AUSTRALIA V SRI LANKA
Day three of the first Warne-Muralitharan Trophy Test match in Galle, Sri Lanka
SCORE: Australia 6-654 dec, Sri Lanka 5-136
SUMMARY: Australia made a bright start after two dominant days, with Mitch Starc (2-13) dismissing strike weapon Kamindu Mendis (15) down the leg side and captain Dhananjaya de Silva (22) stumped off Matt Kuhnemann (2-48). Dinesh Chandimal (63no) provided resistance for the hosts at the same ground where he scored 206no on Australia’s last tour. Rain washed out the final two sessions to deny the tourists the chance to hunt more wickets, or the hosts the chance to stage an unlikely fightback.
THE MOMENT: De Silva’s dismissal was the most senseless of the match to date. The Sri Lankan captain charged down the wicket to attack Kuhnemann but completely missed the left-arm off-spinner’s length ball and was stumped by a clinical Carey. At the non-striker’s end, former captain Chandimal was none too happy.
THE PLAYER: Chandimal was the only Sri Lankan batter to go on with things, providing some much-needed positive intent for the previously helpless hosts. He wore a bouncer from Starc on his hip and needed medical attention before raising his bat for a 31st Test half-century before lunch.
THE STAT: Enforcing the follow-on may be the tourists’ clearest path to victory but Australia has been the losing team on three of the four occasions in Test history when a side ordering the follow-on has lost.
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