Here are the individual player ratings for the Second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka.
Australia 5 dec 542 (P Jaques 150, M Hussey 132, M Clarke 71, A Gilchrist 67*, A Symonds 50*) & 2 dec 210 (P Jaques 68, R Ponting 53*) defeated Sri Lanka 246 (M Jayawardena 104, K Sangakkara 57, B Lee 4/82) & 410 (K Sangakkara 192, M Atapattu 80, B Lee 4/87, M Johnson 3/101) @ Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
Australia won the match by an 97 runs and take the series 2-0.
AUSTRALIA
P Jaques 9/10 – Ladies and gentlemen we have a Test match opener. A terrific 150 was followed up with a quickfire 68. Made a series best 318 runs.
M Hussey 8.5/10 – Another Test another Century for Mr. Cricket. 132 and 34* saw him reach 299 runs for the series and somehow he managed to improve his Test batting average up to a staggering 86.18.
B Lee 7.5/10 - another 8 wicket haul (4/82 & 4/87) but wayward bowling on the final day took the shine off his performance.
M Clarke 7.5/10 – his 71 in the 1st Innings was another indication (following his 145 in the First Test) that he is maturing into a legitimate Test batsman.
R Ponting 7/10 – Looked in fine form yet again but fell to Murali on 31. Made a strong 53* in the 2nd Innings and looked comfortable.
A Gilchrist 7/10 – Finally got a bat in the series and didn’t disappoint blasting 3 sixes on his way to 67* and a Test record of 100 career sixes. Also took 4 catches for a tally of 10 for the series.
A Symonds 6/10 – His bowling variety was missed by Australia on the final day after sustaining an ankle injury during his 50* in the 1st Innings.
M Hayden 6/10 – Won’t be happy he never cashed in on three excellent starts with the bat. Dismissed for 17 and 33 in this Test after looking poised for some carnage.
S Clark 5.5/10 – Not his best Test match return with just 3 wickets and limited effectiveness in the 2nd Innings.
M Johnson 5/10 – Was exposed on the final day when tired and looked very much like a park bowler as he sprayed half hearted deliveries all over the place when Australia were just a few wickets from victory. 4 wickets for the match but he has to prove he is mentally and physically up to the rigors of bowling in back to back Test matches to keep his spot in the team secure.
S MacGill 5/10 – Battled through a painful knee injury but couldn’t produce enough quality to really worry the Sri Lankan’s on the final two days. Still has more to offer at Test level but 3 wickets in 45 overs for the match was below par.
Overall: 74 at an average of 6.7
SRI LANKA
K Sangakkara 9/10 – About the only thing he could’ve done better in this Test match was convert his 1st Innings of 57 into a big century to give the Sri Lankan’s a strong hope of drawing the match. He didn’t take too long to make amends with a majestic 192 which included some of the prettiest back foot lofted drives over cover you could ever wish to see.
M Jayawardena 8/10 – Proved he can bat in Australia after all with a classy 104 in the 1st Innings but then undid a lot of that great work by leaving Brett Lee’s first delivery and being bowled for a golden duck in the 2nd Innings.
M Atapattu 7.5/10 – Ironically the muppets in charge allowed this classy batsman to retire with the kind of performances that typified his career. Always looking capable of taking the game back to the bowlers and scoring consistently without getting that big hundred his team needed. 25 and 80 in his final Test.
M Muralitharan 6/10 – Will overtake Shane Warne’s Test match wicket record in Sri Lanka against England after being comprehensively nullified by the Australian top order in both Tests. A disappointment despite bowling decently.
S Jayasuriya 6/10 – Like Atapattu will leave Test cricket in Australia with a legacy complimenting his actual career. Devastating square of the wicket but always susceptible to quality line and length. Middle order role not beyond him against England.
L Malinga 5/10 – His most fiery performance in the Test was with the bat on the final day when he clubbed 42*. Match figures of 2/217 suggested his omission from the First Test wasn’t without merit but his replacement of Chaminda Vaas for this Test still boggles the mind.
F Maharoof 5/10 – Went wicketless again before suffering a stress fracture in his foot but he looks a good prospect with both bat and ball.
M Vandort 4/10 – Succeeds to a degree with an 80-odd at #3 in Brisbane and then gets thrown to the wolves opening in Hobart. Scores of 17 and 4 suggest this was a mistake.
P Jayawardane 4/10 – Still an impressive gloveman but a pair of quackers after looking solid in Brisbane with the bat undermined his overall contribution to the match.
C Silva 3/10 – Will be the player to watch for the Sri Lankan’s in the One Day Series… but the less you remember about this Test match performance (4 & 0) the better.
D Fernando 3/10 – Not even remotely close to being a Test match standard bowler yet and he looks nothing more than average at the best of times. Sri Lanka better hope Vaas and Maharoof aren’t injured for any great length of time if the alternative is this big lumbering oaf.
Overall: 56.5 at an average of 5.1.
Warne/McGrath Medal Award Votes for Test Player of the Summer (Australian Players Only)
5 – Phil Jaques, Australia
3 – Michael Hussey, Australia
1 – Brett Lee, Australia
Leaders after Sri Lankan Series:
6 Points: P Jaques (1+5)
5 Points: M Clarke (5)
4 Points: B Lee (3+1)
3 Points: M Hussey (3)
