Australia's blueprint for subcontinent success

Yahoo

09-02-2025

With their rout of Sri Lanka, Australia have created a blueprint for success on the subcontinent ahead of a legacy-defining tour to India in 2027.
Stand-in captain Steve Smith felt Australia's visit to Galle could "probably not" have gone better than it did as the curtain came down on the second Test on Sunday.
The tourists handed their hosts their biggest-ever Test loss - by an innings and 242 runs - in the first match and followed that up with a nine-wicket rout in the second.
It's a 2-0 series win for Australia in Sri Lanka!For the first time since 2006, Australia sweep a Test series in Asia 💪#SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/Ph94QZ8Kke
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 9, 2025
It marked Australia's first series win in Sri Lanka since 2011, and their first whitewash on the subcontinent since a 2006 visit to Bangladesh.
But perhaps more importantly, the series stood in as a trial run for Australia's next trip to the subcontinent in 2027, when they will target a first series win in India since 2004.
Veteran Nathan Lyon notably said between Tests that Australia's status as a great team would hinge on their ability to beat England and India away from home, and Smith felt the squad was on their way to mastering subcontinent conditions.
"We've learnt so much about playing in the subcontinent and we put all that into play in the last two games. It's been great to witness," Smith said.
"The guys did it as well as I've seen an Australian team do it in the subcontinent since I've been playing."
Australia had won only one of their previous five matches in Sri Lanka but came better prepared for the turning surfaces on the back of their Dubai training camp.
The confident tourists completely outbatted their rivals.
Australia made five centuries, with an unbeaten 85 from No.7 Kusal Mendis representing the hosts' best individual score.
Smith felt the key had been allowing players to attack bowlers in their own ways.
While Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey swept to their hearts' content as the top-scorers in the first and second Tests respectively, Smith used his hands to find gaps in the field.
His trademark cover drive was on full show making 141, and then 131, as player of the series.
"Everyone's got different methods but it's a method that works for them," Smith said.
"We're just far better equipped to play in these conditions and understand them a lot more than we used to."
Remaining adaptable also worked to Australia's benefit, even if it led to some tough selection calls.
There was no space in the XI for Sam Konstas despite his solid first two Tests at home as Travis Head was preferred at the top for his track record against spin.
When the surface looked likely to make life hard for the batters in the second Test, selectors made a risky call to drop front-line spinner Todd Murphy for batting allrounder Cooper Connolly - previously uncapped at Test level.
"You've got to attack every surface how it needs to be played on," Smith said.
"That's what we've done really well. We obviously left out Todd for this one, which was unfortunate for him, but we wanted a little bit of extra batting."
Each player was adaptable, too, with Smith even trying his hand at the reverse sweep on the turning deck in the second Test.
Elsewhere, Beau Webster employed both pace and spin when thrown the ball at different times in the series.
"We had a really well-balanced squad, plenty of options available for whatever we wanted to go with," Smith said.
"Everyone that played did a good job."