1st Test:
Day 1
Sri Lanka 117
Australia 66/2 (20.0 ov)
Australia trail by 51 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Before this Test was 40 overs old, 12 wickets had fallen and just 124 runs had been scored. Three of the dismissals were bowled, four lbw. Forget about reducing the depth of bats, making them wider and longer seemed a better way to achieve balance between bat and ball on a day like this. But then Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja came along, played steady, and restored sanity. They reminded everyone that, actually, these were quite good batting conditions.
Until then, the only such hint from the scorecard was the footnote that Angelo Mathews had won the toss and chosen to bat. Josh Hazlewood: 3 for 21 from ten overs. Nathan Lyon: 3 for 12 from three. Sri Lanka's top scorer: debutant Dhananjaya de Silva with 24. Sri Lanka's best partnership: 25. And after Sri Lanka were all out for 117, David Warner and Joe Burns both fell within the first four overs of Australia's innings. Surely this was a bowler's paradise?
Not quite. Yes, there was spin. Yes, there were hints of swing. So there should be. But the bounce was generally true and as Smith and Khawaja began to show later in the day - before rain washed out the entire final session - good batting could be rewarded. Of course, they were both still finding their way when play was abandoned, Smith on 28 from 46 deliveries and Khawaja on 25 from 54. But only one Sri Lankan - Dinesh Chandimal with 15 off 54 - had lasted that long.
Certainly Australia's bowlers deserve significant credit. Hazlewood especially found just enough movement early in the day to be constantly threatening. Mitchell Starc picked up the first wicket, Dimuth Karunaratne lbw for 5 to a ball that tailed in, but Starc was playing his first Test since November and took some time to find his consistency. Hazlewood was the man who pierced the Sri Lanka top order.
Kusal Mendis was lbw to Hazlewood for 8, failing to get bat on a ball that swung in, and Kaushal Silva followed quickly for 4, edging through to Adam Voges at first slip. Sri Lanka's 15 for 2 had become 18 for 3, and Mathews might have started to wish he had lost the toss after all. He was the next man to walk to the crease and, after offering some resistance, was also the next to walk off.
Smith had called on the left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe in the ninth over of the match and some turn was immediately evident. Then, in his fourth over, O'Keefe extracted both spin and bounce to collect the edge off Mathews, who was taken at slip for 15. The innings was not yet 15 overs old and already Sri Lanka's debutant at No.6, de Silva, was on his way to the middle.
But de Silva showed few nerves and from his fifth ball in Test cricket got off the mark with a classy six down the ground off O'Keefe, using his feet to find the pitch of the ball and hitting through the line. It was the only glimmer in an otherwise gloomy morning for the hosts. They went to lunch at 84 for 5 after Hazlewood again found some late swing, just enough to clip the edge of Chandimal's bat; he was caught behind for 15.
Sri Lanka lasted only a further 38 deliveries after lunch, as Lyon finished off what Hazlewood had started. Lyon had bowled just a single over before lunch but took two wickets within the first four deliveries after the break. The second ball of the session turned and caught the inside edge of de Silva's bat, and he was taken at bat-pad for 24. Two balls later Dilruwan Perera was struck in front for a duck.
In his next over, Lyon got rid of Kusal Perera, who offered no shot to a ball that went on with the arm and rattled his stumps. He had made 20 and was the last of the recognised batsmen. The only question remaining was whether Sri Lanka would reach triple figures; they did that, but not a whole lot more.
Herath was lbw to Starc, the victim of an astute review from the Australians that found the ball had just clipped his foot before coming off the middle of the bat. Debutant Lakshan Sandakan struck four boundaries to provide some entertainment before Nuwan Pradeep was the last man out, taken at slip off O'Keefe.
Rare is the Test in which a first innings of 117 is adequate, though Mathews would have been buoyed by the start made by his bowlers. In the third over, Pradeep got one to swing back in to David Warner, who chopped on for a duck, and next over Joe Burns was bowled for 3 when Herath, who shared the new ball in an attack short on pace options, moved one on with the arm.
Australia were 7 for 2, but finally a half-century was forthcoming - albeit a partnership - as Khawaja and Smith compiled 59 by tea. They had just settled in when the rain did the same.
Day 2
Sri Lanka 117 & 6/1 (2.2 ov)
Australia 203
Sri Lanka trail by 80 runs with 9 wickets remaining
You wouldn't know it to look at the wicket tally, but two full sessions have so far been lost in this Test. Two days, four sessions of play, 21 wickets taken. And enough afternoon rain to fill a dam. It was as if the weather gods were conspiring to stretch this Test to a fourth day. Or, come to that, a third. And despite Sri Lanka's fightback on day two, Australia still had the upper hand at stumps.
It was a day on which Sri Lanka's spinners dragged their side back into the contest after their miserable first-innings 117. Rangana Herath was always going to be a threat to Australia in this series and he ran through the top order before lunch. After lunch Lakshan Sandakan spun a web around the tail and prevented Australia extending their lead into triple figures.
Sandakan's 4 for 58 were the best figures ever by a left-arm wrist-spinner on Test debut, beating Chuck Fleetwood-Smith's 80-year-old record by six runs. Herath's 4 for 49 was no surprise to anyone, his mastery of drift and natural variation causing confusion for Australia. Australia were bowled out shortly before tea for 203, with a lead of 86.
The afternoon rain set in at the tea break, but not before Sri Lanka lost a wicket of their own. Kusal Perera, sent out to open instead of Dimuth Karunaratne, lasted only five balls before he was beaten for pace by Mitchell Starc, who trapped him lbw with a fullish delivery for 4. Karunaratne walked to the crease at first drop to join Kaushal Silva (2 not out) but before he could face a ball, the rain came.
If cricket is about timing, then Perera's could hardly have been worse. He had spent much of the afternoon keeping wicket after Dinesh Chandimal failed to emerge following the lunch break, a stomach complaint keeping him off the field. It was otherwise a pretty decent day for Sri Lanka, whose main problem was their own poor batting in the first innings.
The bowling of both sides, though, has been exemplary. Sri Lanka applied pressure right throughout the second day, Herath and Sandakan bewitching Australia with their variations and Nuwan Pradeep toiling admirably as the sole frontline fast man. Adam Voges was the only batsman from either side to last 100 balls on a pitch that was perfectly fine for batting.
Two Australians lost their cool, inexplicably trying to attack Herath before they were settled: Steven Smith in the second over of the day when he danced down the pitch, was beaten in flight while trying to smash one down the ground, and was stumped for 30; and Peter Nevill, who on 2 uncharacteristically tried to go over the infield and lofted a straightforward chance to mid-on.
Smith's departure meant Australia were under early pressure and Herath doubled it by trapping Usman Khawaja, the other not-out batsman overnight, in his next over. Coming around the wicket, Herath fired one in quicker and straighter. Khawaja failed to get his bat in the way, and was lbw for 26, having added only one to his score.
Voges, who had narrowly survived a big lbw shout first ball - Sri Lanka's review showed Herath's delivery was sliding just far enough down leg to remain with the umpire's not-out call - led Australia's steadying effort and had support initially from Mitchell Marsh. However, on 31 Marsh failed to pick Sandakan's wrong'un and was bowled to leave Australia at 130 for 5.
While Voges remained, Australia could dream of a healthy 100-plus first-innings lead, but he was the only Australian to fall to pace on day two, edging to gully when Pradeep found a little extra bounce. Voges had made 47 from 115 balls and would be one of seven Australians to reach double figures without any going on to post a half-century. Failure to convert starts is a pet peeve for coach Darren Lehmann.
