A still Nathan Lyon from the 1st Test vs SL.
Highlights
- Sri Lanka opted to bat first after winning the toss.
- Lyon returned bowling figures of 5-90.
Led by Nathan Lyon's 20th five-wicket haul, Swepson's three-wicket haul, and Khawaja's unbeaten 47, Australia ended day one of the first Test vs Sri Lanka on 98/3 - trailing 114 runs from Sri Lanka's first innings total of 212.
Sri Lankan off-spinner Ramesh Mendis dismissed David Warner (25) lbw and had Marnus Labuschagne (13) caught by Asitha Fernando in Australia's innings to finish the day on 2-35. Steven Smith was run out for 6 after a mix-up with Usman Khawaja, who refused to run after calling Smith for a single. Khawaja was batting on 47 with Travis Head on 6 at stumps.
Earlier, Lyon returned bowling figures of 5-90 and leg spinner Mitchell Swepson had 3-55 to help Australia bowl, Sri Lanka, out to a modest score. Niroshan Dickwella top-scored for Sri Lanka with 58, his 21st test half-century. He added 42 runs for the sixth wicket with Angelo Mathews (39) after Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 97 runs, and 54 runs for the seventh wicket with Mendis (22).
Sri Lanka opted to bat first after winning the toss and resumed its innings after tea at 191-6. Lyon trapped Mendis lbw with just two runs added to the teatime score to end his partnership with Dickwella. Dickwella edged Lyon to wicketkeeper Alex Carey and had Lasith Embuldeniya (6) as his fifth wicket. Earlier, he dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne (28) and Angelo Mathews (39), both caught by David Warner.
Australia's second spinner Mitchell Swepson took two consecutive wickets in the 37th over with identical deliveries. The leg spinner got the first delivery of the over drifting toward right-handed Dananjaya de Silva's leg stump and the bouncing ball took a fine outside edge for a catch to wicketkeeper Carey. De Silva made 14.
Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed first ball when the ball turned, bounced and rebounded to Warner at second slip from wicketkeeper Carey's glove.
Captain Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka opened the batting for Sri Lanka and added 38 runs for the first wicket.
Fast bowler Pat Cummins forced an edge off Nissanka (23) with a rising delivery to wicketkeeper Carey and four runs later Starc had No. 3 batsman Kusal Mendis (3) driving far from his body for an edge to Carey.
The home team named three spin bowlers for the match, including leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay for his test debut.
The 32-year-old has taken 25 wickets in 19 one-day internationals and seven wickets in 14 Twenty20 internationals for Sri Lanka.
The series is being played for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, named after the two top bowlers in test history with 1,508 test wickets combined.
This is the first series for the trophy after Australian great Shane Warne died in March from a heart attack while vacationing in Thailand. A brief remembrance was held for Warne before the match.
The second day of this test match promises to be a moving one. The Pitch is turning square, and Sri Lanka would want to make complete use of the favourable conditions on offer.
(Inputs PTI)
