• Australia wrapped Sri Lanka's 2nd innings on 247 to script a historic win by an innings and 242 runs.

  • Australia now lead the 2-match Test series 1-0.

Twitter reactions: Dominant Australia tears Sri Lanka apart to claim an emphatic win in the 1st Test
SL vs AUS (Image Source: Getty)

Table of Contents

The 1st Test of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy at the Galle International Stadium brought wonders for the Australian as they asserted total dominance over the proceedings of the game to give a crushing defeat to Sri Lanka. The defeat will go down in the history books as a humiliation on the home soil as Sri Lanka were rattled on 247 runs to suffer a loss by an innings and 242 runs.

The saga of disappointment continued for Sri Lanka on Day 4

Sri Lanka with the danger of follow-on looming over their heads as they were struggling at 136/5 at the end of Day 3 in which rain gods saved them from crushing down in the final session. However, the Sri Lankan horror-show with the bat continued. The Sri Lankan batters had no response to the spin masterclass from Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon who bagged 5 and 3 wickets respectively to put an end to Sri Lanka’s hopes in the 1st innings.

The Sri Lankan innings crashed in the very first session of the day’s play at a meagre score of 165 runs. With a mammoth lead in-hand and rain anticipated later during the day, Australia took their chances and enforced a follow-on on the home side considering their bowlers just bowled 52.2 pavers to bundle the Sri Lankan innings.

The second innings of the home side was no different than the previous one as they succumbed to the scoreboard pressure. The Sri Lankan middle order tried to resist for some time but the relentless offensive bowling display from Australia proved to be too much for them. Tailender Jeffrey Vandersay did add a 53-run knock in the end to delay the Sri Lankan loss but could not overturn the inevitable.

Also Watch: Dimuth Karunaratne’s brain fade dismissal on Day 4 of the first Test

Australia spun a web to trap Sri Lanka

The Australian side took full advantage of the favourable conditions for spin bowling and struck at the right time to assert their total dominance over the home side. The highlight performance with the bowl came from Kuhnemann who clinched a 5-wicket haul in the first innings and bagged another 4 wickets during the second Sri Lankan innings to add a 9-wicket haul to his name, a first for the youngster in his international career. Lyon supported Kuhnemann to apply further pressure on Sri Lanka and took 4 wickets in the second innings.

Todd Murphy and Mitchell Starc played a crucial role in preventing the easy runs to the Lankan batters in both the innings. Starc bowled 8 overs for just 13 runs and took 2 wickets in the 1st and gave away 14 runs in 5 overs for Oshada Fernando’s wicket in the 2nd innings. Murphy on the other hand, bagged the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne in the 2nd innings and gave away 57 runs in his 11-over spell. Australia have now secured a 1-0 lead in the 2-match Test series. The last Test of the series will be played from February 6.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Also Watch:  Travis Head’s sensational one-handed grab left Angelo Mathews stunned on Day 2 of the Galle Test

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About the Author:
PRANJAL MISHRA
Pranjal is a postgraduate in Journalism with a lifelong passion for cricket. From a young age, cricket has been an integral part of his life, creating some of his most cherished memories. His enthusiasm for the sport continues to drive his writing. Pranjal began his professional journey as a writer for radio and television before transitioning to full-time sports journalism in 2021. Over the years, he has covered a wide variety of sports, showcasing his versatility as a writer. Cricket remains his foremost passion, both as a fan and a journalist.You can connect with Pranjal on LinkedIn and follow him on X (Twitter) or write to him at pranjal.mishra@crickettimes.com.