Australia had spent roughly a week in Dubai, training in the ICC facility that replicates conditions from around the world.
“I think the strength in this group was the preparation in the UAE,” McDonald said. “We had some time and space to get our heads around the challenges, different scenarios and the ICC facilities allowed us to do that. And to see the guys go to work, the conversations they had amongst each other, plus with the coaches – that gave us the best opportunity.”
Part of Australia’s thinking was that sometimes Galle tracks tend to start off batting-friendly, before breaking up from the third day onwards, while at other times, Galle pitches take rapid turn from day one. Australia prepared for both, though they got a batting track for the first two days in this game.
“I think the spinners getting to work on the shape and the pace of deliveries with spin coach Dan Vettori was important, as was the the batting unit working through flat surface versus extreme surface,” McDonald said. “The ground staff there did an amazing job in recreating what we would potentially get here across the game. So we were just working through all of those scenarios, conversations, and it was a hectic time.
“I think we trained sort of five days there straight, put a lot of work in, and then we backed off when we got here. So it was to do the grunt work, get the conversations landed around how we wanted to play, and making sure we had great clarity when we landed here, which I think we did. I think that showed in the performance.”
“I thought he was gone,” McDonald admitted. “but as it progressed and got closer to the test match, he was pretty much a lock three days out. Not sure where we would have ended up, but there was plenty of conversations around potentials, and possibles in terms of selecting spinners. There was a legspin versus fingerspin debate, and we discussed two off spinners, which we played in Nagpur before.
“But Matt solved a lot of those dilemmas, and produced an outstanding performance.”
The player who most defined the Test, however, was Khawaja, who hit a career-best 232 in the first innings, on a ground he had struggled in before. McDonald said that although Khawaja is 38, he felt as if the batter still had plenty of runs in him.
“Usman is an important part to the way that we play (in subcontinent conditions). He’s got options – that reverse sweep that he’s added over the journey.
“He’s been through the ringer here before, and it’s great that he’s been able come through that, to have a method that is successful. The unquantifiable benefit is the conversations that he’s having with the next generationm to get them prepared.
“We still think he’s got plenty of cricket left in him. And I think he’s been clear on that also.”
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
