Day 4 – Session 1: Sri Lanka trail by 465 runs.
Current RR: 3.69
• Min. Ov. Rem: 78.3
Sri Lanka lost 5 for 9 to be bowled out for 165 in their first innings just 45 minutes into the day’s play
Matthew Kuhnemann celebrates his five-wicket haul • Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Sri Lanka 165 (Chandimal 72, de Silva 22, Kuhnemann 5-63, Lyon 3-57) trail Australia 654 for 6 dec by 489 runs
Australia’s mood brightened considerably under clear skies in Galle as they resumed their complete dominance of the first Test with spinners Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon running through a hapless Sri Lanka early on day four.
Sri Lanka lost 5 for 9 to be bowled out for 165 in their first innings just 45 minutes into the day’s play. With a lead of 489 runs and with his bowlers well rested, stand-in captain Steven Smith as expected decided to enforce the follow-on.
Kuhnemann celebrated his first Test match in almost two years with three wickets in the morning session to finish with 5 for 63, while Lyon took 3-57.
Sri Lanka’s dismal performance in this match continued with only Dinesh Chandimal offering resistance with a classy 72 and they will have to muster a much-improved effort in their second-innings to save the Test.
After the final two sessions on day three were washed out, Australia’s nerves were heightened with rain forecast in the afternoon.
Resuming at 136 for 5, Sri Lanka found themselves with unexpected hope of surviving with a draw due to the wet weather. But they desperately needed Chandimal to kick on having compiled an attractive half-century on day three.
The pressure was on Chandimal and wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis as the last recognised batters before the tail.
Smith deployed spinners Kuhnemann and Lyon from the get-go as Chandimal unfurled the reverse sweep which he had used to good effect on the truncated day three.
It was a cautious start from Sri Lanka’s batters with Kuhnemann extracting awkward bounce that occasionally reared off the surface. Mendis went to his favoured sweep shot against Kuhnemann and he whacked a boundary to raise Sri Lanka’s 150.
But Australia were well prepared with their tactics and baited Mendis into the sweep shot with two fielders positioned deep square of the wicket. Mendis couldn’t contain himself and top-edged a sweep to be well caught by a running Todd Murphy at square leg.
The burden fell to Chandimal, who had been unable to recapture his fluency from earlier in the innings. His rearguard finally ended when he missed a reverse sweep to fall lbw to Lyon as he reviewed in vain.
Sri Lanka’s tail folded quickly with Kuhnemann claiming his second five-wicket haul of his Test career.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
