In recent weeks, Australia have made the first fifteen overs of an innings their own. With Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie to charge in with the new ball, and Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden to beat seven bells out of the opposition seamers, the Aussies have wrapped up most of their matches before a contest has even developed. But the boot was well and truly on the other foot today, though the catalyst of Australia's disaster was neither a fired-up paceman, nor that pinch-hitter extraordinaire, Sanath Jayasuriya. Instead, it was the inoffensive offbreaks of Aravinda de Silva, who entered the fray in the seventh over, and reeled off the scarcely credible figures of 10-4-16-1.

As our graph shows, de Silva did nothing but adhere to the basics – and on a low, turning pitch, the basics were more than enough to stop Australia dead in their tracks. He maintained a resolute off-stump line, with just 7 of his 60 deliveries straying down the leg side, and an impressive 78% pitched on a good length.

Australia's instincts, naturally enough, were to attack. But the early dismissal of Hayden, who danced out to his first ball and was bowled, stopped such shenanigans before they had even begun. Though the Aussies played de Silva's balls off the front foot for 80% of the time, they dared to step out to a mere four balls. Mostly, they were either propping forward to smother the spin, or flailing ambitiously across the line.

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