Steven Smith completed an outstanding series at the helm with his 200th Test catch, but he wasn’t needed with the bat as Australia clinically sealed a rare series victory in Asia early on day four. The only concern for Australia will be the fitness of Steven Smith, who looked sore in the field in what might be an aggravation of an elbow injury that he suffered ahead of the series in the BBL. But he remained on the field and was padded to bat.
Star Australian batter Steven Smith created history on Sunday, February 9, by becoming the first player from his country to take 200 catches in Test cricket. Steven Smith, who is leading the Baggy Greens in the ongoing two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, achieved the milestone during the first session of Day 4’s play of the ongoing second Test at Galle International Stadium. Steve Smith entered his name in history books by completing Kusal Mendis’ catch off Nathan Lyon’s bowling in the 64th over of Sri Lanka’s 2nd innings.
After wrapping up Sri Lanka’s second innings within the opening 20 minutes of the day’s play, Australia only lost opener Travis Head in pursuit of the 75-run victory target to win the second Test by nine wickets and sweep the series 2-0.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The weather has changed dramatically ever since the first Test came to an end in Galle. The thick milk-shakey clouds that had engulfed the town and the stadium have now mostly disappeared. And it’s also been extremely hot and humid over the last few days in between Tests, even keeping the two teams’ practice sessions to brief spurts with bat and ball.
The pitch, meanwhile, has taken a proper beating under the blazing hot Galle sun and it’s dry and dusty. It will not have the tackiness it did last week because of all the rain and the moisture underneath. So, expect the ball to turn sharply and probably even venomously from the first morning itself. There’s an expectation that the fast bowlers might not see much of the ball. There’s thankfully no rain on the forecast. Only extreme heat and humidity.
Toss : Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya De Silva won the toss and chose to bat with three changes in the playing XI bringing in Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara and Ramesh Mendis for Oshada Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay and Asitha Fernando. Australian skipper Steve Smith bowling first handed the debut cap to Cooper Connolly in place of Todd Murphy.
Day 1 : Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon keep Sri Lanka on a tight leash on Day 1 after resistance from Chandimal and Kusal Mendis.
Sri Lanka endured another shoddy batting show at the start of the second Test in Galle as the hosts ended the opening day at 229/9. Despite half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis, Australia kept the home side on a tight leash to take early control in the second fixture.
Dhananjaya de Silva put his under-fire batting unit in on a dry surface after winning the toss. A week after Australia posted a first-innings total of 654/6 at the same venue, Sri Lanka made a fairly solid start through the senior pair of Dimuth Karunaratne – playing in his 100th and final Test for Sri Lanka, and Chandimal.
Nathan Lyon was employed early on a surface that took sharp turn from the first hour itself, and saw the back of returning opener Pathum Nissanka. The second-wicket pair of Karunaratne and Chandimal, however, saw through the rest of the morning session with solidity and some intent to push the team ahead.
What transpired after this break though, would’ve further peeved head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, who chided his batters for their shot selection in the aftermath of the first Test defeat. Karunaratne, who’d moved along to 30s, fell in the third over after the break – cleaned up by Lyon from round the stumps. Angelo Mathews was scratchy and circumspect for 25 deliveries, before biting the bullet on the 26th when Lyon tossed one up for him to reach out and defend, only to nick behind to Alex Carey.
Right after the drinks break, Australia struck through the golden arm of Travis Head. The offie got Kamindu Mendis to nick to Steve Smith in first slip while attempting a cut shot. Dhananjaya de Silva’s arrival coincided with the return of Mitchell Starc, and the pacer dismissed the Sri Lankan captain right away. Starc bowled full and wide and Dhananjaya chased after it, nicking to Beau Webster at gully.
Chandimal, who scored his 32nd Test fifty in this session, batted out the rest of the session with Kusal Mendis. But once again it didn’t result in a bigger, more significant alliance as Sri Lanka lost a wicket early into a session. This time, Chandimal fell to an exceptional piece of glovework by Carey. Matthew Kuhneman got Chandimal to press forward and miss, and Carey whipped the bails off with no part of the batter’s foot behind the line. He walked off for 74.
Kusal Mendis tried to throw Lyon off his lengths by repeatedly slog sweeping him. He and Ramesh Mendis pushed back for the majority of the final session, showing gumption for a big partnership. They added 65 runs for the seventh wicket to take Sri Lanka past the 200-mark but Starc returned, with new ball in hand, to ensure Australia finished the day in the driver’s seat.
