SL v AUS | We had plenty of chances over the last couple of days: Pat Cummins

Skipper Pat Cummins and the Australian side were left to rue their missed opportunities after Sri Lanka comprehensively defeated them by an innings and 39 runs in the second Test at Galle to level the series at 1-1 on Monday.  

Australia emerged victorious after putting up a clinical performance in the first Test, winning it by ten wickets in three days. Having annihilated the hosts in the first Test, the Australians, led by Pat Cummins, looked the favourites for their second successive test victory in the island nation. 

The visitors had good form heading into the second fixture as they won the first Test very shortly after their series victory in Pakistan earlier this year.  

Aussies won the toss and elected to bat first. The tourists looked in great shape at 329 for 5 in the first innings and on course for a substantial first-innings total. However, they quickly lost their last five wickets to be all out for 364, with Steve Smith stranded on 145. 

One of the main things that harmed Australia’s chances of winning the test match was missed opportunities. Wicket-keeper Alex Carey missed a couple of stumping chances, and the visitors paid heavily for it. 

To further their misery, Australia wasted their three reviews as Sri Lanka amassed 554 in their reply to Australia’s first innings total. The visitors were stung when Dinesh Chandimal, then on 30, edged behind, but Australia had run out of reviews and could not challenge the not-out decision. 

To rub salt on the wound, The veteran went on to smash a career-best 206 not out. 

“We had plenty of chances over the last couple of days and didn’t quite grab them,” Cummins said after the loss. 

“Unfortunately, Sri Lanka were too good. We probably got ourselves in a position where 400-plus in the first innings was achievable, and we didn’t have someone to go with Smithy down the other end,”  

Australia’s second innings never got going as they were dismissed for 151, with Debutant Prabath Jayasuriya tearing apart the visitor’s batting lineup and returning with figures of 6-59 and ending with match figures of 12-177, which is the fourth-best bowling figures of all-time by a debutant in a test match. 

Australia’s loss will not be a good sign for them as they are scheduled to tour India next year, and Cummins said the Sri Lanka tour was an excellent exposure in its bid to succeed in subcontinental conditions. 

“These are the tours where you learn heaps. We learned heaps during our win last week. Unfortunately, it’s through a loss this time. I thought a lot of the guys, either on their first tour here or others who were coming back, everyone found a method that worked - unfortunately, it didn’t work out today. As a batting and bowling group, I think we can go home pretty pleased,” 

Sri Lanka counterpart Dimuth Karunaratne was pleased how his team bounced back to level the series. “We knew it would be a good wicket for a couple of days. That’s why I asked the batters to get the maximum out of that,” Dimuth said while talking to the broadcasters during the post match ceremony.