The tail wagged a bit, Steve O'Keefe occupying the crease for 80 balls for his 23, Starc launching a six in his 11, and Nathan Lyon adding 17 useful runs. But they all found Sandakan hard to pick, and in the end he picked up all of their wickets. Starc edged a conventional wrist-spinner behind, O'Keefe was caught at bat-pad off a wrong'un, and Lyon was trapped lbw playing his favourite sweep shot.
Still, in a low-scoring Test a lead of 86 was not insignificant. And as Perera found out a few minutes later, Sri Lanka still had a mountain of work ahead of them to achieve parity.
Day 3
Sri Lanka 117 & 282/6 (80.0 ov)
Australia 203
Sri Lanka lead by 196 runs with 4 wickets remaining
Kusal Mendis had one first-class century before today. He walked to the crease at 6 for 2, after a wicket fell on the third ball of the morning. Sri Lanka were 80 short of making Australia bat again. Mendis had survived only seven deliveries in the first innings. The ingredients were all wrong, but like the world's greatest chef he worked his magic and fashioned them into something delicious.
Sri Lankan fans could only have dreamed of such a Kandy treat when play began. Yet by tea, Sri Lanka had at the very least made this a 50-50 battle and by stumps, called early due to bad light and rain, they were unquestionably on top. Their first-innings debacle of 117 had made their job tough, but Australia's task in the fourth innings against Rangana Herath and friends would be no easier.
Already the target stood at 197 but four wickets were still in hand. Importantly, one of those was Mendis, who walked off to a standing ovation on 169. This from a man whose previous highest score - in first-class cricket, mind you - was 108. This in a Test match in which no other batsman has reached 50. By stumps, you wouldn't be surprised if he turned this into a double-century.
All he would need was a little lower-order support. Dilruwan Perera was on 5 when the players walked off, having not long joined Mendis following the dismissal of Dhananjaya de Silva for 36. Mindlessly, de Silva had lofted a simple catch to mid-off to give Nathan Lyon his second wicket of the innings and the 200th of his Test career, the first Australian offspinner to reach that milestone.
Mendis was sublime all around the wicket. He played straight when required but always looked to score, pulling and flicking classily through leg, sweeping effectively, cutting when the fast bowlers gave him width. He struck 20 fours and brought up his century from his 143rd delivery with his only six, slog-swept over deep midwicket off the bowling of Lyon.
Mendis had made few mistakes throughout his innings, though on 142 he drove a tough caught-and-bowled opportunity through the hands of Josh Hazlewood. Australia were also left to regret not asking for a review when Mendis was on 66, after he missed a sweep off Lyon, who was coming around the wicket. The Australians seemed barely interested in sending that one upstairs.
Instead, they frittered away both of their reviews on deliveries from Steve O'Keefe that were, respectively, pitching outside leg and only just clipping leg stump. Australia were not alone. Not since United Passions hit the cinemas have worse reviews flowed from all directions. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva both needlessly contested their lbws early in the morning.
Mitchell Starc's pace beat Karunaratne in the first over of the day and O'Keefe sneaked his arm ball through the defences of Silva. Neither man reached double figures, and nor did the captain Angelo Mathews, who on 9 was caught at bat-pad off the bowling of Lyon. Australia had picked up three wickets before lunch, but already Mendis was past 50 and proving a headache.
Things got trickier for Australia in the second session as Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal compiled a 117-run partnership, easily the highest of the match. O'Keefe left the field with an injury to his right hamstring, and any half-chances presented to Australia seemed to go begging. On 24, Chandimal popped up a very catchable return chance that was spilled by Starc.
Finally the breakthrough came, as Chandimal was trapped lbw by Mitchell Marsh, who managed to nip the ball back in late. Still, it was the only wicket of the session, for Mendis found a new ally. The debutant de Silva, who got off the mark with a six in the first innings, boldly thumped a boundary over mid-on to get off the mark this time, and by tea the new partnership had grown to 50.
But this day was all about Mendis, the rest were simply his support staff. Just before tea he brought up his 150 with a cut to the boundary off Lyon, from his 207th delivery. By stumps, his score looked outrageous compared to the rest of the top order: 4, 7, 0, 169*, 9. It is hard to believe if anybody present - even Mendis himself - could have anticipated such a scenario this morning.
Day 4
Sri Lanka 117 & 353
Australia 203 & 83/3 (target 268)
Australia require another 185 runs with 7 wickets remaining
Australia do not lose Tests to Sri Lanka. That, at least, is the conventional wisdom, for it has happened only once in the 33-year history between the two nations. It has not happened this century. But times change. There is every chance Sri Lanka will rewrite the conventions in 2016, for at stumps on day four they were in a powerful position, seven wickets from victory. Australia needed 185 runs, and runs were coming at glacial speed.
Day four was abridged, cut short at both ends. Rain delayed the start and bad light forced an early finish, so only 40.4 overs were bowled. But that was enough for Sri Lanka to set Australia 268 for victory, the kind of target that against quality spinners in Asian conditions would naturally lead to Australian nerves. And so it did. David Warner was so hypercharged that he danced down the pitch and was bowled by Rangana Herath in the second over.
Australia's top order decided that the quicker they could score the runs, the better. Usman Khawaja also took the attacking approach, until on 18 from 21 balls he missed an attempted sweep and was lbw to Dilruwan Perera. At 33 for 2, Australia decided a more reasoned method might be required. Steven Smith and Joe Burns slowed down a touch, though Sri Lanka's spinners did not let up on the pressure.
In particular, Australia's batsmen found Lakshan Sandakan harder to read than the Odyssey in the original Ancient Greek. His wrong'un clouded their minds, but it was his stock ball that brought his only wicket, when Burns played back to a big-turning wrist-spinner and was bowled for 29. Seven times in this Test Australian batsmen have passed 20, but none have yet gone on to a half-century.
Perera thought he had struck again when Adam Voges was adjudged lbw for a golden duck and asked half-heartedly for a review. There were surprised faces all round when replays showed the ball had turned enough that it would have missed leg stump, Voges' lengthy stride down the track saving him. It was a big moment - Australia would have been 64 for 4 had Voges been out.
By the time the umpires called bad light, the Australians were happy to get safely inside, Smith on 26 and Voges on 9, with the total on 83 for 3. After the early flurry, boundaries virtually ceased to be a consideration. Sixteen overs passed without one, before Voges finally latched on to a short ball from Sandakan and pulled it for four. At stumps, the partnership was worth 20, which felt like a steadying stand but only highlighted the value of Sri Lanka's lower-order runs.
At length, the morning's play began with Sri Lanka at 282 for 6. Yesterday's hero, Kusal Mendis, added only seven to his overnight total before he was caught behind off Mitchell Starc for 176, the only wicket to fall in an opening session that was limited to just 45 deliveries. Australia also had Herath lbw in that session, but a review found Josh Hazlewood's ball had pitched outside leg. Herath and Dilruwan Perera added 24 for the eighth wicket and Nuwan Pradeep later joined Herath for a 30-run tenth-wicket stand. They were runs of significant value, given the mental difference they would make to Australia's batsmen, set something closer to 300 than 200.
Australia's bowlers perhaps lost their way a little, trying too hard instead of simply aiming at the stumps. In the end that was the way Dilruwan Perera fell, lbw to Hazlewood for 12. Sandakan departed in somewhat comical fashion when he backed away against Mitchell Starc, who followed him with a shortish delivery that lobbed off the midriff and trickled onto the stumps.
