Pakistan cricket team on Wednesday moved up to number two in the ICC Test team rankings after Australia lost to Sri Lanka in the third and final Test series in Colombo. “Think Sri Lanka have played some great cricket, (it’s) disappointing but a great learning curve”.
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“It’s been a tough series”, Smith said.
Australia have conceded the No. 1 Test ranking to India after losing all three Tests on their tour of Sri Lanka.
Dhananjaya de Silva hit a timely 65 not out off 74 balls inclusive of 10 fours while Lyon picked four wickets. It’s been hard, we’ve batted second in every game we’ve played, and you’re always behind the game knowing you have to bat last in these conditions.
Herath, 38, took the final wicket of Nathan Lyon to trigger wild celebrations in the Sri Lankan camp.
That became 114 for 4 when Warner, having brought up his first half-century of the series, became Perera’s second big scalp of the innings.
“The credit should go to Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal, the way they got us through the second and third sessions was fantastic and once again Rangana Herath doing his thing”.
“The Australians spoke about Herath endlessly and not getting beaten on the inside edge”, Border said of the left-armer, who took 28 for the series including 13 for the match in Colombo, the most by any Sri Lankan in a Test against Australia.
Starc also broke Dennis Lillee’s 37-year-old record of most wickets by an Australian paceman in a three-Test series after the right-armer bagged 23 against England in 1979-80.
“In the first [Test] match, 117 all out in the first innings, we didn’t get a chance to get in front of the game”. It was the third time in a row that the Australians had lost all of their Tests in away series against teams from the sub-continent and allowed India to regain the number one slot in the rankings.
However, if India are to retain top spot in the rankings they have to win the fourth Test against West Indies, which begins in Port of Spain on Thursday and batsman Ajinkya Rahane says the team is focused on being the top-ranked Test team in the world.
This meant Jon Holland, in place of another injured spinner, Ashton Agar, vaulted into the Test side, but he would have only five wickets at 54.80 in two Tests.
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The teams now play five One-Day Internationals with the first of those games on August 21, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