Starc bowled a quick one – 144kmph – across the right-hander, who was indecisive in playing or leaving the delivery and ended up edging to Carey. Prabath Jayasuriya then edged one to Smith at second slip for a first-ball duck. Kuhneman then reduced Sri Lanka to 224/9 by cleaning up Nishan Peiris.
Steve Smith threw in a lot of catchers around the bat for the final pair who still had to negotiate 3.5 overs to get to stumps. Lahiru Kumara played 11 of those balls – dead-batting most, to survive the day in the company of Mendis, who went to stumps unbeaten on 59.
Day 2 : Historic ton for skipper Steven Smith and Alex Carey powers Australia in a box seat on Day 2
A marathon unbeaten stand of 239 between Steven Smith (120*) and Alex Carey (139*) put Australia in the box seat on the second day of the final Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The pair batted right through the evening session to consolidate the visitors’ advantage and Australia currently have a first-innings lead of 73 on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate in the coming days.
Apart from struggling to make inroads, the Lankans couldn’t put a lid on the scoring rate either. Australia’s innings scoring rate was comfortably over four-runs-an-over while the Smith-Carey stand had a run rate of 4.34 to pressurize the bowlers. The first half of the day still had Sri Lanka in the game after Kusal Mendis’ unbeaten knock of 85 had given them a semblance of respectability with the bat. Then, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne fell cheaply to the new-ball to put the tourists in a slight spot of bother.
However, since then, it was all about Australia as Steven Smith first combined with Usman Khawaja (36) for a 54-run stand to steady things before combining with Carey to put the Aussies in a dominant position.
While Steven Smith steadily went through the gears, Carey’s approach was one-way traffic from the get-go. He had come out all guns blazing in a surprise promotion to no.5 after Josh Inglis wasn’t allowed to bat due to being away from the field for a long period of time.
The left-hander capitalized on the opportunity and went full throttle in the final session to outscore his partner comfortably. That the Lankans weren’t able to create much was evident from this one stat – there was only one review taken since the 25th over of the Australian innings for 55 overs.
Much like the afternoon session, the phase after tea was also about Steven Smith and Carey with both batters getting to their respective hundreds. For the former, it was his second of the series and at the start of this innings, he had also overtaken Ricky Ponting for the most runs scored by an Australian in Asia.
Steven Smith looked in total control as he used his feet and the depth of the crease well to negate Sri Lanka’s spinners. There was some turn on offer but as the ball got softer, it wasn’t difficult to negotiate. The hosts’ bowlers also didn’t help their cause by being inconsistent.
Day 3 : Spinners put Australia on the brink of series win
Australia took rapid strides towards a potential whitewash series win on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The spin duo of Matthew Kuhneman (4-52) and Nathan Lyon (3-80) spun a web around Sri Lanka’s batters as the hosts found themselves at 211/8 at the close of play on the third day, the lead being just 54 at this point. Like in the first innings, Kusal Mendis (48*) once again looked in good touch but has been running out of partners at the other end.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka’s spinners had a decent morning session which helped to limit Australia’s first innings lead to 157. Having ended the second day at 330/3, the visitors may have harbored thoughts of going past the 500-run mark. However, Jayasuriya (5-151) and Nishan Peiris (3-81) bowled with a lot more control today, especially the former as he toiled to a fifer. They would still rue their bowling on the second day when Australia effectively got into a match-winning position.
If de Silva was unfortunate to get out, Mathews certainly wasn’t. The veteran looked in good control and seemed set for a century before throwing it away. An attempted aggressive sweep against Lyon only resulted in a top-edge that ballooned towards short fine leg, with Webster doing the rest.
Sri Lanka needed Mathews to bat deep, particularly with Kusal Mendis looking solid at the other end. However, that dismissal allowed the Aussies to make a few more inroads. Webster once again got into the act, this time with the ball as his part-time offie’s got rid of Ramesh Mendis.
The post-tea session was productive for the home side in terms of runs as they scored 113 more during this phase but also lost four wickets in the bargain. The initial phase after tea was a steady one for Sri Lanka as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva starting promisingly, giving good company to Angelo Mathews (76) who continued to bat with fluency.
However, as has been the case throughout the series, Kuhneman intervened to nip the partnership in the bud. The left-arm spinner produced a cracker that spun sharply to induce an edge from de Silva’s forward defence, and Steve Smith at slip reacted to take one of the finest catches with a dive.