Still Sri Lanka would not be cowed. Herath and Pradeep fought gamely and frustrated the bowlers into wide lines. Eventually on 35 Herath fell to a brilliant catch from a man who was not even in Australia's XI: 12th man Moises Henriques at cover hurled himself to his left to pull off a remarkable take that gave Hazlewood his second wicket.
Herath's Test career started with the very next match after Sri Lanka's historic win against Australia in Kandy in 1999. Seventeen years later, his tail-end runs gave them real hope of a second win in the same city. But that will be determined by how Australia handle his bowling - and that of his colleagues - on the final day.
Day 5
Sri Lanka 117 & 353
Australia 203 & 161
Sri Lanka won by 106 runs
Tonight, Sri Lanka are gonna party like it's 1999. Specifically, like it's September 11, 1999, the only other date on which they have beaten Australia in a Test. That victory came in Kandy with an XI full of Sri Lankan greats - Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas. This win, up the road in Pallekele, is all the more remarkable for the dearth of such legends. Then again, it could be the making of some new ones.
Kumar Sangakkara never played in a win over Australia, and the retirements of Sangakkara and Jayawardene seemed to mark the end of an era for Sri Lanka. And yet, from the depths of seventh on the Test rankings they have found a way to overcome the No.1 team in the world. Excitingly, new men played major roles. Kusal Mendis, in his seventh Test, turned the game with his jaw-dropping 176. Debutant Lakshan Sandakan claimed seven wickets with his left-arm wrist-spin.
But there was one link to the previous win: Rangana Herath was there in Kandy in 1999, a 21-year-old sitting in the rooms, waiting for a Test debut that would come in the next match in Galle. Seventeen years later, a 300-wicket bowler whose hair is flecked with grey, Herath played a key role in securing this win. His nine wickets for the match including 5 for 54 in the second innings, and fittingly he claimed the wicket that sealed the game.
Steve O'Keefe, who had stacked up more blocks than Legoland, leaned forward and tried to flick Herath through leg, only to be bowled for 4 from 98 deliveries. The Sri Lankans were jubilant. They had beaten not only Australia but the weather; the looming threat of bad light had hovered overhead as the afternoon wore on, as O'Keefe and Peter Nevill compiled a partnership of incredible fight.
Australia's penultimate pair batted together for 178 balls for just four runs, a boundary scored by O'Keefe, whose hamstring injury prevented him from running. There were so many dots the scorecard could have been diagnosed with chicken pox, but as they accumulated it was the Sri Lankans who began to feel sick. Would this opportunity slip away? In the end, it was Nuwan Pradeep who broke the stand, when Nevill flashed outside off and was caught behind for 9 off 115 balls.
Until then, everything had conspired against Sri Lanka. In the 79th over, O'Keefe survived a huge shout for caught at bat-pad off Dhananjaya de Silva; Richard Kettleborough turned the appeal down, but replays showed a thick inside edge. Sri Lanka, though, were out of reviews. Two overs later the reviews were replenished, and soon O'Keefe was given out lbw by Kettleborough. His own review, though, this time showed an inside edge, and he was reprieved.
In the end, it didn't matter. Herath led Sri Lanka to victory, his threat ever-present, his mastery of flight, his persistent accuracy and subtle variations forcing intense concentration from Australia. The only occasions on which Australia looked vaguely comfortable in their chase of 268 were the times when Herath was being rested from the attack. And captain Angelo Mathews ensured that such times did not last very long.
The eventual margin of 106 runs is all the more extraordinary when you consider the way this match began. Sri Lanka were skittled for 117 in the first innings and early in their second were 6 for 2, in real danger of a humiliating innings defeat. They still needed 80 runs just to make Australia bat again. But Mendis walked to the crease and from then on, it was a different game. His hundred, only his second in first-class cricket, will go down as one of Sri Lanka's greatest.
And just as Mathews will join Jayasuriya as the only Sri Lanka captains to beat Australia in a Test, so Steven Smith will now sit alongside Steve Waugh as the only Australians to lead their side to defeat against Sri Lanka. Notably, this was also Australia's first Test loss under Smith's captaincy, and their first for nearly a year, since England triumphed at Trent Bridge last August.
Smith worked his backside off to prevent it, his 55 in the second innings the only example of an Australian passing fifty in this Test. It was a watchful innings that featured only one boundary, but he had too little help. Sri Lanka's spinners were relentless in applying pressure. In the end, that was enough. Sri Lanka had won a Test blighted by rain and bad light, a constant irritant exacerbated by Sri Lanka Cricket's refusal to use the floodlights.
The fifth morning began late due to rain and it started with Sri Lanka needing seven wickets and Australia requiring 185 runs. There was plenty of turn on offer for Sri Lanka's spinners but that should be the case on the fifth day of a Test; this was far from a bad pitch, and the conditions could not be blamed for the low scores.
It took only until the eighth over of the day for Sri Lanka to strike, when Adam Voges advanced to Herath and chipped back to the bowler on 12. Despite a muted reaction from the Sri Lankans, the third umpire was consulted and discovered that it had not in fact been a bump ball, as appeared to be the case live, and Voges was caught and bowled.
Smith and Mitchell Marsh put on 43 for the fifth wicket, a partnership that might have given Australia some hope of gaining sight of the target, but Herath was again the man who broke the stand when he straightened one just enough to trap Marsh lbw for 25. Next over, Smith was given out caught-behind off a Sandakan wrong'un but confidently asked for a review, which found clear daylight between bat and ball.
Another over later Smith was again given out, and this time his review was forlorn. He was almost off the ground in resignation when the verdict came through: again Herath from around the wicket had straightened one just enough to trap the batsman dead in front. The loss of Mitchell Starc for a duck in the next over - he chipped a return catch to Sandakan - left Australia hoping for afternoon rain or bad light to allow them to escape with a draw.
The loss of Nathan Lyon soon after lunch, lbw to a big-turning wrist-spinner from Sandakan, seemed to put Sri Lanka on the brink. But then came the Nevill-O'Keefe block-a-thon. Australia's were raised, only to be dashed again. Sri Lanka had their second win over Australia, and their first against any team in Pallekele. They can now dream of wrapping up the series in the second Test in Galle, where spin typically plays an even greater role.
But that is for next week. For tonight, they celebrate a victory of great significance.
2nd Test
Day 1
Sri Lanka 281
Australia 54/2 (13.3 ov)
Australia trail by 227 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
A wicket fell from the first ball of the first innings of this Test. A wicket fell from the second ball of the second innings. Ten others tumbled throughout the opening day in Galle, where Mitchell Starc's reverse swing was just as much of a weapon as the anticipated turn on a very dry pitch. But in amongst it all was some good batting, from Kusal Mendis especially. Forget about two tiers of Test cricket, two divisions of batting already exist in this series: Mendis, and everyone else.
His 176 in Pallekele was the difference between the two sides, and his 86 in Galle may again turn out to be a match-winning effort. Much of the script of this Test is yet to be written, but by stumps on day one Sri Lanka were in the stronger position: having been bowled out for 281, they had Australia at 54 for 2 in reply. And most of those runs had come from a frantic David Warner, who was dismissed in the last over of the day.
