Galle, Feb 1 (IANS) Spinners Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann shared the spoils as defending WTC champions Australia registered a massive win against Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs on Day Four of the first Test at the Galle Cricket Stadium on Saturday. The loss was the hosts’ worst-ever defeat in Test cricket, with their previous biggest being when they were hammered by an innings and 239 runs by India in 2017.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the team from Down Under, on the backs of a magnificent double century by Usman Khawaja and centuries by Steve Smith and Josh Inglis, went on to score 654 before declaring their innings.
Making full use of the spinning tracks of the subcontinent, the Aussies tore through the Sri Lankan batting unit. Dinesh Chandimal was the only batter to show any form of resistance as he scored 72 runs before being dismissed by the veteran Lyon. Mitchel Starc (2-13), Matthew Kuhnemann (5-63), and Lyon (3-57) tore through the hosts’ batting lineup for a mere score of 165 and hereby enforcing the follow-on.
Australia refused to let go of their tight grip on their opponents and went on to remove openers Oshada Fernando and Dimuth Karunaratne in the opening 3.1 overs of the game. Chandimal and Angelo Matthews put on a 69-run stand for the third wicket but the former once again fell to Lyon.
Kamindu Mendis (32), skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (39), and Kusal Mendis (34) all tried to rescue the sinking ship but were unable to get in control of the Aussie spinners. Jeffrey Vandersay’s 53-run cameo, which came towards the end of the match, was certainly a breath of fresh air for the fans, in an innings with seven boundaries and two sixes, before the spinner was dismissed by Kuhnemann to claim the final wicket of the match and dismiss Sri Lanka at 247.
“Thought we started the game beautifully. Travis and Usman set it up nicely. Usman was fantastic, the way he batted and put pressure on the bowlers. To get 650, it allowed us to bowl twice. Starc did well and the spinners did well as well.
“The wicket broke up as it went on. Its nature on the first day didn’t really reflect in the score. It was still a bit tacky and I thought we batted exceptionally well. The spinners did really well in tandem, that’s the beauty of having three of them, you can always keep someone fresh.
“Depends on the surface, we’ve got some wonderful fast bowlers as well, three spinners worked out well on this wicket. Never thought I’d score this many runs. Just playing 1 test for Australia was a dream. To play 100 and score 10,000 runs is a dream come true,” said Smith in the post-game interview.
Brief scores:
Australia 654/6 decl beat Sri Lanka 165 and 247 all out in 54.3 overs (Jeffrey Vandersay 53, Angelo Mathews 41, Nathan Lyon 4-78, Matthew Kuhnemann 4-86) by an innings and 242 runs
–IANS
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