Lyon ponders tweaks ahead of Colombo Test

Australia's most successful Test off-break bowler Nathan Lyon has identified a failure to attack the stumps rather than major technical shortcomings among his team's spinners for the dominance that Sri Lanka's bowlers have established in this series.

The Sri Lankans swept to an historic series win when they routed Australia twice within three days at Galle to secure the second Test by 229 runs, and claim the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy for Test contests between the two nations for the first time.

That success has been built largely upon the returns of Sri Lanka's three specialist spinners – Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan – who have claimed 35 of the 39 Australian wickets to have fallen to bowlers at an average of less than 15 runs apiece.

By comparison, Australia's spin attack of Lyon, Steve O'Keefe (until injured midway through the opening Test) and O'Keefe's replacement Jon Holland have shared 14 at almost 35 runs each while conceding more than four runs per over.

Versus their spin rivals' economy rate of around two-and-a-half per over.

But perhaps the most telling statistic lies in the modes of dismissal, with Sri Lanka's complementary spin trio – Herath's left-arm orthodox, Perera's off-spin and Sandakan's left-arm wrist spin – claiming more than half of their wickets (20 out of 35) lbw or bowled.

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In their struggle to beat the bat, and their corresponding inability to defeat a team that had been kept winless in Tests for almost a year leading into this series, Australia's spinners have only invoked those methods of dismissal eight times in Sri Lanka's four completed innings.

A failing that Lyon conceded was a reflection of bowling plans at odds with the pre-series strategy to zero in on the stumps and restrict the opposition's scoring as well as claim wickets.

"As spinners, we need to keep hitting the stumps," Lyon said in Galle today as a number of the Australian players – save for the fast bowlers who have done a power of work – prepared to return to the practice nets on what should have been day four of the second Test.