Warner decided that his runs would come rapidly if at all, and flew by the seat of his pants to 42 from 41 balls. But with four balls left came the critical wicket, as he edged Dilruwan Perera to slip. He had given Australia a platform but like an unqualified builder, one that felt anything but stable. Australia's batsmen will have to work exceptionally hard against Sri Lanka's spinners and still trailed by 227 runs, with Usman Khawaja on 11.
Shudders went through the Australian camp when Joe Burns pulled the second ball of the innings to midwicket to give debutant Vishwa Fernando a wicket from his second delivery in Test cricket. For the second time in the day, the scoreboard read 0 for 1. But just as Australia recovered to a degree, so had Sri Lanka to an even greater one. Not immediately, though.
Starc bowled the first ball of the Test to Dimuth Karunaratne, who flicked uppishly to midwicket, where Burns took the catch. Not since Glenn McGrath dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya on the same ground in 1999 had Australia taken a wicket on the first ball of a Test, nor Sri Lanka lost one. By the fifth over, they were 9 for 2 when Kaushal Silva lazily drove away from his body and edged Starc behind.
Starc would go on to finish with 5 for 44, the finest figures by an Australian fast bowler in a Test in Sri Lanka, and the best by any visiting pace bowler in Galle. But not before Mendis, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Perera put some distance between the teams. A 108-run stand between Mendis and Perera was followed by a 67-run union between Mendis and Mathews. As Mendis batted on and on Australia must have feared a repeat of his Pallekele innings.
It was not quite to be, though he was again a class above all others. Mendis was strong through the leg side but also when driving through covers. He launched a couple of sixes, down the ground and over midwicket off Nathan Lyon, and his fifty came up from 74 deliveries. Australia were thrilled when they had Mendis adjudged lbw for 78, but a review found Josh Hazlewood had hooped the ball in too much.
The Australians did not have to wait too long to see the back of Mendis, who on 86 got a faint nick behind when Starc moved one away. It was Starc's 100th Test wicket and was fine reward for consistent work in tough conditions. By this stage Kusal Perera had already departed, caught at slip off a big-turning Lyon offbreak for 49, but Mathews was still around to trouble the Australians.
Mathews was intent on attacking the spinners and crashed his second ball over long-on for six off Lyon, then followed in Lyon's next over with a reverse sweep for four. When debutant Jon Holland came back into the attack, Mathews was watchful for five balls and then thumped the sixth over long-on for six. Another six off Holland followed a few overs later.
Australia's spinners were attacking, giving the ball air and turning it, but Mathews was attacking, giving the ball air and turning it into runs for Sri Lanka. He lost Dinesh Chandimal, caught flicking Hazlewood to short midwicket for 5, but by tea Mathews was still at the crease and Sri Lanka looked dangerous with the score beyond 200.
Australia did well to finish off the innings cheaply enough; the last five wickets fell for 57 runs and all came after tea. Mathews departed for 54 when he flashed at Mitchell Marsh and was caught behind, and Marsh should have had another when Dhananjaya de Silva edged to first slip, but Steven Smith spilled the opportunity and Peter Nevill was unable to clasp Smith's parry.
Dilruwan Perera fell for 16 when he tried to whip Lyon, bowling around the wicket through leg, but was trapped lbw by a ball that pitched in line and straightened. Eventually Australia did get de Silva, who had been dropped on 17 and went on to make 37. He gave Holland his first Test wicket by attempting to paddle a low full toss, missing, and being adjudged lbw.
Starc came back to finish off the tail, striking Lakshan Sandakan's stumps with a delivery that swung in, and then bowling Rangana Herath with another ball that tailed in. Starc's five-wicket haul was greatly deserved, but will mean little unless Australia's batsmen back him up on day two.
Day 2
Sri Lanka 281 & 237
Australia 106 & 25/3 (target 413)
Australia require another 388 runs with 7 wickets remaining
The second day in Galle finished as it started: with Steven Smith at the crease facing Dilruwan Perera. Australia would take that result if it meant a captain's innings, a double-century to drag his side back into the series. The reality was a world away from that, for in between Perera had taken five wickets and scored a half-century, Rangana Herath had claimed a hat-trick, 21 wickets had tumbled, and Australia had collapsed to their lowest ever Test total against Sri Lanka.
This was the day on which Sri Lanka made certain that they would lift the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy for the first time. It was not yet struck in 1999, the only other occasion on which they beat Australia in a series. Indeed, that was the only other occasion on which they beat Australia in a Test. In the first 33 years of Test cricket between the two countries, Sri Lanka won just a single game. They will now do so twice in a fortnight.
Australia were set 413 for victory, which would be the third-highest successful chase in Test history. Gettable, perhaps, for an in-form batting unit on a pitch to their liking, if everything fell their way. But this Australian outfit was demolished in the first innings for 106, on a turning surface against a quality spin attack. Australia have as much chance of winning this Test as they do of winning Olympic gold in baseball. And no, baseball is no longer on the Olympic roster.
By stumps, Australia were already 25 for 3 in their chase. Joe Burns had driven a catch to cover off Herath in the first over. Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon had poked a catch to silly point off Perera. And next ball, Usman Khawaja had watched an arm ball from Perera crash into his stumps. Dazed and confused, Khawaja offered no shot. His dismissal was emblematic of the day: Australia had no clue whether each ball from a Sri Lanka spinner would turn or not.
And so at the close of play, Smith walked off on 1, with David Warner on 22, and a Sri Lankan victory inside three days appeared all but certain. The afternoon consisted largely of Sri Lanka's batsmen frustrating Australia, growing their lead and humiliating their visitors further. Herath and Perera, who tormented Australia with the ball at either end of the day, scored nearly as many runs between them as Australia did in the first innings.
The story of this day was the first session, in which Australia lost eight wickets for 52 runs. The cricket felt like it was played in fast-forward and at times the action was so comical that the Benny Hill theme would have been appropriate. The pitch was turning, but it was far from a poor surface. But it was as if Australia's batsmen had never seen spinners before. They simply wondered at this mysterious slow form of bowling.
Sri Lanka's spinners attacked the stumps and built persistent pressure. Herath turned some and skidded others on. So did Perera. Lakshan Sandakan didn't, but that was only because all the work was done already. Such was the annihilation that he came on only to collect the final wicket, and finished with 1 for 0 from two deliveries.
Resuming at 54 for 2, Australia failed to survive even 20 overs of the day's play. Australia's 106 was their lowest total ever against Sri Lanka, and their lowest total in Asia for nearly 12 years, since they were skittled on a Mumbai dustbowl for 93 back in 2004. Herath finished with 4 for 35 and Perera with 4 for 29.
Khawaja fell in the third over of the day when he missed an arm ball from Perera and was bowled for 11 - at least he played at this one - and Smith departed next over when he played back and tried to cut a slider from Herath. He too was bowled. So much for the "play straight" mantra Australia had tried to instil on this tour.
Then came Herath's hat-trick: Adam Voges drove on the up to cover, Peter Nevill was trapped lbw by another slider, and Mitchell Starc completed the trio when he leaned forward and was hit on the pad first ball. Starc was given not out but Angelo Mathews asked for a review, out of nothing but hope. He was as surprised as anyone that the not-out decision was overturned.
Only one other Sri Lankan had ever taken a Test hat-trick: Nuwan Zoysa, who achieved the feat against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1999-2000. Herath's wickets left Australia at 80 for 7 and in serious danger of failing to reach triple figures. In fact, they still needed two runs to avoid the follow-on, which appeared by no means a certainty.
