Pakistan v Sri Lanka - Series Preview

Sri Lanka's first full ATG series takes them to Pakistan, and Arjuna Ranatunga's team will be keen to put on a good display after defeat in their inaugural Test against England last season. Sri Lanka fought hard in that match though, and whilst Pakistan will be overwhelming favourites in this three match series, they would do well not to underestimate the capabilities of their guests.

Pakistan themselves enter this series on the back of an encouraging tour of England, and if they do indeed emerge victorious here it will end a run of five series without a win, their last series triumph coming against New Zealand back in season IV. It will also be their last chance for a while to break the cycle as Pakistan have no further fixtures scheduled this season, so we should be in for some competitive cricket once the series gets underway in Karachi.

Current form (most recent result first)
Pakistan DWLDL
Sri Lanka L

Sri Lanka squad
A Ranatunga (c), HP Tillakaratne (v/c), SD Anurasiri, ALF de Mel, DS de Silva, PA de Silva, RL Dias, HDPK Dharmasena, AP Gurusinha, UC Hathurusingha, RS Kaluwitharana, RS Mahanama, RJ Ratnayake, JR Ratnayeke, S Wettimuny, GP Wickramasinghe.

India v Australia - Series Summary

AUSTRALIA WON THE SERIES 2-1
Australia's win in the fourth and final Test gave them their first ever come-from-behind series victory, and the fact that they did so was largely down to the disintegration of India's batting over the second half of the series. First innings totals of 133 in Delhi and 127 in Kolkata put India out of realistic contention in both games, and the fact that these performances coincided with Don Bradman's triumphant return after injury sealed India's fate.

The series had begun so well for India, with two substantial centuries from Gavaskar guiding them into a 1-0 lead at the halfway stage, but aside from Engineer and a couple of fighting innings from Umrigar, he received little support as the series progressed. India's middle order had been reconstructed after their recent defeat against West Indies, but it still remains in need of repair, with Pataudi's complete failure putting his place in the side, and consequently his captaincy, in jeopardy once more. India's bowling was also inconsistent; Chandrasekhar started brightly but ran out steam, and Kapil Dev failed to make any impact following his good progress of the previous season.

As far as the Australians were concerned, Bradman's reintroduction to the team for the third Test was most certainly a turning point in their fortunes, and the bowling of the recalled O'Reilly was a consistent threat over the course of all four Tests. Richie Benaud's 8-20 in Delhi was undoubtedly the outstanding individual performance of the series, all the more so when one considers the anodyne nature of his performances with the ball in the first two Tests.

Series averages
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Australia thus head into the upcoming Ashes series in good spirits, with the opening partnership the only real area of concern for the selectors. For India however, it remains very much a case of 'one step forward and two steps back', and changes could well be made ahead of their next engagement, a one-off Test against Sri Lanka.

Players of the Series: SM Gavaskar & DG Bradman

India v Australia - Fourth Test

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, M Amarnath, VS Hazare, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar.
Australia: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, *AR Border, SR Waugh, KR Miller, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, IWG Johnson, RR Lindwall, WJ O'Reilly.

Debuts: IWG Johnson (AUS)
Umpires: HD Bird (ENG) & DR Shepherd (ENG)
Toss: India

After their series-levelling victory in Delhi, Australia were dealt the double blow of losing both Richie Benaud and Dennis Lillee to injury ahead of the decider in Kolkata, but by close of play on day one at Eden Gardens they were very much back in the ascendancy as India's batting fell apart in dramatic fashion. Gavaskar and Engineer provided a reasonably solid start, but from the relative comfort of 66-1 the innings disintegrated just as it had done in Delhi. Davidson ripped out the middle order with a spell of 3-0 in 9 balls, and then Ian Johnson took three cheap tail end wickets on debut to close the deal and dismiss the Indians for a shameful 127, a score that could have been even lower had umpires Bird and Shepherd been in a more benevolent mood.

Australia continued to power on when they batted, with Bradman and stand-in skipper Border once more combining for a sizeable partnership, 182 on this occasion. Border, who was dropped on 24 by the recalled Hazare, again missed out on three figures, but Bradman raised a super century off just 110 balls, and although the innings fell away upon his dismissal, a final total of 406 was a far more accurate reflection of the nature of the pitch and gave the tourists a 279 run lead.

