Kusal Mendis faced an awfully difficult conundrum as he set forth for the centre wicket. Kumara would Do His Best at the other end, but singles would have to be found towards the end of each over. Loose balls must be put away, but twos weren’t going to be easy with four men patrolling the legside boundary. As it happened Lyon made one lift spitefully into his bat. Thence it wafted to Smith at slip for his two hundredth, and likely simplest Test catch. Lyon thought he had the final wicket as well when the ever-alert Webster snaffled a low catch at second slip; but on review it turned out the catch was a half-volley. No blame attaches. Fielders don’t always know.
Lyon’s frustration was compounded with yet another Umpire’s Call decision on leg-before. Adrian Holdstock refused him three times this innings. Lyon kept his temper, but birthday cards are probably out of the question for Mr H. Finally Smith handed the ball to Webster, who tossed up a looping off-break at which Kumara swiped horribly and missed. As the ball flobbed into the stumps Beau may well have thought that this off-spin caper is pretty straightforward, is it not? Or he may not. Lyon gave Kusal no chance to get down to him, fizzing the ball through in the mid-90s. It was the correct strategy and it paid off. But to rank tailenders a bit of air is jolly useful. Sometimes they swipe, and miss.
Chasing 75 to win, Australia made short work of it. When Peiris defeated Head three times in a row with extravagant off-breaks the moustachioed marvel whacked the next one to the boundary. Head went for a run-a-ball twenty-odd again, caught behind off the persevering Jayasuriya, but he had his team well on the way. Khawaja and Labuschagne finished the game: the latter looking in his best form for quite some time. Karunaratne was given the last over, as a farewell to Test matches. Heaven only knows when these teams will play each other again. Such matters are in the all-powerful hands of the ICC. Or possibly the BCCI. But this was a fine series. Australia won because when their batsmen really got in, they stayed in and made centuries. The home side didn’t.
Henceforth there is something called The Champions’ Trophy, whatever that means. It appears to be a sort of Clayton’s World Cup, but without the minnows. Australia will be there, but minus some players who need a rest. We would like win it, of course; but we won’t grieve unduly if we don’t.