GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Australia put on a clinical display on the third day of the second test against Sri Lanka, leaving the hosts teetering at 211-8 and holding a slender lead of just 54 runs on Saturday.
The visitors will try to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings early on the fourth morning and chase down the target in a bid to complete a 2-0 series sweep.
At 81-4, Sri Lanka seemed destined for yet another crushing innings defeat inside three days. However, Angelo Mathews dug deep, forging a 48-run stand with Dhananjaya de Silva and a further 70-run partnership with Kusal Mendis.
Mathews played a gutsy knock of 76, his first half-century of the series, offering a glimmer of hope. Sri Lanka had pinned their hopes on him to set Australia a respectable target, but his defiance ended just before stumps when he attempted a sweep off Nathan Lyon, only to be brilliantly caught by Beau Webster at fine leg.
Australia continued to tighten the screws, picking up two more wickets before stumps. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was the chief tormentor, finishing with four wickets and taking his match tally to seven. He was well supported by Lyon, whose three-wicket haul saw him turn the ball square on a deteriorating surface.
“Kuhnemann been exceptional,” Lyon said. “He deserves all the praise he gets, and I hope he gets a lot of it. The way he broke his thumb three weeks ago and show the courage to come out here and bowl. I know it’s hurting him, but he’s bowling exceptionally well.”
The 37-year-old Lyon also achieved a significant milestone, reaching 550 test wickets with the dismissal of Dinesh Chandimal after lunch. He became only the third Australian to achieve the feat, joining Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563).
“Getting 550 test wickets is something I’m extremely proud about and to do it here at Galle, which obviously holds a pretty special memory for me and my career,” Lyon said. “A very special moment, it’s pretty cool when you look at it. When I debuted 14 years ago I didn’t think I’d take 550 wickets. To pick up that one here very special.”
Former captain Dimuth Karunaratne, playing his farewell test, received a standing ovation as he walked back after nicking one to wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the 13th over. Kuhnemann, sharing the new ball with Mitchell Starc, accounted for both Sri Lankan openers, setting the tone for Australia’s dominance.
Prabath Jayasuriya (6) said Australia has “outplayed us in all three departments.”
“No wonder they are the No. 1 ranked team in the world and to compete against them you have to be always on top of the game. They put pressure on us all the time,” he said.
Still, it's not over, Jayasuriya cautioned.
“I believe that if we get a decent lead, things can happen pretty quickly in Galle,” he said. “We lost probably too many wickets in the last 15 minutes or so today. But still, Kusal Mendis is out there and he batted so well in the first innings. If he is able to do a repeat of that and if Nishan Peiris, who can bat can hang around, we know we are in the game.”
Australia’s formidable first-innings lead of 157 was built on the back of two masterful centuries — Steve Smith’s composed 131 and Alex Carey’s career-best 156. Carey’s knock not only marked a personal milestone but also set a new record for the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia, surpassing Adam Gilchrist.
The pair put together a colossal 249-run stand for the fourth wicket. It now stands as the highest fourth-wicket partnership by a visiting duo in Sri Lanka, eclipsing the previous mark of 248 set by Australians Mike Hussey and Shaun Marsh.
“Alex and Steve — that’s up there with the best partnerships I’ve seen, especially in these conditions,” Lyon said. “I’m very proud of our batting group, but it’s been a hard toil today, there’s no point hiding behind that.”
Lyon also credited the team's training camp in Dubai.
“I know some people thought it was a holiday, but it was exceptional training lead up to this tour. We trained the house down and found different methods to combat different scenarios, so I’m really proud of the way guys have gone about different methods,” he said.
Sri Lanka lost the first test by an innings and 242 runs, also in Galle — Sri Lanka’s worst defeat in test cricket.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
The Associated Press
