By Brian Tho inmas
After being in a commanding position overnight, the Australian batters lost wickets in clusters to be bowled out for 414 runs, losing 7 wickets for 84 runs in the pre lunch session on day 3 at Galle this morning as Sri Lanka saw the much needed light at the end of the tunnel with Prabath Jayasuriya doing the basics right to claim 5 wickets for 151 runs as he hunted with the support of his partner Nishan Pieris who scalped 3 for 94 restricting Australia to a great extent.
Smith opened the firmly locked gate when nicking an arm ball off Jayasuriya to be caught by Kusal Mendis for 131.
Josh Inglis did not bother the scorer when he, too, misread an arm delivery in the same over playing on the back foot only to hear the sound of his timber disturbed giving Jayasuriya 2 wickets in one over with the score on 350.
Alex Carey, the overnight batter on 139 for the first time, misread an arm delivery pitched on his off stump when attempting his favourite sweep shot only to be bowled for a well compiled 152 runs the highest by an Australian wicket keeper in Sri Lanka breaking the previous record of 144 held by Adam Gilchrist and the dismissal found Australia in a bit of a bother on 375 for 6 wickets.
Cooper Cononley, the debutant, made 6 runs, but a rush of blood made him a victim of Nishan Pieris when Ramesh Mendis gleefully accepted a high ball at short extra cover to give Sri Lanka their 7th scalp with the visitors on 384.
Mitchell Starc is no mug with the bat as a tail ender. Batting on 8, he too was bowled through bat and pad by Jayasuriya, who recorded his 5th wicket, looking his former self as a potential wicket taker at his favourite venue. He bowled with intent by hitting the right areas. He spun the ball with the aid of the relatively new ball with a harder seam looking in great bowling nick.
Cool
With the score on 406 Webster, who made a valuable 31 was bowled by Ramesh Mendis, followed by Mathew Kuhnemann, another victim of Ramesh Mendis, and Australia ended their first essay 6 minutes before the mid break all out for 414 runs, with a lead of 157 runs in the bank.
Sri Lanka top order, including Dinesh Chandimal, had a torrid time in reading both Nathen Lyon and Mathew Kuhnemann.
Mathew Khunemann exposed the 7th weakness of Pathum Nissanka against the top spinner when he bowled him for 8 runs whilst Dimuth Karunaratne, who looked quite promising, was Kuhnemann’s second victim when he nicked a ball that spun away from him took his outside edge for his final test runs of his career for 14 runs.
The Nathan Lyon vs. Dinesh Chandimal battle still continues. Chandimal came second best yet again as the premier spinner had him caught by a diving Webster for 12, Sri Lanka in deadly trouble on 39 for 3 wickets needing 157 to avoid a possible innings defeat.
Kamindu Mendis threw it away yet again. Audacious. A White ball looking stroke to a Nathen Lyon delivery to be caught in the deep by Kawaja for 14.
Sri Lanka was in deep trouble on 81 for 4 DDS , and Mathews looked settled with the ball softening up as DDS batting on 23 was brilliantly caught by Steven Smith at first slip thus recording the 198th catch taken by Smith in the slip cordon , with Sri Lanka on 124 for 5 wickets, this catch proved the fantastic catching and ground fielding skills of Australia.
Mathews and Kusal Mendis batted with responsibility. Mathews on 76 had a brain failure .
The experience of Mathews batting on 76 and Mendis on 41 gave Srit Lanka a glimmer of hope with only 7 overs left in the day’s play.
Mathews brain failure has now opened the flood gates for an inevitable win for Australia as he executed an unwarranted stroke trying to clear mid wicket by trying to go over the mid wicket fielder the tall Webster that too playing against the wind.
He marched back to the dressing room, dejected in other words the long vigil bearing no fruit in the final equation period.
As predicted, the tail never wags in this current team. Sri Lanka from a ray of hope is now looking down the barrel with Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya back in the hutch with Sri Lanka on 211 for 8 wickets with the only recognised batter Kusal Mendis on 48.
51 runs lead with 2 wickets in hand. The writing is on the wall.
Chief Scores
Sri Lanka 257 & 211/8 (62.1 Overs)
(Angelo Mathews 76, Kusal Mendis n.o. 48, Dhananjaya de Silva 23, Dimuth Karunaratne 14, Dinesh Chandimal 12, Kamindu Mendis 14, Matthew Kuhnemann 4/52, Nathan Lyon 3/80, Beau Webster 1/6)
Australia 414 (106.4 Overs)
(Alex Carey 156, Steve Smith 131, Prabath Jayasuriya 5/151, Nishan Peiris 3/94, Ramesh Mendis 2/81)