They did scrape past that mark but soon Lyon was caught in close off Perera and Josh Hazlewood edged to slip off the same bowler. Mitchell Marsh, at the other end while so much carnage was unfolding around him, slammed a couple of sixes to push the score past 100, but was caught at long-off when he tried for another off Sandakan's second ball.
Sri Lanka lost three wickets of their own before lunch - 11 wickets fell in the session - but already their lead was healthy. Perhaps their only concern at the moment is the consistent failure of their openers, for again Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne failed to reach double figures. Karunaratne was the first of six wickets for Mitchell Starc, who deserves commendation for his hard work, gaining rewards through reverse swing, speed and persistence.
Starc finished with match figures of 11 for 94, the finest by any Australian in Sri Lanka, and second only to Mohammad Asif for visiting fast bowlers in the country. Not since Geoff Dymock claimed 12 against India in Kanpur in 1979 had an Australian fast bowler been so successful in a Test match in Asia.
But where Sri Lanka's spinners were important, Australia's were impotent. Out of desperation, Lyon resorted to bowling legbreaks as Sri Lanka's innings wore on, and Jon Holland was treated with the disdain Sri Lanka's batsmen might dish up to a bowler from Holland. Eventually Australia bowled the Sri Lankans out for 237. The figure was almost irrelevant, though a complete Sri Lankan capitulation might almost have made a game of it.
Instead, Kusal Perera contributed 35, Mathews scored a brisk 47, Dilruwan Perera compiled 64, Herath chipped in with 26, and Dhananjaya de Silva managed 34. It was enough to set Australia 400 plus. It was enough, after Australia's morning collapse, to decide the series.
Day 3
Sri Lanka 281 & 237
Australia 106 & 183 (50.1 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 229 runs
Remember the way this series began? Angelo Mathews won the toss and chose to bat in Pallekele, and his men were bundled out for 117. They failed even to survive 35 overs. Eight days of cricket later, the series has been decided, and one of these two teams has been completely humiliated. And it's not Sri Lanka. What a turnaround it has been. Mathews will lift the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, and Sri Lanka could hardly have won it more comprehensively.
In Pallekele, rain and bad light conspired to drag the first Test into its fifth day, but in Galle Australia could not even reach the scheduled halfway point of the match. In less than two and a half days, they had lost an eighth consecutive Test in Asia. The No.1 team in the world had been beaten - crushed, in fact - by No.7. Sri Lanka's spinners have embarrassed Australia's batsmen this series, and in Galle it was Dilruwan Perera who starred.
Perera picked up 6 for 70 in Australia's second innings of 183 and became the first Sri Lankan to take 10 wickets and score a half-century in the same Test. Only 25 times in all of Test history has a player achieved that remarkable feat. Along the way, he also became the fastest Sri Lankan to reach the mark of 50 Test wickets, reaching the milestone in this his 11th Test. Along with Rangana Herath, Perera proved to the Australians unreadable, their sliders as dangerous as their spinners.
The statistics of note did not end there. Only once in the past 87 years had Australia survived for fewer balls in a Test match they had lost: in Galle they lasted for 501 deliveries across the match, two more than the 499 they faced against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1999. It was thus their second-worst performance in that regard since the advent of covered pitches. And for the first time in 19 years, no Australian scored a fifty in a Test.
The Sri Lankans were understandably jubilant when the result was confirmed, the final wicket coming from a brilliant run-out effected by Kusal Mendis at bat-pad. Peter Nevill, who had fought off the inevitable for 38 balls, flicked Herath off his pads and took a couple of steps out of his crease, but with remarkable reflexes Mendis managed to get the ball back onto the stumps to find Nevill short.
It meant a 229-run win for Sri Lanka and an unassailable 2-0 series lead heading into the third and final Test in Colombo. The result was effectively certain when both teams arrived at the ground on the third morning, the only questions being the margin and the time that Sri Lanka would take to run through Australia's final seven wickets. Australia started the day at 25 for 3, and before drinks in the second session they were bowled out for 183.
David Warner was the first to depart, lbw to Perera when he missed a ball that failed to turn as he expected. Given out on field, Warner asked for a review but received no satisfaction, with replays showing the ball would have hit the leg stump. Steven Smith then departed on 30, caught at bat-pad off Perera, a not-out decision on-field overturned on review.
It has been a match full of referrals, and Mathews has proven himself a five-star reviewer. Perhaps his best came when Richard Kettleborough turned down an appeal for lbw against Mitchell Marsh, who thrust his pad well outside off against Lakshan Sandakan. Marsh was not playing a shot, so being struck outside the line did not matter, and Sandakan's big turn was enough to have the ball hitting the stumps.
Marsh was out for 18, and the last of Australia's specialist batsmen followed not far behind. Adam Voges had employed the reverse sweep liberally throughout his innings, without ever quite looking like he had it perfected, and on 28 the shot brought him undone when he failed to get bat on ball and was bowled by Perera. Sri Lanka were three wickets from triumph at lunch.
After the break, it was only a matter of time. Mitchell Starc whacked a six and three fours before he was bowled by Herath trying another big shot, and Josh Hazlewood prodded a return catch to Perera to complete the spinner's ten-wicket game. Then came the run-out, the celebrations, the glory. Sri Lanka had done it. A new generation had not only won the series but dominated it. And who'd have guessed that after day one in Pallekele?
3rd Test
Day 1
Sri Lanka 214/5 (90.0 ov)
Australia
Sri Lanka: 214 for 5. Hardly an inspiring score at stumps on the first day of a Test. Runs ground out, just a few wickets here and there, Australia probably on top. Nope. This was not the kind of day that can be judged from the closing score. It was a day on which Sri Lanka's top order capitulated to be 26 for 5. A day on which Dhananjaya de Silva, in his third Test, led the recovery with a brilliant maiden century. And a day that ended with Sri Lanka in command.
The runs came slowly, but at least they came. They came with patience, class, respect for good bowling and, yes, a little bit of luck. But the way de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rebuilt this innings was, for fans of Test cricket, a thing of beauty. Australia's batsmen could learn something from their approach. By stumps, de Silva was on 116 from 240 balls, Chandimal on 64 from 204, and their partnership was worth 188. They had undone all Australia's morning work.
The dry pitch turned from the first hour. Nathan Lyon picked up two wickets early, then like Jon Holland, bowled well without fortune as the day wore on. Sri Lanka's three-man spin attack will pose Australia significant challenges. There was little swing, not as much reverse as in the previous two Tests. Australia picked four pace bowlers but used only three. All of the pace wickets came from Mitchell Starc, comfortably Australia's best player of the series.
If Australia's batsmen have looked bewildered on this tour, the selectors appeared similarly baffled in Colombo. How else to account for shortening their batting order when runs have been their biggest problem? Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja were dropped, Shaun Marsh and Moises Henriques came in. Henriques, with a first-class batting average of 31, an average of 15 in the last Sheffield Shield season, and no first-class cricket since November, was listed at No.5. He did not bowl.
The selectors believe Henriques bats well against spin. It is true that he scored 68 and 81 not out against India on Test debut in Chennai in 2013. But he failed to reach double figures in the rest of that tour, a series that also featured clouded selection policies. It remains to be seen how Henriques will handle Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan, but his selection was a clear message to the incumbents: learn how to play spin, or you won't play in Asia.
