Australia dominated the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, with Steve Smith, the stand-in captain, winning the toss and opting to bat. Usman Khawaja made the most of the flat pitch, scoring his maiden double-century, while Travis Head’s quick-fire fifty set the tone. Smith, completing his 10,000 Test runs, went on to score a hundred. Debutant Josh Inglis also made an impact, scoring a rapid century. Australia declared at 654, leaving Sri Lanka struggling from Day 2 onwards. Despite some rain interruptions, Sri Lanka’s response was poor, getting bowled out for 165 in the first innings. They were forced to follow on, and despite a few middle-order starts, only Jeffrey Vandersay’s maiden fifty pushed them past 200. Australia polished off the final wickets, with Matthew Kuhnemann taking 9 scalps in the match. Australia sealed a comprehensive victory and will now look to secure a 2-0 series win in the next Test. Sri Lanka will need a stronger performance in the upcoming match in Galle.
Lyon, at the other end, removed the second set batter as Dinesh Chandimal fell to another reverse sweep, getting caught plumb in front. He reviewed the decision, but it was upheld. Kuhnemann then claimed his fourth wicket, stumping Prabath Jayasuriya, and completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Jeffrey Vandersay. In between, Lyon had Nishan Peiris caught at short leg. At 6/2, Angelo Mathews joined Chandimal and together they formed Sri Lanka’s best partnership of the match. Chandimal found form with back-to-back boundaries off Starc, and Mathews hit a hat-trick of fours off Murphy.
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However, just before lunch, Lyon dismissed Chandimal for the second time in the session, halting Sri Lanka’s progress. The hosts still trail by a massive 414 runs to avoid forcing Australia to bat again. For the visitors, they will be hoping to finish the game quickly, weather permitting.
