Australia moved in swiftly to wrap up the first Test against Sri Lanka, pulling off one the most remarkable victories in recent times to take a one-nil lead in the series.
After being bowled out for 321 in their first innings with a lead of 109, the Aussies went full turbo mode and skittled the hapless Sri Lankans for just 113 in their second innings.
Nathan Lyon and part-time offspinner Travis Head proved to be the chief destroyers for Australia, taking four wickets apiece as the home side were bundled out in just 23 overs.
With a victory target of just five runs required, Australia’s second innings only took three minutes as David Warner walloped a four and a six off Ramesh Mendis’ opening over to secure one the most dramatic Test match wins for the visitors.
Earlier in the day, Australia began proceedings at eight for 313 with captain Patrick Cummins and Nathan Lyon in a hungry mood to boost the visitors’ lead.
It wasn’t to be though as Sri Lanka opted uncharacteristically for pace and their lone fast man Asitha Fernando wasted no time in mopping up the Aussie tail. Fernando bowled a beautiful reverse-swinging yorker that slid under Cummins’ bat, castling his middle stump.
He repeated the feat exactly three balls later, as tailender Mitch Swepson attempted an expansive off drive and had his poles rearranged in spectacular fashion.
With Australia now all out for 309, Sri Lanka could breathe a sigh of relief and look on optimistically as clear skies and zero chance of rain in Galle meant that they had a real opportunity to get themselves back into this game.
Day 3 of a Test match is often the most pivotal day, and although Sri Lanka were still trailing by 109 runs, with enough application and grit, there was every chance the home team could apply some momentum shift proceedings back their way. It wasn’t to be.
Sri Lanka began their second innings positively, sometimes a bit too positively, as Pathum Nissanka and captain Dimuth Karunaratne looked to cash in early and wipe off as much of the deficit as possible.
Mitchell Starc struggled to find swing early on and continuously strayed on the leg side, offering easy runs for the two Sri Lankan openers.
Karunaratne in particular seemed to be batting in one day mode, with his 23 off 25 balls featuring five boundaries as he continued to flay the Australian bowlers in aggressive fashion. But once Nathan Lyon came into the act, things went downhill quickly for Sri Lanka.
Karunaratne attempted one sweep shot too many from Nathan Lyon who was bowling around the wicket to the left-hander, and a sneaky under-edge from his horizontal bat was taken smartly by Alex Carey, ending his stay at the crease. Nissanka soon departed to the legspin of Mitchell Swepson, playing yet another premeditated sweep shot and was plumb lbw.
From here, it was evident that an all-too familiar Sri Lankan batting collapse was brewing. When Kusal Mendis was dismissed sweeping an offbreak from Lyon that ballooned a simple chance to Swepson at backward square, Sri Lanka were left reeling at three for 59.
Much hopes rested on the little-known Oshada Fernando and all-rounder Dhananjaya De Silva, however given the prodigious and often vicious turn and bounce being extracted from the Galle surface, batting was looking to be a nightmare for the Sri Lankans.
The arrival of part-time offspinner Travis Head into the bowling attack was truly the gamechanger and took everyone by surprise, including Head himself. He bowled a beautiful offbreak that neatly breached the forward defence of a bewildered Dinesh Chandimal and spun back so much that it clipped his middle and leg stump.
The classic right-arm offspinner’s dismissal. He then also accounted for Dhananjaya De Silva with a similar delivery, except the batsman attempted a horrible leave anticipating more spin than expected and was pinned down plumb in front. Jeffrey Vandersay was dismissed in exact same fashion as Chandimal, and with that the entire Sri Lankan second innings was shut down in a little over 90 minutes.
Travis Head had bagged four wickets for just ten runs in only three overs. Remarkable stuff.
What struck everyone was how quickly Sri Lanka collapsed in their second dig, as not a single batsman offered any stable resistance to the spin of Lyon, Swepson and Head.
For a country that is meant to have a reputation of being excellent players of spin bowling, the Sri Lankans looked hapless, clueless and at times panic stricken in their approach to batting on a supposedly familiar Galle turner.
The home team managed to edge ahead by just four runs in their second innings, with the abysmal victory target reached by Warner in two lusty blows in the blink of an eye.
With the Test match over in just two and a half days, it meant the Australians now had more time be tourists and explore the rest of the beaches around Galle and the southern coast of Sri Lanka, a fitting reward for their emphatic victory.
