Murali’s work as a spin-bowling consultant ended on the eve of the Test, as he did not want to be seen in Australia’s dressingroom during the series.
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Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon and slow left-armer Steve O’Keefe are both expected to be named in Tuesday’s starting line-up after performing strongly in the warm-ups.
Muralitharan said he got involved with Australia because he loved cricket and that Sri Lanka’s cricket board had sought help from him only once since his global retirement in 2011.
There is a second variable to Australia’s fortunes over the next three Test matches, that of Sri Lanka’s transitional team.
The man who took 800 Test wickets for Sri Lanka highlighted that he is not the only Sri Lankan to seek coaching opportunities overseas: “These people who are accusing me should go and look in the mirror [and compare] what they are doing to the country and what I am doing”.
O’Keefe finished off proceedings when he captured his second wicket of the innings with the removal of Nuwan Pradeep.
“I am really proud of our young team and what we have accomplished so far but there is still more we would like to achieve”.
Australia has not won in India since the breakthrough tour of 2004, having dropped their past three series there, including a 4-0 mauling on the “homework-gate” trip of 2013.
However, Australia too did not have a great start as they lost both their openers with seven runs on the board. The next two wickets are probably going to suit the spinners and then Colombo could be quite flat, so it’s going to be hard work, but we’ve trained on some flat wickets in Colombo when we got here and tried a few different things here and there, so we’re as prepared as we can be.
But Craig McDermott, who recently stepped down as Australia’s bowling coach, said the Baggy Greens would not be taking their opponents lightly.
What do we know about the Sri Lankans?
Off spinner Lyon who thrived in Australia’s last tour to Sri Lanka will partner with left-arm spinner Stephen O Keefe.
Australian batsman Mitchell Marsh plays a shot during the second day of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
“Winning away from home has often been a challenge for us, especially in sub-continental conditions, but this is something we are looking to change in this upcoming series against Sri Lanka”, concluded Smith, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2015.
“While playing against the Aussies we should be courageous and play positively, and if we do that we can beat them”.
The onus was on Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal but neither batsman could do much.
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“And I remember once when we went to Kandy with Murali, he was on a truck and there was so much support for him that it took four hours for him to get home”.
