Patterson impresses in Hobart tour match

Marnus Labuschagne struck a fifty to underline his readiness for the Domain Test series but Kurtis Patterson's second century of the Cricket Australia XI match against Sri Lanka again stole the limelight.

Jon Holland then nabbed four wickets to disrupt the Sri Lankan batters' preparations under lights against the pink ball as teams shook hands with 10 overs to go. Sri Lanka finished on 6-131, still 233 runs adrift of the CA XI total.

Holland finished with 4-28 from 15 overs, while Michael Neser claimed 2-8 in five. There was no reward today for Chris Tremain in nine overs.

It was always going to be tough to find a result in a three-day game but while the match carried no first-class status, it carried significant weight for the group of Australians vying for a spot in the Test XI at the Gabba next week.

Patterson is not in contention for next week's Test match, but marked his card as a player to watch ahead of the winter Ashes tour after adding a faultless unbeaten 102 to his impressive first-innings knock of 157 not out. 

 

Patterson entered this match after hitting an unbeaten 167 in a one-day match in NSW Premier Cricket last weekend and has now gone 426 runs without being dismissed across all formats. He will return to the Sydney Thunder, but there would be few batsmen in the country more eager for the resumption of the JLT Sheffield Shield season. 

National selector Greg Chappell, who was watching on from the stands in Hobart, will have noted the relative ease with which Patterson made batting, and how effortlessly he turned starts into centuries given his history of failing to convert starts. 

But Chappell – and Australian cricket's – most immediate interest lay in the performances of players who are vying to wear the Baggy Green at the Gabba. 

After Joe Burns (4 and 22) and Matthew Renshaw (7 and 10) had given little to judge their current form on, the batting of Labuschagne and Will Pucovski has at least given something for Chappell to share with the selection panel. 

Labuschagne, who batted No.3 against India at the SCG Test earlier this month, is expected to slip down the order to No.4 in the Test side but it was at first drop he batted in this match, scoring 6 and 50. 

His half-century was his first since Australia A's four-day match against India A in Bengaluru last August, a tour where his impressive performances saw him shoot into the Test team against Pakistan in the UAE in October. 

Here in Hobart, he struck five fours in a 90-run partnership with Patterson, going about his business in his usual bustling manner until he was surprised by some extra bounce from a 38-over old pink ball that he edged into the slips cordon.

 

Pucovski took 10 balls to get off the mark, but when he did it came from an exquisite cut shot against the spin. He only hit two boundaries in his 70-ball knock but did an excellent job of rotating to strike as the session drew to a close to allow Patterson to reach his three figures.

For Sri Lanka, opener Lahiru Thirimanne was the most impressive batsman on display, and the only one to face at least 100 balls in each innings.

But no batter from the touring party was able to reach fifty with Thirimanne stranded on 46 not out when the match finished.

Thirimanne has not played a Test for Sri Lanka since August 2017, but in a side struggling for runs and without inspirational skipper Angelo Mathews, he has done his chances of a recall no harm.

Sri Lanka's middle-order mainstay Kusal Mendis did not bat in the match after being struck on the finger while fielding on the opening day while fielding a short leg. 

Mendis was cleared of a break after x-rays at a local hospital, and the Sri Lankans were confident he would be fit to play in the opening Test.

The Sri Lankas have one session left to bat under lights against the pink ball before the opening Domain Test against Australia at the Gabba from Thursday, and still trail the CA XI by 299 runs. 

The visitors have given little indication they're interested in pressing for a result in this game, but still gave an extended spell to their new-ball Test bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara as they fine-tuned their own preparations for next week's day-night Test match at the Gabba. 

Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal used nine bowlers throughout this second innings, with the 14 overs Kumara bowled the most of any and he finished with 1-48. Lakmal's six overs went for 16 and Dushmantha bowled just four in the second innings and claimed 1-28.

Cricket Australia XI: Joe Burns (c), Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Kurtis Patterson (vc), Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, Jake Doran, Michael Neser, Chris Tremain, Scott Boland, Jon Holland

Sri Lanka squad: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha

Domain Test Series v Sri Lanka

Australia: Tim Paine (c/wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha

CA XI: Joe Burns (c), Kurtis Patterson (vc), Scott Boland, Jake Doran (wk), Jon Holland, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, Matt Renshaw, Chris Tremain

Jan 17-19: Tour match, CA XI v SL, Hobart (D/N)

Jan 24-28: First Test, Gabba (D/N)

Feb 1-5: Second Test, Canberra