Brisbane.

“Murali’s got a lot of experience in Sri Lanka,” Smith said. “He took a truckload of wickets. It’s great to have someone like that helping our spinners in this series - to give us that insight. He’s been really good around the group so far, and he’s enjoying his time with us.”

Australia had previously hired Murali in a short-term consulting role ahead of their Test series against Pakistan, in the UAE, in 2014. Both offspinner Nathan Lyon and left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe, who are also on the present tour, had worked with Murali on that occasion. Murali has had two training sessions with the Australia team in this stint so far.

“Murali has been fantastic around the guys,” Australia coach Darren Lehmann said. “Murali loves the game of cricket, so I’m sure he’d work well with other teams as well - he’s a fantastic coach.”

Also equipping Australia with knowledge of Sri Lankan conditions is batting consultant Stuart Law, who worked as Sri Lanka’s assistant coach from 2009 to 2011, and also, briefly, as the interim head coach. Law will be with the Australia side through the tour. The visitors’ first and only practice match against a Sri Lanka Board XI will begin on July 18 - seven days after the team arrived on the island.

“We made a choice to come a little bit earlier,” Lehmann said. “Steven likes the extra time. That’s the best thing for all the guys for this tour - it’s a tough tour, as we know. Stuart Law has spent some time here and has some expertise. To have him and Murali to talk about the way the wickets might play in Kandy, Colombo and Galle, and how Sri Lanka play and how we should play, has been great.”