Australia's Michael Hussey celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of key threat, Mahela Jayawardena.
Australia's Michael Hussey celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of key threat, Mahela Jayawardena.

Top order collapse leaves Sri Lanka gasping



PALLEKELE // The Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was left ruing a poor display by the top order might have already cost them the second Test as the Australians took control on the first day of the second Test in Pallakele today.

Fast bowler Ryan Harris led the way with three wickets and Trent Copeland, Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon picked up two each in good batting conditions to limit Sri Lanka to just 174 at the Pallekele International Stadium.

The openers also provided an unbeaten solid start of 60 runs when bad light ended play 5.2 overs early. Shane Watson returned unbeaten on 36 with six boundaries and Phillip Hughes was on a watchful 23 at stumps.

The hosts, electing to bat after winning the toss, never recovered after they lost half the side for 76 by lunch, the top three falling by the eighth over with the score at just 14.

"The Australians bowled well, but we had no business to get out so cheaply," Dilshan said. "It is always difficult to come back into the match after making so few runs.

"The batsmen must start delivering. We just can't afford to get out like this all the time."

Angelo Mathews, Dilshan's deputy, cracked three sixes and six boundaries in an aggressive 58 to boost the total, but seven batsmen failed to reach double figures.

Kumar Sangakkara chipped in with 48, adding 43 for the fourth wicket with Thilan Samaraweera and 52 for the sixth with Mathews.

The elegant left-hander looked set for a major knock when he lost his wicket to part-time bowler Mike Hussey, whose slow-medium delivery was driven to Hughes at short-cover.

It was only the third wicket in 61 Tests for Hussey and compounded Sri Lanka's woes on a wicket that had rolled out well in favour of the batsmen.

Hussey also picked up a brilliant diving catch at gully to remove star batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who had hit a century in Galle.

"It's pretty special that I had a hand in the dismissal of their two main batsmen," said a delighted Hussey.

"I could not believe it when Michael (Clarke) got me on to bowl. And I was pretty shocked when Sangakkara got out. But it was a valuable wicket to take because he is a very good batsman."

The hosts had been dismissed for 105 and 253 in the first Test with a century from Mahela Jayawardene and 95 from Mathews being the only major contributions.

Sri Lanka included leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna for his maiden Test match after both Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis were ruled out with injuries.

Australia won the first Test in Galle by 125 runs.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka:
T Paranavitana c Haddin b Harris 0
T Dilshan b Copeland 4
K Sangakkara c Hughes b Hussey 48
M Jayawardene c Hussey b Copeland 4
T Samaraweera c Haddin b Harris 17
P Jayawardene c Harris b Lyon 18
A Mathews c Haddin b Johnson 58
S Randiv c & b Lyon 4
S Prasanna b Harris 5
S Lakmal not out 7
C Welagedara c Copeland b Johnson 2
Extras (b 2 lb 4 nb 1) 7
Total (all out; 64.1 overs) 174
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-10, 3-14, 4-57, 5-76, 6-128, 7-133, 8-150, 9-166
Bowling: R Harris 16-7-38-3, T Copeland 12-5-24-2, S Watson 10-5-17-0, M Johnson 15.1-1-48-2 (1nb), N Lyon 10-2-41-2, M Hussey 1-1-0-1

Australia:
S Watson not out 36
P Hughes not out 23
Extras (nb 1) 1
Total (no wicket; 17.4 overs) 60
Bowling (to date): C Welagedara 5-0-27-0, S Lakmal  2-0-10-0, (1nb), S Prasanna 6.4-1-18-0, T Dilshan 2-1-1-0, S Randiv 2-0-4-0

Series info

Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday

ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23

T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29

Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com

Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.

Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.

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TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)

What is THAAD?

It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.

Production:

It was created in 2008.

Speed:

THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.

Abilities:

THAAD is designed to take out  ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".

Purpose:

To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.

Range:

THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.

Creators:

Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.

UAE and THAAD:

In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.

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