Sri Lanka's batting has also faltered often in this series, but always there has been someone to rescue them. In Pallekele it was Kusal Mendis with a remarkable maiden Test century in the second innings. In Galle it was Mendis again, with 86 after the score wobbled to 9 for 2 on the first morning. This time it was de Silva, who entered this series uncapped, and by stumps on day one in Colombo sat second only to Mendis on the series run tally.
The precarious situation when de Silva walked to the crease cannot be forgotten: 26 for 5. Yes, the series was already won, but suddenly there appeared the very real prospect of Sri Lanka finishing with a humiliation: overhauling their lowest ever Test total, the 71 they scored against Pakistan in Kandy in 1994, seemed a distant goal. And indeed, when de Silva was given out caught at bat pad off Lyon for 5, disaster seemed likely.
But de Silva knew he had not hit the ball - hadn't even got close to it, really. He reviewed the decision of umpire S Ravi and was rightly reprieved and from then on - this was the 20th over of the morning - not a single wicket fell for the rest of the day. There were some nervy moments - Mitchell Marsh spilled a tough chance at gully when Chandimal was 11, two Australian reviews were struck down, de Silva was dropped by Shaun Marsh at cover on 104 - but the batsmen survived.
De Silva attacked when given the chance and struck three fours in one over from Starc. He was strong when pulling and flicking off his pads, though his boundaries came all around the ground, including plenty through cover. His fifty came with a lofted boundary over cover off Mitchell Marsh, his hundred with another boundary cut off the legspin of Steven Smith. It took de Silva 209 deliveries to reach his century. It was a proper Test innings.
Chandimal was even more circumspect, nudging singles and rotating the strike, playing the perfect foil to de Silva. His fifty came from 165 deliveries, and by stumps he had struck only four fours. Even more than de Silva he showed Australia's batsmen how a challenging pitch can be handled: with the utmost patience. Chandimal himself had walked out at 24 for 4, a frenetic first hour bringing plenty of wickets.
Sri Lanka's openers continued their disastrous series, Kaushal Silva flashing at Starc and edging to slip for a 15-ball duck, and Dimuth Karunaratne bowled trying to drive Starc for 7 from 34 deliveries. Neither man has reached double figures even once in this campaign from five innings, Sri Lanka's series triumph having come in spite of their insipid top order. What might they have achieved if the openers had found form too?
Lyon was called on in the sixth over of the Test and immediately found some turn. In the 12th over he struck with a delivery that was fullish, quick and spun appreciably, and Kusal Perera managed only an edge to Smith at slip. Lyon claimed another wicket when Angelo Mathews top-edged a sweep and was caught at fine leg for 1.
Then Mendis flashed hard at a Starc delivery that angled across him and Smith snapped up his third catch at slip for the morning. Mendis had been the key batsman in the first two Tests, and Australia thought his wicket was the big one. As it turned out, at least two big ones were still waiting to be taken at stumps.
Day 2
Sri Lanka 355
Australia 141/1 (43.0 ov)
Australia trail by 214 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
As a sign of what was to come, the first hour of this Test was less accurate than a horoscope. When Sri Lanka collapsed to 26 for 5, nobody would have predicted they would go on to the highest total of the series. Nor, for that matter, that Australia would then bat as well as they have at any time on this tour. But that was the case, for after those first five wickets tumbled in roughly an hour, the next 11 hours of the Test have brought only five more.
On the second day, Dinesh Chandimal scored the seventh century of his Test career, an innings of immense patience that pushed - sometimes at the pace of a boulder up a hill - Sri Lanka to 355. Australia, in reply, had moved to 141 for 1 at the close of play. Only once in this series had an Australian scored a fifty, but now two did so in a session. Steven Smith was on 61 and Shaun Marsh was on 64, and their unbroken 120-run stand was comfortably Australia's best of the series.
There still remained plenty of work for Australia's batsmen, particularly considering their allrounders begin at No.5, but at least they had started impressively. Marsh, included for the first time in this series at the expense of opener Joe Burns, looked relatively comfortable against Sri Lanka's spinners. He used his feet well, worked the ball through leg and punished through off when given width. And, importantly, he often picked the turn out of the hand.
There were nervous moments for Marsh, balls that turned past the bat, a big lbw review late in the day that showed the ball pitching outside leg, an edge that flew just past Kaushal Silva at silly point. Smith had luck too, when he defended Rangana Herath, and Silva at silly point hurled himself onto the pitch to drop a hard chance. Smith was on 30, and went on to complete an 88-ball fifty, along the way becoming the youngest Australian to reach 4000 runs in Tests.
Smith used his feet and was strong through cover, even lifting a six over extra cover off Herath. Sri Lanka relied heavily on their spinners, Suranga Lakmal coming on as third change for just four overs of pace. Dilruwan Perera had taken the new ball and lobbed up a full toss first delivery of the innings, which David Warner dispatched for six. But on 11, Warner danced down the pitch to Dhananjaya de Silva and under-edged a catch behind.
Sri Lanka had started the day at 214 for 5 and added a further 141 runs for the loss of their final five wickets. Or, to be more accurate, four wickets, for Herath retired hurt on 33 when he was struck in the groin by Josh Hazlewood. Herath's batting has frustrated the Australians throughout this campaign, and by the time he gingerly walked off, Herath had made more runs in the entire series than any Australian but Smith.
On the subject of records embarrassing to Australia, Chandimal occupied the crease for 356 deliveries during his innings, nearly 100 balls more (at that stage) than any Australian had survived in the whole series. His century came up from 281 deliveries. Having walked to the crease on the first morning at 24 for 4, Chandimal had to show some fight. He did that, his patience an example to the Australians of what could be achieved on a dry pitch.
Chandimal and de Silva had rescued Sri Lanka from their extremely precarious first-morning position with a 211-run partnership, the highest sixth-wicket partnership in Test history from a score of five down for fewer than 50. De Silva moved on to 129 before he was drawn forward by Lyon's length, and, deceived by the dip, inside-edged a catch to bat-pad.
After de Silva's departure, Chandimal carried on in his patient method and eventually brought up his century with a single worked behind square leg off Lyon. It was a fitting way for Chandimal to register his milestone, for the nudged and nurdled ones and twos had been such a key feature of his innings. At times, though, he was more expansive, as when he reverse-swept Lyon for a six.
When Chandimal did provide a chance to the Australians, on 100, they failed to take it, Smith grassing an edge at slip off Jon Holland. Smith took three catches for the innings, but spilled two: at slip, he also put down Herath. Chandimal continued to accumulate while the tail-enders kept him company. Dilruwan Perera made a quick 16 before he holed out to long-off from the bowling of Holland.
Herath then joined Chandimal and frustrated the Australians with three boundaries during a 73-run partnership that ended only when Herath retired hurt. Chandimal eventually was caught behind for 132, Peter Nevill taking a sharp chance off Mitchell Starc, and the innings wrapped up with Lakmal caught at gully. That wicket also went to Starc, who finished with 5 for 63. Remarkably, it was his third five-for of the series. A little more help, and it could have been a contest.
Day 3
Sri Lanka 355 & 22/1 (5.0 ov)
Australia 379
Sri Lanka trail by 2 runs with 9 wickets remaining
This was a handy day of Test cricket all round. Rangana Herath's magic hands conjured six wickets. Mitchell Marsh's hard hands cost him the chance for more than a fifty. Kusal Perera's lightning hands effected two brilliant stumpings. Shaun Marsh and Steven Smith played invaluable hands, scoring Australia's only two centuries of the series. And by the close of play on the third day in Colombo, it was impossible to say which team had the upper hand.
