Outside Starc, Kumara is quicker than any of the other Aussie bowlers playing Test cricket this season.

Burns looks out of form against both Lakmal and Kumara, as he was in Hobart.

I expect he will be dismissed soon.

Shot Burns!

Nice pull for 4 off 147kph short ball from Kumara!

Same result again from another 146kph short ball!

Wow!

We’ve been lucky in terms of balls beating the bat, hitting the pads and going past outside edges.

He deserved his spot on his Shield form but he just does not convince me. To be fair he did get a good ball.  

Correct. The Lankans had the ball doing some tricks in the twilite.

Pacheera ( ?) bowled with some heat and Lakmal really made the ball swing at 130 kph.

I thought  Usman got out from poor shot selection and loss of concentration   - again.

After  a dodgy start I thought he was just starting to settle down in when he was out.

Given what I saw in Hobart, I think Usman and Harris are the best  current opening combination. Puck to bat further down.

Given they're are quite a few cricketers on here I thought  I would've  been taken to task about complaining about Cummins' decline in pace.

What I think has  happened is that he may be able to bowl within himself, with a decreased risk of injury, and with greater control, bowling 135- 143 kph. His figures have been exceptional over the last year.

What I notice in his action is his right arm comes high over the wicket in a lovely follow through that follows  a right handed batter's line. Cummins is making them play so many balls.

He does not have the prodigious swing  of some bowlers, but by being so accurate in line and making the batters play so many balls, he must be increasing his chances of getting a wicket. Cummins probably doesn't do this by bowling 140 - 150kph. 

I'd surmise he bowls a higher percentage of balls that force  batters to play than Hazlewood, and Starc in particular. I surmise he has been influenced by the likes of McGrath, Lillee, Hadlee and Gillespie, who were effective late in their careers at reduced speed. 

Richardson has bowled better in this innings than Hazlewood has for some time. He has also made the batters play more balls than Starc. I would've dropped Hazlewood anyway. I think selectors too often play names.

Many years ago the big name and star of the Aus bowling attack, Geoff Lawson, was underperforming. It took ages for the selectors to drop him and he was hopping mad when they finally did. He faded quickly after that.

I think the coaches should look at data and work out how many balls are being played from deliveries sent down, strike rates compared to 6 months ago, quality of the opposition, etcetera. If they did, surely they would've acted more quickly than they have?

A joke in cricket circles is that Greg Chappell, the selector, is so arrogant, he already knows the  answers without looking at players perform!

I don't ever recall Henry as a star.

Reid - sure. Billy - yes. Merv had fan support. Alderman the 89 Ashes. But Henry? He was more like Whitney and Dodemaide...

some talk of dropping starc rather than hazelwood

would go berendorf for starc if anyone

he's out of form but hard to drop a player who's strike rate is the second best ever

Richardson showed Hazlewood up big time as an actual swing bowler.

more a like for like replacement

my main concern with richardson is I think he can be knocked off his game easily if he goes for runs. When he is confident he can be pretty lethal

Richardson has bowled better in this innings than Hazlewood has for some time. He has also made the batters play more balls than Starc. I would've dropped Hazlewood anyway. I think selectors too often play names. 

I agree with most of what you say DC but too soon to compare the respective merits of Richardson  over Hazlewood. For a start they are completely different bowlers. Hazlewood is the quintessential seam bowler.. relying on his wrist action to stand up the seam and move it laterally. That is his stock ball.. must bowl it at least 90% of all his deliveries. Richardson looks to be a more rounded bowler. Swing comes easily to him. He also looks to be able to seam the ball. He has good variety.. with the odd yorker thrown in. He says he has based his game on one of his role models.. Dayle Steyn. I can see it. They are of similar build, a whippy action, similar pace and can swing at will. If you wanna compare Haze to someone.. make it Cummins.  Since cutting his pace Cummo is now more a line and length merchant like his good Blues bowling mate. I have to say he is bowling better than Haze and is now close to being our best  elite bowler. I would still challenge you over who of the two makes the batsman play the most. If I was dropping one of our top three it would be Starc. Is it set in stone that we need a left armer in our attack?

Hazlewood is not a swing bowler.. he is a specialist seam bowler. Chalk and cheese.

I would be saying Richardson showed up Starc..  those two are more similar.

Brilliant post, Baggers!

I love technical detail.

I like Starc's different angle and the fact he gets the ball to move at times at great pace.

This is why I like a left hand bowler in the side = totally different dimension to a right hander.
On Cummins, what does he have to do to become a genuine all rounder? & how would that change the batting lineup.
I still don't know why we are playing Sri Lanka in a test - to use some one elses terminology it is really a mickey mouse test
and to me should not be rated as such as it will inflate averages. 
As for Burns, on current form he should not be playing, if you can't score against this lot, good ball or not - drop him

Thanks for compliment DC. 

Starc is the jekyll and hyde of the cricket world. When on song he can swing the new ball fast full and late like few in the game. He has the pace and statue to steeple a ball just short of full length and all but behead a batsman. His round the wicket attack on the tail is the best in the game. That is his jekyll. Few misdirect deliveries and waste the new ball as Starc does. He can not build pressure for any length of time as his waywardness gifts too many easy runs. He seems to lack intensity when it is most needed. He is painfully short of consistency. That is his mr hyde side. Congrats on his 200 wicket milestone. Few realise it has taken him since 2011 to achieve this. That is 49 matches in 8 yrs. He has been in and out of our test side like a yo yo. 

This is why I like a left hand bowler in the side = totally different dimension to a right hander.

That may have been the case once. These days many right armers bowl around the wicket specially to lefties..similar line similar angle as a left armer. Kinda negates the need for a left armer imo.

Don't quite agree as a leftie, especially bowling around the wicket delivers the ball from a totally 
different angle - This is why I like Starc.

The selectors need to have a criteria and stick to it. No one under @40FC average that has been built over several years not one. If they do not have a skills coach they should get one. A person who can identify whether a Test aspirant has the technique and temperament to stand up to Test cricket. That aspirant has to prove that he is going to put a price on his wicket with determination and patience. That he will treat every ball on its merits. Above all leave the good ball. Be compact in attack and defence. Defend under the eyeline. Use soft hands.  Use your feet when driving. Against spin use all the crease and make an effort to rotate the strike. If we could get six blokes with those attributes plus our famed Aussie spirit we could return to our glory days.

Just what I was saying about Harris. Flashings at ball he should be leaving.

This recklessness has almost reached epidemic proportions at the moment.

The Poms must have played some poor shots.. Windies have rolled them for 77 overnite in Barbados.

Harris wasting another start 

Flashes at this one connects and is out. Bloody awful patience.

Marnus' test start is exactly how not to deal with a new player. This is his 5th test, and 7th inning. In this time hes batted at 3,5,6 and 7 and batted at 5 and 6 twice. He would also have batted 4 if not for the night watchman

Do you think it makes a massive difference where they bat in the order, Red Kat?

From watching the game live, I find the pink ball used in day/night games is much easier to see in daylight. Most  agree at the TCA.

Is anyone else watching any cricket live?

If you do, what do you think about the pink ball being easier to see?

Labu had one good innings in Hobart and failed in the other.


He has faced 16 balls and hasn't yet scored a run.

Australia is struggling at 4-86.

Do you think it is due to a collective loss of confidence after a morale sapping series defeat to India, Baggers?