Sri Lanka, winning the toss, opted to bat first in the Galle Test and reached 229/9 on the first day. Despite half-centuries from Chandimal and Mendis, the Australian bowlers delivered a b performance.
SL vs AUS: In the second Test match at the Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. However, due to a lethal bowling performance from the Australian bowlers, the hosts managed only 229 runs for the loss of 9 wickets by the end of the first day's play. Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis scored half-centuries for Sri Lanka, but the other batsmen failed to deliver.
Struggling to Recover from Early Setbacks
Sri Lanka's innings began poorly, losing their first wicket at 23 runs. Pathum Nissanka scored 11 runs off 31 balls before being bowled by Nathan Lyon. Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal then formed a 70-run partnership for the second wicket. However, Lyon broke the partnership in the 33rd over, bowling Karunaratne for 36 runs (83 balls).
Middle Order Collapse
Sri Lanka suffered their third blow at 101 when Angelo Mathews was dismissed for just 1 run off 26 balls. In the 46th over, Kamindu Mendis (13 runs, 21 balls) was sent back to the pavilion by Travis Head. Then, in the 47th over, captain Dhananjaya de Silva was bowled for a golden duck.
Chandimal and Kusal Mendis' Struggle
Dinesh Chandimal played the highest scoring innings for Sri Lanka, scoring 74 runs with the help of 6 fours and 1 six, but he was stumped out at 150. Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis remained unbeaten on 59 runs. Lahiru Kumara accompanied him at the crease without scoring any runs.
Stark and Lyon Wreak Havoc
The Australian bowlers put in an impressive performance. Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon each took 3 wickets, while Matthew Kuhnemann took 2 and Travis Head claimed 1. Sri Lanka's batsmen struggled against Australia's excellent bowling.
First Test: Sri Lanka's Resounding Victory
It is noteworthy that the first Test match between the two teams was also played at the Galle International Stadium, where Sri Lanka defeated Australia by an innings and 242 runs. In that match, Australia won the toss and batted first, declaring their innings at 654/6. In reply, Sri Lanka managed only 165 runs in their first innings and 247 in their second.
