GALLE: Following his side’s crushing ten-wicket defeat to Australia, Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne termed the loss as disappointing.
Travis Head (4/10) and Nathan Lyon (4/31) shined for Australia with the ball, helping the side comprehensively defeat Sri Lanka by ten wickets in the first Test of two-match series at Galle International Stadium in Galle on Friday. All-rounder Cameron Green also played a crucial knock of 77, helping the Aussies gain a 109-run lead.
“Disappointed. Winning the toss and getting out for 212 is disappointing. There was something for the bowlers. Australia batted very well. Have to put our hands up as a batting unit. We have plenty of experienced players. Knew how it is going to turn. The decision we took was horrible. We played with this (spin options) for the last couple of years. They are good enough to do the job here. Bowled well in patches. Ramesh bowled well. Others couldn’t support him. When we batted second, not easy to bat against Lyon. Was turning heavily. Approach was good, sometimes we took bad decisions,” said Karunaratne during a post-match presentation.
The outing was memorable for Aussies, who outplayed Lankan Lions in all the departments. With their superb bowling, the Aussies have taken a 1-0 lead in the series. Set a target of merely 5 runs, it was a cakewalk for Aussies who won the match by ten wickets, with David Warner (10*) and Usman Khawaja (0*).
Earlier, electing to bat first, Sri Lanka put 212 runs on the board. Niroshan Dickwella (58), Angelo Mathews (39) and captain Dimuth Karunaratne (28) put forward notable contributions for their side. Nathan Lyon (5/90) was the star of Australia with the ball. Spinner Mitchell Swepson also took 3/55. Pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc got a wicket each.
In the second innings, Australia gained an advantage by putting 321 runs on the board. With this, they gained a lead of 109 runs. Cameron Green (77) and Usman Khawaja (71) slammed valuable half-centuries for the Aussies. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey also made a solid 45. The rest of the Aussie batters could not do much for their side. Except for a 57-run stand between Khwaja and Green and an 84-run stand between Green and Carey, Sri Lankan bowlers captured wickets at regular intervals and troubled Aussies.
Spinner Ramesh Mendis was the pick of the bowlers for Lankans, taking 4/112. Pacer Asitha Fernando (2/37) and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay (2/68) also made key contributions for Lankans with the ball. In the third innings, with a 109 runs lead in their pocket, Aussie bowlers put on a dominating performance, skittling out Lankans for 113. Except for captain Karunaratne, no batter could touch the 20-run mark.
This innings belonged completely to the Aussie spinners. Lyon took 4/31, while Travis Head surprised Lankans with his bowling, taking 4/10. Swepson got 2 wickets for 34 runs. Australia was set merely 5 runs as their target, as Sri Lanka could end up with a lead of only four runs. Aussies chased this down without breaking a sweat.
Cameron Green was adjudged as ‘Man of the Match’ for his brilliant 77.
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