Australia vs Sri Lanka 2019: 5 things we learnt from the Test series

#4 Sri Lankan batsmen are still lacking consistency

Sri Lankan batsmen failed to mount a serious challenge to Australian bowlers

Talent doesn’t seem to be a problem if one looks at the Sri Lankan batting line-up. The likes of Karunaratne, Mendis, de Silva, Dickwella, along with the captain Chandimal, are no pushovers. Quite the contrary, they have proven their mettle at this level in the past.

But all of them were at sea in this series against good quality pace bowling assisted by helpful conditions. The performances of all these batsmen were disappointing and it shows that in spite of their talent, they are yet to achieve the level of consistency which could fill the huge void left by the departure of Sangakkara and Jayawardene some years ago.

Karunaratne had a great time at home against South Africa last year and even in this series, he looked good at times without going on to get big scores.

Mendis has shown the ability to deal with quality pace bowling in foreign conditions with some gutsy knocks outside Asia but he failed to come up with any goods this series.

Dhananjaya de Silva certainly has talent but it’s not transforming into consistent scores. Niroshan Dickwella played a typically spirited knock in the first innings of the first Test but that was the only substantial contribution by him in the two matches.

Chandimal, the best batsman in the team, failed to rise to expectations and lead by example while Angelo Mathews was also sorely missed.

In short, the Sri Lankan batsmen are showing the same kind of inconsistency that has plagued West Indian cricket for years. Unless, the likes of Mendis and Chandimal become more prolific, the struggles are likely to continue for the emerald islanders.