Melbourne, February 4 : Former Australian captain Tim Paine has expressed confidence in Australia’s dominance over Sri Lanka ahead of the second Test at Galle, starting February 6. With Australia already securing a spot in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final and leading 1-0 in the series, Paine believes Sri Lanka will struggle to match the visitors on any surface.
Paine praised Australia’s all-round performance in the first Test, which they won by an innings and 242 runs. He noted that the victory was almost flawless, highlighting key contributions from the batting and bowling departments. “Steve Smith himself said the performance was close to flawless,” Paine told SEN. He credited the opening partnership between Travis Head and Usman Khawaja, followed by Steve Smith’s magical performance, and Josh Inglis’ special debut century.
Paine also lauded the bowlers, including Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, and Mitchell Starc, for their precision and impact. “With players of that quality, much like the women’s team, there are not too many teams that can get close to them,” Paine remarked.
Looking ahead to the second Test, Paine noted, “Sri Lanka, at the moment, unfortunately, I cannot see them getting close to Australia on any surface.”
Australia, already in a strong position in the series, will be looking to continue their impressive run, while Sri Lanka aims to finish their most successful WTC campaign on a high note.
Sri Lanka Squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka (subject to fitness), Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Rathnayake.
Australia Squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.