Sri Lanka sticks to its guns on spin

SRI Lanka will double-down on its pre-series plan to spin out Australia, despite a first Test demolition by the tourists, after the hosts called up another slow bowler for Friday’s second clash.

Amid suggestions the home side could tone town the pitch for this week’s rematch in Galle, after the Australian batsmen better negotiated the first Test minefield, Sri Lanka has increased its spin arsenal.

After three slow bowlers were called in to the squad on Tuesday another, veteran leftarm orthodox bowler Prabath Jayasuriya, was included on Wednesday in the strongest indication the home team will stick to its guns.

Cameron Green, man of the match in the first Test for an innings of 77 which his teammates told him was the equivalent of a century on most pitches, said the Aussies “must be doing something right” to force so many changes.

“But we’ll have to see who we come up against,” Green said.

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey was confident that exposure to two of the spinners brought in for the second Test, including mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who turns the ball both ways, during the one-day series was a major help.

“The more times you play against them everything calms down and you watch the ball a bit closer as you get into an innings,” he said.

“Theekshana has his own challenges in which ball is he going to bowl?

“He is an outstanding bowler. He is going to be difficult in these conditions, and we have seen in one-day cricket how good he can be.”

When asked if he thought the pitch for the second clash may be toned down a touch, Australian opener Usman Khawaja, who made 71 in the first Test, wasn’t convinced that would help the home team either and expected another “absolute turner”.

“We are so used to getting absolute turners, Australia in particular when we go to India, Bangladesh, they give us the most turning wickets possible,” he said.

“The worse the wicket gets, the closer the two teams come together, like footy played in wet weather.”