Australia’s long tour to Srilanka has finally come to an end. The many matches that took place amidst the crisis worked as a great distraction for the audience. While on some days, there was a fresh smile on the faces of spectators, on other days we saw protests happening in the stadium itself. It was a topsy turvy ride, but we are glad that it took place and that we witnessed it.

After many of Sri Lanka’s legends such as Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakara, T Dilshan, Malinga, etc took retirement and ended their careers, it was not a very good phase. The young team did not have a lot of role models within the team and it resulted in a heavy downfall. The team did not perform to the reputation it had and went on to slog to the lower rankings.

The Australia tour of Srilanka was thought to be the extension of this downward road. With not enough experience compared to the hefty Australia who was coming with a full power team to play all formats series in the subcontinent after winning the series against mighty Pakistan. The team shut all critics with their resilience and gave Australia a good competition to think about their position in World Cricket.

In the series, Australia showed their clear dominance as they went on to seal the series with the first two wins by 10 wickets and 3 wickets respectively. The resistance of the 2nd T20I came in full power in the 3rd one from Sri Lanka as they completely thrashed the visitors, chasing a big total and keeping everyone mum.

The ODI series was a big jumble in itself. The power-packed Australia had all the big players joining them. Srilanka also had made tweaks in their squad but if we were to be honest, very few expected them to win the series. The hosts won the 5-match ODI series 3-2 shutting everyone up, showing resistance, and making their way through. The happiest faces were of fans in the stand.

The Test series started with a clear hope that Srilanka is capable of giving a very tough competition. The first test was easily won by the visitors. Australia overpowered Srilanka and it was not the best start for the hosts. The second test was the epitome of resistance. From the countrymen and for the players. When off the field, Srilanka was fighting for their rights, on it the batters were fighting Australia’s lethal bowling lineup and we can at least say, one of them was successful. Srilanka won the match by an innings and 39 runs.

Australia is amongst the top contenders to win the T20 World Cup 2022. The tour was a good reality check for them and a great source of preparation. As for Srilanka, they should be happy with the way they performed, the way they hosted the matches, the way players tried their best to put smiles on the viewers’ faces, and especially the audiences for showing up amidst the crisis. It was a series a good one, a much-needed one for the fans of cricket and freedom. 🙂