Sri Lanka bowled out for 4th lowest Test total vs Australia, 1st Test Day 1 at Pallekele

Nathan Lyon's 3 for 12 helped Australia wrap up Sri Lanka just after the second session began.

Nathan Lyon struck twice very first over after lunch as Lyon’s final figures of 3 for 12 along with the aid provided from the pace department helped Australia bundle Sri Lanka out for 117 in 34.2 overs on Day 1 of the first Test. The duo of Starc and Steve O’Keefe bagged the last 3 wickets to wrap up the horror show from Sri Lanka. This was Sri Lanka’s fourth lowest total in Tests against Australia, their previous lowest totals being 97, 103 and 105 (Darwin, Melbourne and Galle). Dhananjaya de Silva, who made his Test debut today, top-scored for Sri Lanka with 24 off 38. His innings was inclusive of 3 boundaries. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test at Kandy

Dilruwan Perera and de Silva were Lyon’s first two victims and their dismissals left leaving Sri Lanka in a terrible position at 87 for 7 in 28.4 overs. Just when Lyon was turning the ball, the Lankan batsmen assumed he would do that every delivery. However the off spinner played smart, drifted one right inside and Kusal Perera decided to leave it only to see the ball rattle the top of the off-stump. That expression on Kusal summed the exact situation of the hosts at that time, they just turned a toss win into a horror innings.

Sri Lanka at one point looked to register their lowest total in Tests against Australia but a boundary from their senior man Rangana Herath denied another added embarrassment in the match. Their lowest total against the No. 1 Test side is 103 which they had registered at Melbourne in 2012. Herath was brave enough to go after Starc for a boundary in this pressure situation; experience makes a lot of difference at times.

Starc struck back same over by removing Herath to leave Sri Lanka at 100 for 9. While the  fast bowler was not interested in the review, David Warner seemed more than sure that the inswinger yorker hit Herath’s boots first. Excellent review-call from the visitors and they were one wicket away from ending this disastrous innings of Sri Lanka.

O’Keefe finished things off for Australia by dismissing Nuwan Pradeep in the 33rd over, leaving Sandakan at the other end disappointed. There was turn again, an outside edge and Smith almost never missed these catches.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 117 (Dhananjaya de Silva 24, Kusal Perera 20; Mitchell Starc 2 for 51, Josh Hazlewood 3 for 21, Steve O’Keefe 2 for 32, Nathan Lyon 3 for 12 ) vs Australia.

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(Sakshi Gupta, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)