Matthew Hayden says it’s advantage Australia because of their adaptability

Darwin: Australian batsman Matthew Hayden has some chilling news for Sri Lanka in this week’s second Test following their 149-run trouncing in the series-opener here.

The Sri Lankans were skittled out for 97 and 162 on a seaming drop-in pitch in the first Test that only lasted three days, and if anything Hayden says the Cairns track will be even more in the Australian fast bowlers’ favour.

“It will really suit us. This was always going to be our danger game here (Darwin) considering the conditions last year were slow and low and potentially it turned a little bit as well,” Hayden said after training here Monday.

“Cairns will certainly be a great opportunity for our fast bowlers, who enjoyed this Test wicket to back up again and enjoy some really fast conditions in Cairns. I think it will be worse in Cairns, because it will bounce and it will be really quick, they won’t like that and that will be a great advantage to our side because we can adapt.”

The Darwin victory was Australia’s fourth consecutive win over Sri Lanka after sweeping their three-Test series in Sri Lanka last March.

Hayden, who scored 37 and 2 in Darwin, said the extra bounce in the Cairns wicket would make life difficult for the Sri Lankan batsmen, who were unable to string together meaningful partnerships to pressure the Australian attack.

“I think we can take on board what happened there last time, it was a fairly flat but hard and quick wicket and we had a lot of good cricket on it,” Hayden said. “In fact, Bangladesh got around 300 on the first day by my memory, so we can certainly see a good game of cricket,” he said.

Bangladesh batted out the first day of the last year’s cairns test reaching stumps at 289 for eight after being sent into bat, but were deluged with runs in Australia’s mammoth first innings of 556 for four declared.

Darren Lehmann top-scored with 177, now-retired skipper Steve Waugh hit an unbeaten 156 and Martin Love was unconquered on 100 at the time of the declaration.

Bangladesh were subsequently rolled for 163 to lose by an innings and 98 runs with leg-spinner Stuart MacGill taking 10 wickets for the match and fast bowler Jason Gillespie claiming seven.

“The evenness of the Cairns wicket there will give Sri Lanka more chance, but it’s a great opportunity for our quicks on a good fast track,” Hayden said. “In fact, I think the Cairns wicket last year was as quick as the old Gabba (Brisbane) used to be before the (2000 Olympic Games) soccer flattened it. It was a really quick wicket, so that will definitely suit the likes of (Glenn) McGrath, Gillespie and (Michael) Kasprowicz.

First-change bowler Kasprowicz captured seven for 39 in Lanka’s second innings here Saturday for his third five-wicket Test haul and his best performance in Australia.

“When we go to India or Sri Lanka we learn to take on board their conditions and I guess when the Sri Lankans come out here it’s like us going to Sri Lanka, except the opposite way around,” Hayden said.

“They’re quicker wickets here, although we didn’t see the pace in this (Darwin) wicket, it’s seamed and swung around as well so it was a difficult wicket for them to start on.”

Hayden’s pitch prediction does not augur well for leg-spinner Shane Warne, who is after the world Test wicket-taking record in Cairns. The master Australian spinner came out of the first Test with three wickets to take him to 520 Test wickets and seven behind world record holder Muttiah Muralidharan.

Warne is trying to take full advantage of Muralidharan’s absence from the tour in Australia’s tropical north and claim the record off the Lankan spinner.