India now had three days in which to mount what would be a remarkable recovery, and an opening stand of 101 between Gavaskar and Engineer gave the hosts every chance of mounting such a comeback. Engineer raised his fifty with a huge straight six off Johnson, but he played on against O'Reilly off the last ball before lunch, and Australia spent the rest of day three slowly chipping away at India's resistance. By stumps the deficit had been reduced to 21, Gavaskar having batted defiantly once again for 71, and at 258-5 it was now all down to Umrigar and Kapil Dev if India were going to be able to set the Australians anything remotely challenging.

Kapil Dev (19) edged Miller into the slips in just the second over of the fourth day though, and when a Davidson outswinger finally cleaned up Umrigar for an excellent 81 it was effectively game, set and match to Australia. India's final total of 316 set Australia a nominal 38 for victory, and the out of form Woodfull was the only casualty as Lawry and Bradman secured the win with more than four sessions still to play. Victory in the Test also brought Australia victory in the series and they now move up into second place in the rankings whilst India drop to sixth after losing their last three series at home.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
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Scores
IND 1st Inns 127 (Davidson 4-37)
AUS 1st Inns 406 (Bradman 146, Border 78, Woodfull 59, Miller 48; Chandrasekhar 4-100)
IND 2nd Inns 316 (Umrigar 81, Gavaskar 71, Engineer 57)
AUS 2nd Inns 38-1

AUSTRALIA WON BY 9 WICKETS


Man of the Match: AK Davidson

India v Australia - Third Test

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, M Amarnath, GR Viswanath, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, S Venkataraghavan, BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar.
Australia: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, AR Border, SR Waugh, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: HD Bird (ENG) & DR Shepherd (ENG)
Toss: Australia

Australia welcomed Don Bradman back into the team in Delhi, Greg Chappell the man to make way as he nursed a hamstring injury, but the Don's return only produced 21 runs as the tourists struggled to make early progress against a consistent Indian attack. Australia slumped to 118-6 on the first afternoon after Benaud had elected to bat upon winning his first toss of the series, but the tail rallied to good effect, with Davidson - who was dropped on 7 by Bedi - and Lillee putting on 71 for the ninth wicket as Australia recovered to 269 all out, Davidson the only man able to break out of the 30s with a valuable 57. India were still in a strong position though, and Gavaskar and Engineer compiled a relatively untroubled opening partnership of 95 before all hell broke loose on the second afternoon.

Benaud emulated Chandrasekhar's feat in the first Test of taking three wickets in an over, and with Amarnath, Viswanath and Umrigar all departing for ducks in the space of ten balls, panic gripped the Indian dressing room and the innings fell apart in spectacular fashion. Benaud finished with the startling figures of 8-20, his best ever return and the fourth best figures in ATG history as India lost ten wickets for 38 runs to be bundled out for a paltry 133. Other than the openers, no-one else made it into double figures, and the mother of all collapses handed Australia a 136 run first innings lead with three days still to play on a pitch that was not expected to last for the duration.

With their confidence high, Australia dominated day three as Bradman and Border put together a 212 run partnership for the third wicket that was cricketing torture for India's toiling attack. Bradman made up for his first innings disappointment with his 22nd ATG century, whilst Border became the first ever player to be both dismissed and stranded on 99 when Prabhakar bowled him with the second new ball. With India's spinners unable to emulate Benaud's feats of the previous day, Prabhakar's dismissals of Bradman, Border and Waugh in quick succession gave the home fans a faint ray of hope, but from 253-6 Miller and Healy reasserted the visitors' dominance, and their partnership of 90 allowed Benaud the luxury of an overnight declaration with a lead of 479.

India now faced the prospect of batting for two entire days if they were to save the match, and with the pitch now offering up some uneven bounce the rain that was on the long-range forecasts needed to arrive quickly. Amarnath and Viswanath both failed again as the hosts stumbled to 57-3 on the fourth afternoon, and although a grinding, three hour 32 from Gavaskar at least kept the Australians at bay, one couldn't help but feel that it was only delaying the inevitable. A fine fifty from Umrigar and an unusually stoic innings from Kapil Dev took India to 174-5 at the close of day four, and with rain holding up the start on the final day the possibility of a miraculous escape was still there. However, a combination of Keith Miller and the new ball was finally able to prise out both Umrigar and Kapil Dev, and the walls then crumbled as Bill O'Reilly cleaned out the tail to pick up his second five-for of the series as India lost their last five wickets for just 13 runs. India had been dismissed for 208 to hand Australia a comfortable 271 run victory, and at 1-1 we could now be in for a classic deciding Test in Kolkata.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
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Scores
AUS 1st Inns 269 (Davidson 57)
IND 1st Inns 133 (Engineer 55, Gavaskar 46; Benaud 8-20)
AUS 2nd Inns 343-6 dec. (Bradman 127, Border 99, Miller 45*)
IND 2nd Inns 208 (Umrigar 87; O'Reilly 5-36)

