Australia plays the mind game……..

Prior to the start of a Test series the Australians have a habit of playing mind games on the opposition by targeting their key player (s).

The upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka is no different. For already Mitchell Starc, who will spearhead the Australian bowling line-up in the three-Test series beginning at Pallekele on Tuesday has spoken of targeting Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain.

In a team that is under transition and short of experience Mathews is the stand-out batsman for Sri Lanka in the Test series with 4140 runs at an average of 48.70 and seven centuries. He is the best by way of figures or otherwise for the nearest batsman to him in the team is his deputy Dinesh Chandimal with 2007 (avg. 44.50) and six Test hundreds.

So it’s no surprise that getting Mathews’ wicket would be a crucial factor in Australia’s campaign to win the Test series. Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding when asked whom the all-conquering West Indies side led by Clive Lloyd would target during a series he came out with the answer that it was the opposing captain.

Holding explained that if the captain’s wicket is taken cheaply he will be worried more about his batting form and place in the team rather than worry about the opposition for which he will have less time.

Australian teams seem to have adhered to this belief that a sure way to unsettle a rival is to heap pressure on their captain. So Starc targeting Mathews is nothing new.

“It would be (a big wicket) and look, he’s under pressure,” Starc told Cricket Australia. “He’d be under pressure after the English tour and as a captain he’ll have to go through that pressure and perform as well. And that’s something that Steve (Smith, Australia’s Test captain) for us does really well.

“He’s been fantastic as a captain and performed from the front as well, so no doubt we’ll put a lot of pressure on Angelo to firstly perform and for him he’s got to lead as captain.

“He’ll be a big wicket for us along with (vice-captain Dinesh) Chandimal, and, for their bowlers, (veteran left-arm spinner Rangana) Herath is the most experienced and one that we’ll try and counter.”

In the bowling line-up Sri Lanka will bank heavily on Herath’s experience of playing in 70 Tests and capturing over 300 wickets in the absence of regular bowlers Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera who are both injured.

In the batting Australia is top heavy with vice-captain David Warner and captain Steve Smith scoring a total of 30 Test hundreds between them and the rest Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja accounting for a dozen centuries.

What Sri Lanka can come up with is a total of 18 Test centuries from their four top batsmen Mathews, Chandimal and openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva. Although Australia doesn’t have a bowler of Herath’s class in their line-up but nevertheless have some outstanding match winners in off-spinner Nathan Lyon who is the leading wicket-taker in the side with 195 wickets and new ball bowlers Mitchell Starc with 91 and Jos Hazelwood with 70.

A lot depends on how the Lankan openers tackle the Australian new ball attack of Starc, Hazlewood and Jackson Bird and see them off so that the middle order can play their natural game. In England, the Sri Lankan top order was swept away by Anderson, Broad and Finn in the first three innings of the series before they managed to resurrect themselves and come up with challenging totals.

Karunaratne and Silva put on a century opening stand in the third and final Test at Lord’s and Sri Lanka will be hoping they will be able to extend that run to the Australian series as well.