Hara-Kiri at Galle
Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis fought hard to push Sri Lanka into the lead, but the hosts are heading towards another crushing defeat against Australia in the second and final Test at Galle—Sri Lanka’s so-called fortress.
At stumps on day three, Sri Lanka found themselves in dire straits at 211 for 8, holding a meagre lead of just 54 runs. Mendis, the only recognised batter remaining, stood firm on a well-made 48, following up his resilient and unbeaten 85 in the first innings. The dismal performance summed up Sri Lanka’s collective strategic ineptitude in conditions they are supposed to dominate.
After their embarrassing innings-and-242-run capitulation in the first Test, there was hope—however faint—that Sri Lanka would rise to the occasion, especially after winning the toss. But true to their increasingly woeful reputation, they folded yet again, offering little resistance against an Australian side that has outclassed them in every department.
The final walk – opener Dimuth Karunaratne acknowledges the crowd as he walks back to the pavilion after being dismissed in his last appearance in Tests - AFP
Irresponsible shot selection, a glaring lack of game awareness, and an inability to withstand pressure ensured that Sri Lanka squandered yet another opportunity—not only to restore some lost pride but also to give a fitting farewell to Dimuth Karunaratne. The veteran opener, one of Sri Lanka’s most dependable batters in the last decade, bowed out of Test cricket with a respectable tally of 7,222 runs at an average of 39.25 across 100 Test appearances. However, his much-hyped 100th Test ended in an anticlimax, with scores of just 36 and 14—far from the grand farewell he and his team had hoped for.
Sri Lanka’s fragile position was exacerbated earlier in the day, despite a rare bright spot in the form of a dramatic Australian collapse in the morning session. The visitors lost seven wickets for just 64 runs, but the damage had already been done. Steven Smith and Alex Carey had delivered the decisive blows, orchestrating Australia’s dominance with a commanding 259-run partnership. Their efforts propelled Australia to a daunting 414, securing an imposing first-innings lead of 157 runs and further exposing Sri Lanka’s strategic incompetence.
Smith’s composed 131 and Carey’s aggressive, history-making 156, tore apart Sri Lanka’s supposedly spin-reliant bowling attack. Carey’s knock was not only a masterclass in calculated aggression but also a landmark achievement—making him the first Australian wicketkeeper to score 150-plus runs in Asia. His dominance against spin, an area where Sri Lanka once reigned supreme, starkly illustrated the home team’s declining standards and tactical frailty.
Amidst the gloom, Prabath Jayasuriya momentarily lifted Sri Lanka’s spirits with yet another impressive five-wicket haul—his 11th in Test cricket. But even his brilliance was overshadowed by the team’s recurring failures. The applause that greeted his effort was short-lived as Australia’s spinners once again exposed Sri Lanka’s brittle batting lineup.
The hosts’ second innings followed a depressingly familiar pattern—an early collapse that all but sealed their fate. Pathum Nissanka, Karunaratne, and Kamindu Mendis all fell cheaply, leaving Sri Lanka in tatters. Dinesh Chandimal, one of the few batters who had shown any semblance of resistance throughout the series, also perished without making an impact. The Australian spin duo of Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon made quick work of Sri Lanka’s lineup, reducing them to a precarious 98 for 4 by tea.
Mathews and Mendis then provided a glimmer of hope with a spirited 70-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Mathews, the senior most batter in the side, exhibited resilience and class as he notched up his 45th Test fifty. He had earlier shared a steady stand with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, who contributed a hard-fought 47 before falling victim to a stunning one-handed catch at slips by Australian skipper Steven Smith off Kuhnemann’s bowling.
Matthew Kuhnemann too four, to claim seven wickets in total
Just as Sri Lanka appeared to be finding some stability, Mathews threw his wicket away after doing all the hard work, walking back to the pavilion in visible disappointment after scoring 76. His dismissal triggered yet another collapse, with two more wickets falling in quick succession, leaving Sri Lanka teetering on the edge of defeat in a match they were expected to dominate after electing to bat first on a deteriorating pitch.
Now, with only Mendis standing between Sri Lanka and an inevitable loss, the team’s hopes of setting a competitive target rest solely on his shoulders as he fights alongside the tail. Given their fragile position and Australia’s ruthless bowling attack, Sri Lanka’s chances of mounting any form of resistance seem bleak at best.
Unless an improbable miracle unfolds on day four, Sri Lanka are headed for yet another humbling defeat—one that will raise further questions about their preparedness, mindset, and the direction in which their Test cricket is heading.
| Scoreboard | |
| Sri Lanka 1st innings 257 all out (97.4) (Kusal Mendis 85n.o., Dinesh Chandimal 74, Dimuth Karunaratne 36, Ramesh Mendis 28; Mitchell Starc 3/37, Matthew Kuhnemann 3/63, Nathan Lyon 3/96) Australia 1st innings (330-3 overnight) Travis Head c de Silva b Peiris 21 Usman Khawaja lbw b Peiris 36 Marnus Labuschagne lbw b Jayasuriya 04 Steven Smith c Kusal M b Jayasuriya 131 Alex Carey b Jayasuriya 156 Josh Inglis b Jayasuriya 00 Beau Webster b R. Mendis 31 Cooper Connolly c R. Mendis b Peiris 04 Mitchell Starc b Jayasuriya 08 Nathan Lyon not out 02 Matthew Kuhnemann b R. Mendis 06 Extras (b6, lb9) 15 Total (all out; 106.4 overs) 414 Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Head, 6.4ov), 2-37 (Labuschagne, 7.5ov), 3-91 (Khawaja, 24.5ov), 4-350 (Smith, 84.3ov), 5-350 (Inglis, 84.5ov), 6-373 (Carey, 92.6ov), 7-384 (Connolly, 95.1ov), 8-406 (Starc, 103.5ov), 9-406 (Webster, 104.3ov), 10-414 (Kuhnemann, 106.4ov) Bowling: Lahiru Kumara 7-1-37-0, Dhananjaya de Silva 5-0-18-0, Nishan Peiris 31-4-94-3, Prabath Jayasuriya 38-6-151-5, Ramesh Mendis 22.4-0-81-2, Kamindu Mendis 3-0-18-0 Sri Lanka 2nd innings Pathum Nissanka b Kuhnemann 08 Dimuth Karunaratne c Carey b Kuhnemann 14 Dinesh Chandimal c Webster b Lyon 12 Angelo Mathews c Webster b Lyon 76 Kamindu Mendis c Khawaja b Lyon 14 Dhananjaya de Silva c Smith b Kuhnemann 23 Kusal Mendis not out 48 Ramesh Mendis c Head b Webster 00 Prabath Jayasuriya c Smith b Kuhnemann 06 Extras (b4, nb1, pen5) 10 Total (8 wickets; 62.1 overs) 211 To bat: Nishan Peiris, Lahiru Kumara Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Nissanka, 1.3ov), 2-33 (Karunaratne, 12.1ov), 3-39 (Chandimal, 13.4ov), 4-81 (Kamindu M, 25.4ov), 5-128 (de Silva, 39.5ov), 6-198 (Mathews, 57.1ov), 7-199 (Ramesh M, 58.5ov), 8-211 (Jayasuriya, 62.1 ov) Bowling: Mitchell Starc 4-0-22-0, Matthew Kuhnemann 20.1-4-52-4, Travis Head 9-0-33-0, Nathan Lyon 25-2-80-3, Cooper Connolly 2-0-9-0, Beau Webster 2-0-6-1 |