Day 4 : Steven Smith’s tour of triumph in SL is a success as Australia surge to clinical 2-0 series victory
Steve Smith completed an outstanding series at the helm with his 200th Test catch, but he wasn’t needed with the bat as Australia clinically sealed a rare series victory in Asia early on day four. After wrapping up Sri Lanka’s second innings within the opening 20 minutes of the day’s play, Australia only lost opener Travis Head in pursuit of the 75-run victory target to win the second Test by nine wickets and sweep the series 2-0.
Usman Khawaja, who set the tone with a double century in the first Test, finished unbeaten on 27 while Marnus Labuschagne made a fluent 26 not out in a confidence boost with his place in the side attracting some scrutiny. Frontline spinners Matthew Kuhneman and Nathan Lyon claimed four wickets apiece in Sri Lanka’s second innings to cap their brilliant series. They combined to take 30 of the 40 Sri Lankan wickets in the series.
Sri Lanka’s hopes of setting a tricky chase rested entirely with Kusal Mendis, who had raced to 48 in a counterattack late on day three. Resuming at 211 for 8 with a lead of 54, Sri Lanka promoted Lahiru Kumara to No. 10 after he survived 26 balls in the first innings in a 33-run last wicket partnership with Mendis.
Mendis on his second delivery of the day’s play reached his second half-century of the match, but he fell two balls later to vicious bounce from Lyon as a top-edge ballooned to fine-leg where Smith became the first Australian to claim 200 Test catches.
With Sri Lanka’s hopes dashed, the only remaining interest centered on whether Kuhneman or Lyon would finish with a five-wicket haul. Lyon had two big lbw shouts on Nishan Peiris turned down by umpire Adrian Holdstock as Australia reviewed unsuccessfully.
Lyon’s frustrations grew after Kumara edged low down to Beau Webster at second slip only for replays to show it didn’t carry. Webster took it upon himself to end the innings when – just like late on day three – he unfurled his offspin and clean bowled Kumara on his first delivery. It completed a strong all round match for Webster, who showcased his versatility with the ball and he also took several sharp catches.
Desperately needing early wickets, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva went straight to his off spinners and Peiris produced sharp spin, but Head pounced when the bowlers missed their lengths.
After a nervous start, Head whacked Ramesh Mendis down the ground before Khawaja hit a couple of boundaries as Australia started to cruise. De Silva had to quickly resort to left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who promptly dismissed Head off the top-edge. With just 37 runs needed, there wasn’t a lot to gain for Labuschagne who had missed out in this series amid a century drought stretching back to the 2023 Ashes.
He eased his nerves with a superb drive to the boundary and he whacked another off Jayasuriya to bring up Australia’s 50. After a tough tour, Labuschagne had the satisfaction of hitting the winning run as Australia celebrated their first clean sweep in Asia since beating Bangladesh 2-0 in 2006.
It was Australia’s first Test series victory in Sri Lanka since 2011 having lost four of five matches across the 2016 and 2022 tours. Australia’s only other series victory in Asia since 2011 was in Pakistan three years ago. The only concern for Australia will be the fitness of Smith, who looked sore in the field in what might be an aggravation of an elbow injury that he suffered ahead of the series in the BBL. But he remained on the field and was padded to bat.
Contests between the teams in Sri Lanka had been traditionally competitive, but Australia flipped the script with consecutive ruthless performances that felt out of the Steve Waugh era. Their selections worked well and Australia had contributions across the board with four centurions and an attack that was all over Sri Lanka’s struggling batting-order.
Lone quick Mitchell Starc built on his outstanding record in Sri Lanka, while Kuhneman claimed a series-high 16 wickets at 17.18 to prove why he has been deemed so valuable in these conditions. He also showed plenty of grit to play through a sore thumb he injured in a BBL game on January 16.
After having little to do during the seam-dominated India-series, Lyon as expected shouldered plenty of responsibility and finished with 14 wickets at 22.5.
But this battle for the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy will be remembered for stand-in skipper Smith. He issued a reminder on his mastery in Asian conditions with brilliant back-to-back tons as his renaissance continues. Smith led superbly in the absence of Pat Cummins with his tactical nous coming to the fore as he made all the right moves in the field.
In contrast, Sri Lanka were bitterly disappointing in a sad end for retiring opener Dimuth Karunaratne as they slumped to their fourth straight Test defeat.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Dhananjaya De Silva the losing SL skipper said : Very disappointed. Losing home series 2-0 is very disappointing. These conditions are very suitable for us. We haven’t had opportunities to get into the game. Aussies proved why they are finalists.
We haven’t done well in first innings, whether bowling or batting. 260 isn’t enough. Losing four wickets in an hour isn’t going to help. The consistency – they put the ball every time in the same place (talking about Aus spinners). Very hard to score as a batter.
