Galle (Sri Lanka): After dominating the first two and a half days of the opening Test against Sri Lanka, Australia found itself battling an unexpected adversary — Galle’s unpredictable sub-tropical weather. Despite securing a commanding 518-run lead, Australia’s hopes of wrapping up a quick victory were dampened as relentless rain washed out most of Day Three.
Play was curtailed shortly before lunch as a heavy downpour halted the proceedings, leaving Sri Lanka at 136/5 in response to Australia’s mammoth 654/6 (dec). Despite the one-sided nature of the contest, the persistent showers have placed the match’s outcome in doubt, with Australia needing 15 more wickets but running out of game time. Only 27 overs of play were possible on Friday, forcing Australia to rethink its strategy for the remainder of the match. While the idea of enforcing the follow-on was initially unlikely — given the short turnaround before the second Test on February 6 — it now seems like a realistic option as Australia looks to capitalise on whatever play remains.
With further showers expected on Day Four, Australia will have to act quickly to force a result, though the forecast for Day Five appears more favorable. The visitors had been relentless with the ball, in stark contrast to Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, which toiled through 153 overs for six wickets on the first two days. Mitchell Starc set the tone for the morning with a maiden over, as Australia’s disciplined bowling attack stifled Sri Lanka’s scoring rate.
Starc and Nathan Lyon combined to put Sri Lanka under early pressure, and it nearly paid off when Dinesh Chandimal (15) edged an arm-ball from Lyon. However, the ball flew between keeper Alex Carey and Steve Smith at slip, giving Sri Lanka a lucky reprieve. That luck soon ran out as Starc removed Kamindu Mendis (15) with a well-disguised down-the-leg delivery that he tickled to Carey behind the stumps. The home crowd groaned as their in-form batter, who had scored centuries in both previous Tests at Galle, was dismissed cheaply.
Chandimal responded with an aggressive counter-attack, hitting Lyon for consecutive boundaries, while Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva followed suit with back-to-back fours off Todd Murphy. However, his aggressive intent proved his downfall. Looking to take on Matthew Kuhnemann, Dhananjaya danced down the track, but the bowler cleverly pulled his length back. The ball spun away, and Carey completed an easy stumping, dismissing the Sri Lankan skipper for 22 off 34 balls.
At 107/5, and still trailing by nearly 550 runs, Sri Lanka’s hopes of saving the Test rested on Chandimal’s shoulders—and the mercy of the weather gods.
Chandimal brought up his 31st Test fifty, reaching 63, when the first rain interruption arrived 15 minutes before lunch. Initially thought to be a passing shower, the drizzle quickly turned into a monsoonal downpour, forcing an early lunch break. Despite the efforts of ground staff, the weather refused to cooperate. A brief spell of sunshine gave hope of a restart at 2:50 PM, but just as the covers were being removed, ominous black clouds rolled in from the northeast, forcing the staff to cover the pitch again.
The Australian bowlers, ready to resume play, looked on in disbelief as yet another heavy downpour struck, bringing an end to the day’s proceedings at 3:30 PM. Play is now scheduled to start 15 minutes early on Saturday, weather permitting. But with more rain expected, Sri Lanka’s chances of securing a draw after two and a half days of complete subjugation have significantly improved.
Brief scores:
Australia 654/6 (dec) in 154 overs (Usman Khawaja 232, Steve Smith 141; Jeffrey Vandersay 3-182, Prabath Jayasuriya 3-193) lead Sri Lanka 136/5 in 42 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 63 not out, Dhananjaya de Silva 22; Mitchell Starc 2-13, Matthew Kuhnemann2-48) by 518 runs
(IANS)
