Spin City in Sri Lanka

It’s time to start clocking in to the progress Australia make in Sri Lanka over the next three weeks. Interestingly, they have only Ponting in their ranks who has previously played in a test series in the land of the big wide smile. They are far from the settled unit that terrorised many a line-up from the mid 90s to early 2000s and they go into the first test at Galle full of expectation but also harbouring a little apprehension.

Galle is a beautiful venue spectacularly framed by an imposing fort that will examine the mettle of the visitors. It has a time-tested reputation as a spinner’s haven and nothing suggests that it will be any different this time around. It has spun from day one and the dry surface will be somewhat spiteful as the turn and bounce rushes those not acclimatised.

What will interest me over the next few weeks is exactly how the Australians fight the might of the island’s tweakers. The mercurial Murali is no longer, so that threat has dissipated but Team Sri Lanka possess an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their spin division. Instinctive cricket is their brand and the unorthodox manner in which their tweakers operate throws another problematic dimension into the ring. The Australians have spent hours studying footage of the varied release points of their opponents' spin base attempting to unravel the mysteries that they will encounter. Many a team however has adopted this strategy to combat spin merchants in the past only to be mesmerised and stilted come battle time.

The Australian skipper Michael Clarke is an adventurous player of slow bowlers. He uses his feet as often as possible to negate spin and upset length, and that will be foreign to the tweakers who have generally conquered at home due to the opposition’s conservative nature. Should Clarke however struggle, that will quickly permeate through the ranks and heighten the levels of anxiety. Ponting, the other beacon, has a good record in Sri Lanka over his previous six tests, but his recent spin battles are well chronicled.

Sri Lanka have surprised no-one by banking on spin domination in this series, and that will be a fascinating prospect to monitor. All the venues will turn like tops and home advantage will certainly place the visitors' techniques and durability under the microscope. Many interested onlookers will vividly recall the recent Argus Report’s barefaced reference to the Australian team’s inability to perform under pressure.

Upon the completion of that tour the Aussies will soon board the silver budgie to wing their way to Cape Town. The stark contrast in playing conditions that will shirt-front them in South Africa will be alarming to most, and swift adaptation will be obligatory. Slow bowling will be banished for speed. Spin will be scuttled for seam. Placid pitches will be evicted for those with bounce. South Africa will also be eager to settle some scores as they commence their new campaign under Kirsten and company. Some long memories will be primed for revenge.

Australia are an uncertain team at the moment. Any frailty exposed over the next three weeks will reveal fragility upon embarking on South African shores in five weeks' time.

Things will be different then.