Alex Carey Player of the Match for his 156 runs said : Congratulations to Dimuth. Outstanding career. Josh went down with a bit of a back spasm so I was elevated up the order. Platform was set up by the boys up the order. And Smudge again was outstanding in this innings, showing his class.
I think the wicket allowed for that as well – some expansive shots. It was a good wicket when the ball pitched on the good stuff. It’s fun (wicket-keeping). Kusal did a great job as well. We’ve got some quality spinners in our lineup, always good standing behind the stumps.
Steven Smith Player of the Series and the winning Australian skipper said : It was a really good series. We played really well from the outset. The way the batters were able to adapt was outstanding. All of our bowlers did a terrific job, Mitchell Starc included. And the spinners went to work. We had a really good training camp in Dubai before coming here. All of our batters bat differently.
Usman and Carey like to sweep a lot, me and Marnus use our feet. It’s been really fun. We’ve got such a great group here. I really enjoy captaining in this part of the world. All the movements you need to make, the intricacies involved. I thought Alex played exceptionally well. That partnership obviously helped us set up the game.
Star Australian batter Steven Smith created history on Sunday, February 9, by becoming the first player from his country to take 200 catches in Test cricket. Smith, who is leading the Baggy Greens in the ongoing two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, achieved the milestone during the first session of Day 4’s play of the ongoing second Test at Galle International Stadium. Steven Smith entered his name in history books by completing Kusal Mendis’ catch off Nathan Lyon’s bowling in the 64th over of Sri Lanka’s 2nd innings.
Steven Smith completed a total of five catches in the match. He is the fifth cricketer in the world after Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene, and Joe Root to take 200 catches in Tests. Former India captain and head coach Dravid is the most successful outfielder in Tests with 210 catches to his name in 164 matches, and he is followed by Root (207), Jayawardene (205), and Kallis (200).
During the first day’s play of the second Test in Galle, Steven Smith broke Ricky Ponting’s record of 196 catches for Australia in Tests. The five catches in the second Test against Sri Lanka have also helped Smith not just become the second player after Root to take 100 catches in the World Test Championship (WTC) but also become the most successful fielder in WTC. The star right-handed batter has 104 catches to his name in 52 WTC matches, whereas Root has completed 100 catches in 64 matches.
In the ongoing series, Steven Smith has impressed with his batting performance as well. He scored 141 runs from 251 balls in the first innings of the first Test played at Galle International Stadium from January 29 to February 1, and in the first innings of the ongoing match, he amassed a total of 131 runs from 254 balls.
Steven Smith, who became the fastest batter to score 10,000 runs (in terms of matches) for Australia during the ongoing away series, has 36 Test centuries to his name. Only Ponting (41) has scored more triple-digit scores in the five-day format of the game for the Baggy Greens. The century in the first innings of the second Test also helped Smith become the second Australian and third batter overall in the world to score 4000 runs in WTC.
Australia seal the series 2-0. They congratulate each other on the balcony before walking out to shake hands with the opposition. Dimuth Karunaratne takes a stump as a souvenir as his Test career comes to a close. He finishes as only the seventh player to play 100 Tests for Sri Lanka, and easily has the most runs as an opening batter for them. Smith and Co wait outside the boundary while Karunaratne walks off for one final time.
It was another comprehensive performance from the visitors in this second Test. Having bowled out Sri Lanka for 257 after losing the toss, they posted over 400 on the board thanks to a sensational 259-run stand between Steven Smith and Alex Carey which set up the match for them beautifully.
Both of them struck superb hundreds on a dry and turning pitch, and dominated the spin trio of Sri Lanka who were left without answers. They guided Australia to a first-innings lead of 157 which was always going to be very difficult to overcome. Sri Lanka did fight hard with the bat in the second innings, with Mathews and Mendis scoring fifties, but Lyon and Kuhneman were persistent and got the job done eventually as they both took four-fers.
Steven Smith collected the Warne-Murali trophy, shakes hands with Karunaratne once more, and then joins his teammates. Last time Australia won a Test series in Sri Lanka was in 2011. Lyon had spoken about wanting to be ruthless before this Test, and how they want to be known as a great team.
They had missed out in 2022 where they lost the second Test after winning the first. But this time they got the job done in comprehensive style. Their spinners, led by Lyon himself, outbowled their counterparts, and the batters made the difference with first-innings runs in both Tests.
With this, the current WTC cycle of matches comes to a close. Australia will now meet South Africa in June for the final, and what a match that promises to be.