There it is. A big win for Australia. Lakmal gives him the charge, never gets to the pitch of it, and heaves, seemingly over mid-on. Johnson, though, runs back, and takes it almost over his shoulder
Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test at Galle, Aug 31 2011 - Ball by Ball Commentary
That's all from Galle, but there is more cricket happening in Bulawayo and Chester-le-Street. You can read the Galle report here. Cheers from me, Sidharth Monga
Tony Greig hosts the presentation ceremony. Tillakaratne Dilshan is the first one to come up. He says, "They played well. Especially in the first innings they batted really well. I feel if we had got to even 200-225 in the first innings, we would have had a good tight match. Mahela and Mathews batted really well, good fightback, unfortunately Mahela got out to the new ball. Expected the pitch to turn, but not so much from the first day. But Test cricket is not easy, just one of the challenges of Test cricket."
The Man-of-the-Match couldn't have been easy, but for his innings on the first day, it is Michael Hussey. "It is a pretty pleasing test match, considering the conditions. We adapted pretty well. Probably the driest wicket I have played on to start with, but that is the good thing about international. You just adapt to different conditions. A very satisfactory Test win for us."
Michael Clarke walks up now. He says, "My first as captain, so very excited. The way we played throughout was spot on. As the days went on, the wicket died a bit, and the pace came off. So the most important part was the new ball, and our bowlers executed the plans with both new balls. The debutants did a fantastic job. Very special."
"Can't happen often that the bowler with the second most wickets in an attack is an opening batsman. Wasn't Wilfred Rhodes an opener too? But he wasn't a fast bowler." Travis, Manoj Prabhakar might have done that. Watto himself might have done that before. Mohammad Hafeez opened the bowling and batting recently on a turner in the West Indies
Lovely scenes of celebration. There's something on the faces after you win an away Test that no other look can match, not even a World Cup win. It is some special kind of satisfaction
A hundredth Test win for Ricky Ponting, easily a record, and a staggering one at that (for a perspective on that number, India reached 100 Test wins in 2009, and surely there are a few other teams who are yet to win even that many). First Test win for Clarke as captain. And Australia have now beaten Sri Lanka six times in Sri Lanka, joint-best along with Pakistan. Ryan Harris has taken out two stumps to keep with him. He bowled superbly. Mahela and Mathews fought and fought, but this was always going to be a mountain too high. Sri Lanka will look back at the number of loose balls their spinners bowled to the Aussie tail, who applied themselves and cashed in on the loose ones
shorter, turning in, drives loosely at it, gets an inside edge
defended back to Lyon
sharp turns, hits him in the rib area, lobs over backward short leg
tossed up outside off, defended to cover
"I find it ironic that Shane Watson of all people stops someone from getting their first test century" The spot of the day, Archit Mehta. Watto must know what to bowl when in the 90s
nips back in, through the gap as he doesn't even try to get in line, but it misses the off stump by inches
guided with the angle, gets a single to long leg
right behind this outside off to drive it to mid-off
more swing for Watson, Chanaka drives, gets a thick inside edge for two
swinging in, defended back to him
Welegedera is the last man in
And Watto does it again! This is smart bowling. Not sure if this was intended to be a slower ball, but it comes at 124ks, Mathews sees a length ball, and thinks this is the ball to get to his hundred. He is well early into the shot, and the off stump is pegged back. Once again, he is dismissed in the 90s. The team-mates stand up and applaud him, but so gutted is he he doesn't even raise his bat on the way back. Even that last 90 came in a losing cause, perhaps he is saving the hundred for a win
Watson to bowl now. One wide slip, short extra cover and short midwicket in
ads this away, turning down the leg side. Mathews now has a full over to get closer to the century
Over the wicket to Lakmal
worked with the turn, gets a single off the fifth ball of the over
Round the wicket
plays the instinctive shot to this one turning into the pads, the balls takes the glove and eludes leg gully. Only just
full, turning in, defended back to the bowler
turns in sharply from outside off, hits the pad outside the line of off
Four catching men around the bat now, plus short midwicket
low full toss from round the stumps, smote to long-on for on
Nathan Lyon gets a share of the new ball now. Will Mathews try to get to the hundred in two hits? That will certainly be the temptation
pushes away from the body, it goes uppishly, but bounces short of gully
short of a length again, this one is waist-high, and he is right behind it
"In the good old days Murali would come in now and start smaking the cherry over midwicket" Moey, Herath tried it, but wasn't a great imitation
short, rib/chest-high, Lakmal fends this off, and the edge bisects the slips and gully
Suranga Lakmal is the new man. Mathews has a long chat with him. They knock gloves, and go back to their respective ends. Two slips, a gully, a short leg, a short midwicket, a short extra cover