SL v AUS, 1st Test, Day 2 Review: Australia stay ahead as rains forces early stumps

Rain hindered with the play for the second consecutive day after persistent downpour forced early stumps on day 2 at Pallekelle. Sri Lanka, after bowling out the visitors for 203, started off badly once again and were at 6/1 in the 3rd innings. They trail by 80 runs.

Spinners Rangana Herath and Lakshan Sandakan ensured that Australia didn’t overlap their team’s total with a huge lead and snapped four wickets each. Australia had already lost openers Joe Burns and Davi Warner on day one. However, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja held things tight till the end of the day.

But, Sri Lanka began the day on a high after Herath picked both the stubborn batters in back to back overs just an over after the start of the new day. But, there wasn’t a sudden downslide as Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh hung around thereafter and kept the scoreboard ticking.

The duo batted on for close to 20 overs before left-arm wrist spinner Sandakan intervened and snared his first Test wicket with a wonderful googly over the wicket which broke Mitchell Marsh’s stumps. Peter Neville looked in a bit of a hurry and departed quickly off the bowling of Herath.

But, just again when the Australian looked to be plunging, Voges and Steven O’Keefe forged a brief stand of 23 runs. However, the Sri Lankans bowlers were tough to keep at bay as they quickly found another breakthrough. This time, the benefactor was Nuwan Pradeep and the man to fall was Adam Voges.

Sandakan then smoothly got better of the tail-enders and added three more wicket to his credit in the form of O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in the space of few overs to stop the Aussies at 203.

With a lead of 86 to cover, the Sri Lankans got off to a similar start and lost their first wicket cheaply. The hosts changed the opening pair and sent Kusal Perera instead of Dimuth Karunaratne along with Kaushal Silva. However, it was quite unfortunate that this move also couldn’t word as Mitchell Starc struck off the last ball before the rain interruption to put his team in thorough command.

Brief Scores:

1st Innings

Sri Lanka: 117 all out (Dhanajaya de Silva 24; Nathan Lyon 3/12)

Australia: 203 all out (Adam Voges 47; Rangana Herath 4/49)

2nd innings

Sri Lanka: 6/1 (Kusal Perera 4; Mitchell Starc: 1/3)

Sri Lanka trail by 80 runs with 9 wickets remaining