That, after a couple of walkovers in Pallekele and Galle, was a blessing. True, the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy will be presented to Angelo Mathews no matter what happens in this Test, but Smith and Marsh at least reduced the chances of a whitewash and made a contest of this match. And it is accurate to lay the credit entirely with those two men, for after their 246-run partnership ended, Australia's last nine wickets tumbled for 112.
For the period of their union, it was as if Australia were playing a different series. The 2011 series, perhaps, when Marsh scored a century on debut and Australia lifted the trophy.
The ball still turned, but Marsh and Smith handled it with aplomb, using their feet, finding the gaps, showing patience and respect. It was enough, along with the second fifty of Mitchell Marsh's career, to give Australia a first-innings lead of 24.
By stumps, Sri Lanka had reduced that deficit to two runs, moving to 22 for 1. A change of openers did not improve their top-order record in this series. Dilruwan Perera, bumped up to open alongside Dimuth Karunaratne, was lbw when he offered no shot to a fast inswinger from Mitchell Starc. The score was 8 for 1, which remarkably was Sri Lanka's biggest opening partnership of the series. At close, Karunaratne was on 8 and Kaushal Silva had 6.
But this day was about the Smith-Marsh partnership, which became the fourth-highest stand for any Australian pair for any wicket in a Test in Asia. The most recent such occasion had also featured Marsh: on debut against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2011 he had put on 258 with Michael Hussey for the fourth wicket.
Since then, Marsh has been the source of great frustration for Australia, his obvious talent and his ability to score Test centuries offset by frequent troughs in his scoring. That this is his 18th Test and yet his seventh stint in the side shows that the selectors appreciate his potential but have often been vexed by his inconsistency.
But at 33, Marsh might just be pushing his case for a lengthy stay in the side. His hundred in Colombo was his second from consecutive Test innings, though they have come eight months apart - almost a pregnant pause, and indeed he did become a father during the downtime. In December Marsh was dropped after making 182 against West Indies in Hobart, where he had been an injury replacement for Usman Khawaja.
His approach to this innings could hardly have been a finer audition for a place in Australia's line-up for next year's Test tour of India - one country in which Marsh has never played a Test match. For the most part, he picked the turn and played with soft hands, working the ball through gaps, alternating between playing forward and back. His hundred - the fourth of his Test career - came up with a boundary swept fine off Dilruwan Perera off his 214th delivery.
Smith's century, the 15th of his career and his first in Asia, came up soon afterwards from his 176th ball when he advanced and clipped Perera through midwicket. Like Marsh, Smith used his feet and played along the ground, and was strong through both cover and midwicket. Smith has now scored a century against every Test nation that he has played with the sole exception of Pakistan, and a home series against them this summer gives him every chance of rectifying that.
But once the partnership was broken, wickets started to fall more freely. Herath, who struggled in the morning session and left the field still suffering from discomfort after being struck in the groin while batting on the second day, found his mojo in the second session. But the highlight of the session was Kusal Perera's brilliant work with the gloves. Twice within five overs, he stumped Australian batsmen off Herath, his hands so slick they looked fast even on slow-motion replays.
Smith was the first of the two victims, drawn forward by Herath and found by the third umpire to have dragged his foot fractionally outside the crease when the bails were whipped off. The second such dismissal was that of Moises Henriques, included for the fourth Test of his career and his first in more than three years. He never looked comfortable, and fell in similar fashion for 4, the victim of Perera's lightning glovework.
It meant that three wickets had fallen within the first 10 overs of the new ball, Suranga Lakmal having already accounted for Shaun Marsh, who chopped on for 130 from 281 deliveries. That ended the long partnership with Smith, who finished on 119 from 218 balls a few overs later. No other Australian partnership reached fifty.
Adam Voges was lbw to Herath for 22, beaten by a ball that turned exquisitely past the outside edge and would have hit off stump. Peter Nevill (14) was similarly beaten and trapped lbw by Dilruwan Perera, though this time he played for spin that never arrived. Nathan Lyon was caught in close off Perera, Josh Hazlewood bowled by Herath and Jon Holland taken at slip to leave Herath with 6 for 81, and 21 wickets so far in the series.
Only Mitchell Marsh had offered any real resistance after his brother's wicket. Marsh has contributed cameos on a regular basis in his Test career but not since his second Test, played against Pakistan in the UAE back in 2014, had he made a half-century. Here he did so in impressive style, punishing loose balls when given the chance and respecting the good ones.
On 53, though, he prodded with hard hands at Herath and was snapped up sharply by Kusal Mendis at bat-pad. Marsh's face told the story: he couldn't believe what he had done. But at least he had done his bit for Australia, and for making this match a contest. With two days to play, only two runs and one wicket separated the teams. A fascinating final two days were in prospect.
Day 4
Sri Lanka 355 & 312/8 (95.0 ov)
Australia 379
Sri Lanka lead by 288 runs with 2 wickets remaining
For the past three weeks, Kaushal Silva has been stuck in an unhappy singles party that threatened never to end. Four, 7, 5, 2 and 0 - those were his scores for this series. Remember that Silva is an opening batsman. For an opening batsman, such numbers are not good. They are not even good enough to be called "not bad". In his final innings of the series, Silva again did not make a double-figure score. And Sri Lanka were thrilled.
The 115 that Silva compiled on the penultimate day of this campaign was as valuable as it was unexpected. Sri Lanka began the day one wicket down, still trailing by two runs. The morning session would be critical. Within ten overs, another wicket had fallen, the sharp-eyed Peter Nevill pouncing on Dimuth Karunaratne's lifted foot like an Olympic walking judge. Nevill's stumping was legal, if a little provocative, and Sri Lanka still had much work to do.
The trophy is theirs, but to complete a historic whitewash Sri Lanka had to set Australia a target that gave their bowlers a chance. When two more wickets fell before lunch, Australia were dreaming of a quick demolition of the lower order and a face-saving chase. And yet by stumps they had still not dismissed Sri Lanka, who were 312 for 8 - Dhananjaya de Silva was on 44 and Suranga Lakmal yet to score - and leading by 288.
Once upon a time, Australia scored more than that in the fourth innings of a Test in Asia. Emphasis on the once. The only time that has happened - win, lose or draw - was in 2006 in Fatullah, when they made 307 in a successful chase. But that was against Bangladesh, with an Australia team full of champions, and even then they made hard work of it, losing seven wickets along the way.
A more relevant comparison, perhaps, concerns their chances of batting out a draw. In the first Test of this series, Australia survived 88 overs in the fourth innings, failing to avoid defeat but at least proving that crease occupation can be achieved. If victory is out of reach on day five in Colombo, maybe Australia should all imagine themselves hamstrung, like Steve O'Keefe in that game. Forget running, just block it out.
Whatever the case, their victory chances were harmed mostly by Silva. Short in stature, little Silva produced an innings of platinum value to Sri Lanka. His defence was sound early, and he gradually became more expansive with his strokeplay. He was strong square of the wicket, punishing Australia's spinners if they dropped short or gave him width. His work was all the more impressive given he had stitches in his hand after being injured while fielding earlier in the game.
Silva's century came from his 251st delivery with a cover drive for four off the spin of Adam Voges, and the emotion was evident from the way Silva ripped off his helmet and roared in celebration. Another failure in this innings and his place in the side might have been in jeopardy. Instead, he registered the third hundred of his Test career, and his first for more than a year.
