Learn how to play spin in the sub continent !!

Norman’s Sri Lanka diary

Learn how to play spin in the sub continent !! This is Pakistan in the UAE all over again for the Australians. It seems amazingly obvious but why do we continue to see so called top cricketing nations play the turning delivery with great trepidation!

I witnessed the bizarre sight of the Australian net sessions in Colombo this week. There was hardly a decent Sri Lankan youth or provincial player bowling spin to be seen. Such players could be testing the batsman and giving them a real ability to practice against like bowlers for the battle ahead. Instead we saw two leggies Steve Smith and David Warner bowling off spin.

The pitch in Colombo was a good 4th day pitch. Not bad for a first day pitch. No surprise there at all. The dry pitch turned from the first hour. Nathan Lyon picked up two wickets early, then the guile and experience of young Sri Lankan batsmen like Dhanajaya de Silva steadied the ship.

Once again experience on how to play spin on the sub continent. Moses Henriques is not the answer but his selection was a clear message to the incumbents: learn how to play spin, or you won’t play in Asia. Australia, New Zealand and co. should be more able to learn.

Norman is Indianz X-PRESS newspaper’s sports correspondent based in Australia.