Sri Lanka v Australia 1st Test, Day 3 - 5 Moments of the day

Sri Lanka fought back on Day 3 of the first Test at Kandy with Kusal Mendis showing the way for the other Sri Lankan batsmen on what seemed to be somewhat of a diabolical wicket. The Australians toiled away in the humid conditions but to no avail.

Dinesh Chandimal took the cue as he smashed a valuable 42 before Dhananjaya de Silva too kept Mendis company by playing a valiant innings of 36. Nathan Lyon picked his 200th wicket in Test cricket as the day was called off due to the encroaching rain clouds and bad light. Here are some of the most memorable moments from the day’s play.

1. Kusal Mendis slams maiden Test ton:

Kusal Mendis slammed his maiden ton in Test cricket with some impressive batting performances under pressure. What was even more impressive was the way Mendis handled the pressure situation and continued scoring the runs required for the team. Steven O’Keefe could not get him out before his injury. Moreover, Nathan Lyon simply failed to breach his defenses as Mendis coasted along to score an impressive 169.

2. Lyon makes it two hundred:

In 2011, Nathan Lyon received the distinction of taking a wicket with his first delivery in Test history. Ironically, the wicket taken was that of Kumar Sangakkara. Five years later, Nathan Lyon is back to where it all began for him. This time around, he claimed his 200^th Test wicket by dismissing Dhanajaya de Silva. The latter was removed attempting a risky uppish drive, only to find the fielder at long on.

3. Bad light – yet again:

Bad light or rain has usually stopped play prematurely for the past two days. Unfortunately, it was the similar situation on Day 3 as well. The umpires Richard Kettleborough and S Ravi called off play after taking a quick meter reading and calling play off when the Lankans were in the ascendancy at 282/6. The Lankan crowd, however, were clearly upset as they could not witness Kusal Mendis reach his double century.

Also read – SL v AUS, 1st Test, Day 3 Review: Kusal Mendis century shifts momentum towards Sri Lanka

4. Appeals galore:

The appeals from the Aussies came thick and fast soon after the dismissal of Dimuth Karunaratne. Apart from the two reviews used for leg-before, the appeals simply did not stop. In fact, Steve Smith was warned by Umpire S Ravi for over-boarding the appeal. Moreover, the disappointment on Smith’s face in bitter disappointment was clearly evident.

5. Steve Smith gets a stern warning:

The over-appealing apparently got slightly annoying for the two umpires on the day. Steve Smith was warned by Umpire S Ravi for over-appealing at one stage of the game. This went on to prove the desperation the Aussies had to get the wicket of Mendis. However, the latter remained unbeaten as the Aussies had to wait another day to have a crack at him once more.