AUSTRALIA WON BY 271 RUNS


Man of the Match: R Benaud

India v Australia - Second Test

Green Park, Kanpur

India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, M Amarnath, GR Viswanath, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, S Venkataraghavan, BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar.
Australia: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, GS Chappell, AR Border, SR Waugh, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: DM Archer (WI) & CJ Mitchley (SAF)
Toss: India

With Bradman's sore back still relegating him to the sidelines, Australia fielded an unchanged XI in Kanpur despite their first Test defeat, whilst the victorious Indians made two changes, bringing in Engineer for the underperforming Kirmani and Venkat for the crocked Prasanna. Two things remained constant for the hosts though; Pataudi won at the toss, and on a pitch designed to last a fortnight Gavaskar again led the way as India amassed a sizeable first innings score.

At 1-0 up in the series, the Indians were under no compulsion to score quickly, and Gavaskar's 176 was the fulcrum of an innings total of 438 that kept the Australians in the field for the best part of six sessions. Viswanath contributed 43 to his second hundred partnership of the series with Gavaskar, and Umrigar seemed set for a century until he gloved the toiling O'Reilly to Chappell at slip for 72. Benaud again went wicketless as the Indians blunted the tourists' spin threat with relative ease, and after two days the game already seemed destined for a draw.

Australia found it difficult to score quickly in their reply, especially against the spinners, but contributions right down the order - Lawry was the only man who failed to reach double figures - at least kept the scoreboard moving towards India's total. Chappell's second fifty of the series got the innings off to a solid start, then a stand of 161 for the fifth wicket between Waugh - whose 88 was his highest ever score - and Miller took Australia to a commanding 317-4 before both partners fell in sight of stumps on the third day. The score slumped still further on the fourth morning, and at 394-9 India looked like securing a first innings advantage until a spirited last wicket stand raised Australian hopes and took them into a hard earned lead. Lillee and O'Reilly put on 81 runs together, an Australian record for the tenth wicket, and Bill O'Reilly became the first number eleven in ATG history to score a fifty, eventually finishing undefeated on 52 out of a final total of 475.

The Australians now had both the lead and the momentum, but with little more than four sessions remaining in the match and the pitch still playing true, the draw still looked the favoured result. A sparse crowd showed up for the final day, but those in attendance were treated to drama of the highest order as an inspired spell of bowling from Keith Miller suddenly sparked the game into life. Miller removed Viswanath, Umrigar and Pataudi in consecutive overs as India collapsed from 99-1 to 116-5, and had Woodfull managed to hold onto a chance off Kapil Dev two balls after Pataudi's dismissal then India would have surely been reduced to a state of blind panic.

As it was, Engineer and Kapil Dev salvaged the innings somewhat with a partnership of 60, but from 176-5 the innings subsided again, this time terminally, to a meagre 201 all out. Engineer's share was 88, an innings that spanned almost five and a half hours, but the real hero was Miller, whose 5-40 on an unhelpful track was surprisingly his first ever five wicket haul in 39 ATG Tests. Australia now had an outside chance of stealing the match and squaring the series, and even without Bradman a target of 165 off 35 overs seemed very reachable.

Prabhakar delivered an excellent opening spell to see off Woodfull, Lawry and Chappell though, and despite an attacking 45 from man-of-the-moment Miller, Australia struggled to keep up with the rate. 36 runs were still needed from 23 balls when Bedi removed Benaud and Healy with consecutive deliveries, and it was then left to Border and Lillee to bat out time and secure the draw, Australia eventually finishing 30 runs short on 135-8 as India held onto their lead in the series. Both sides could take away positives from this game, but at one down with two to play Australia need to make something happen when the teams reconvene in Delhi for the third Test.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
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Scores
IND 1st Inns 438 (Gavaskar 176, Umrigar 72, Kapil Dev 51, Viswanath 43)
AUS 1st Inns 475 (Waugh 88, Chappell 73, Miller 73, O'Reilly 52*, Benaud 41; Bedi 4-103)
IND 2nd Inns 201 (Engineer 88; Miller 5-40)
AUS 2nd Inns 135-8 (Miller 45)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: SM Gavaskar