Eventually, just like in the women's quadruple sculls last week, Jon Holland claimed Silva. On 115, Silva was lured forward by Holland's flight, beaten by the dip and his edge was snapped up by Steven Smith at slip. His innings was over, but he had done enough. In any case, wickets had to fall or a declaration arrive from Angelo Mathews in order to make the final day interesting. After Silva fell, Rangana Herath was taken at slip off Lyon, leaving two wickets in hand.
Silva had received assistance throughout the innings from a series of team-mates who did what he has not all series - got out in double figures. Dinesh Chandimal reached 43 before he was lbw to Lyon from around the wicket, everyone on field seemingly surprised that Australia's review was upheld, that Lyon's delivery had pitched in line and straightened the required amount.
Lyon finished the day with four wickets. He made the only breakthrough of the middle session when Mathews, on 26, tried to sweep but succeeded only in top-edging a catch that lobbed up to Smith at slip. But the middle session was quiet by comparison with the first.
The most fascinating moment was Nevill's stumping of Karunaratne. Lyon's delivery turned past the edge and rested in the gloves of Nevill. That, you might expect, would be that. But Nevill was alert to Karunaratne's tendency to lift his foot. He didn't take his eyes off the batsman's leg, and whipped the bails off at just the right time when Karunaratne momentarily lifted his foot off the ground.
The Laws of Cricket state that the ball is dead "when it is finally settled in the hands of the wicketkeeper or of the bowler", but "whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide". Law 23 also states that "the ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler's end umpire that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play".
If the batsman had regarded the ball as no longer in play, Nevill clearly had not, for he watched assiduously for Karunaratne's movement. Like a motorist given a parking fine for staying one minute too long, Karunaratne was entitled to feel frustrated that a tiny lapse had cost him. But the lapse was his own, and if an eagle-eyed inspector had caught him out, Karunaratne had nobody to blame but himself.
Nevill even tried the ploy again in Lyon's next over, but on this occasion Silva's foot stayed grounded. It was a busy morning for the third umpire: Silva survived an Australian lbw review, and again on his own review when given out lbw, but there was no such positive outcome for Sri Lanka when Kusal Perera was given not out to an appeal for caught behind off Holland.
Perera was attempting a reverse sweep and the ball clearly sailed close to his top edge before bouncing off his body and lobbing up for Nevill to run forward and take. But with no Hot Spot or Snicko available to the TV umpire, Richard Kettleborough, could he overturn the decision? Kettleborough decided that a combination of audio and raw vision was enough - he felt the ball had hit the bat, and Perera was out.
The session ended with a more conventional dismissal, Kusal Mendis lbw to a fast, straight ball from Mitchell Starc that was not reviewed. At 98 for 4, Sri Lanka still had plenty to do. Fortunately for them, Silva was starting to look polished.
Day 5
Sri Lanka 355 & 347/8d
Australia 379 & 160
Sri Lanka won by 163 runs
History was against this Sri Lanka team, so they created their own. Before this series, Sri Lanka had beaten Australia just once - one single Test in 33 years of cricket between the nations. Kumar Sangakkara, perhaps the finest batsman Sri Lanka has ever produced, played 134 Tests and never tasted victory against Australia. Dhananjaya de Silva and Lakshan Sandakan, uncapped a month ago, have now played in three.
So too has Rangana Herath, whose grey-tinged hair and cuddly build can trick you into thinking he was born 38 years old. But he was young once. At 21, he sat in the rooms in Kandy and watched his squad-mates beat Australia in 1999, the only previous occasion on which they had managed the feat. Herath had to wait until the next Test in the series to make his debut. Seventeen years later, he has been part of whitewashing Australia.
A significant part, in fact, for Herath finished the series as the leading wicket taker, with 28 at 12.75. And never was he more devastating than the final day of the final Test, when he collected 7 for 64 to bowl Sri Lanka to their triumph. Set 324 for victory, Australia briefly dreamed of a consolation win while David Warner was moving briskly to 68. But once he departed the capitulation came quickly, Australia bowled out for 160, defeated by 163 runs.
Make no mistake: this series was a complete humiliation for Australia. They arrived in Sri Lanka as the No.1 team in the world, confident of overcoming No.7. Apart from the first day of the series, when they skittled Sri Lanka for 117, Australia were rarely in with a chance. The No.1 ranking is not only gone, but Australia have slipped to third, behind India and Pakistan, while Sri Lanka have moved up to sixth. Australia's loss in Colombo was their ninth consecutive Test defeat in Asia, a record that augurs exceptionally poorly for their four-Test tour of India early next year.
Mitchell Starc was brilliant, finishing with 24 wickets and the best strike-rate of any bowler ever to take 20 wickets in a Test series in Asia. But the batting was deplorable. Only twice in the past hundred years have Australia's batsmen collectively averaged so few runs in a series of three or more Tests as the 19.86 they averaged in this series. There were good excuses on the other occasions: in 1978-79 Australia were ravaged by World Series Cricket, and in England in 1956, Jim Laker was unplayable on uncovered pitches prepared to suit him.
Here there were no such excuses. The pitches turned but were perfectly decent. Sri Lanka's batting was inconsistent and they gave Australia's bowlers openings, but always there was someone to step up and rescue the innings: Kusal Mendis in Pallekele and Galle, Dinesh Chandimal and de Silva in the first innings in Colombo and Kaushal Silva in the second. Sri Lanka's spinners used the conditions well, Australia's batsmen were often incompetent.
But that is for Australia's management to assess in their post-mortems. Now is the time to celebrate Sri Lanka's achievement. Only three times previously had they whitewashed any team in a three-match series - Zimbabwe once, Bangladesh once and West Indies once. Surely none of those triumphs can match the feat not only of crushing the No.1 team, but doing so with a developing squad, so soon after the retirements of champions such as Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
That is why it was so satisfying for Sri Lanka that contributions came from newer faces. De Silva, who debuted in Pallekele, led the series run tally with 325 at 65.00. Mendis, with only one first-class century before this campaign, played the innings that effectively determined the course of the series. Sandakan, though rarely needed because the finger-spinners bowled so well, took nine wickets at 23.00.
He wasn't even needed on the final day, such was the annihilation brought on by Herath, with assistance from Dilruwan Perera. When the Test finished with half an hour still to play until tea, it was remarkable to think that Sri Lanka were still batting when the morning began. Angelo Mathews allowed his men nearly five overs to bump the target up to 324, which required Australia to make their highest ever fourth-innings total in Asia.
Briefly they had hoped, as Warner played his naturally attacking game and compiled a 77-run opening stand with Shaun Marsh. But once that partnership was broken on the brink of lunch, when Marsh was brilliantly caught at short leg by Mendis off Perera, the last nine wickets tumbled for less than a hundred runs. In fact, from the moment Steven Smith was bowled trying to cut Herath, Australia lost nine for 60 in 18 overs.
It was a complete capitulation. Herath straightened one just enough to trap Adam Voges lbw for 1. Warner was bowled around his legs offering no shot to Perera for 68. Moises Henriques, brought in for this match at the expense of Usman Khawaja, added 4 more to the 4 he scored in the first innings, never looking comfortable against the spinners. He was run out when he advanced to Perera, the ball flew off his pad to Mathews at slip, and the captain threw down the stumps.
After that it was all Herath. Mitchell Marsh was caught behind off a beautiful turning delivery. Peter Nevill top-edged a sweep and was taken at slip. Starc too skied an attempted slog sweep and the keeper Kusal Perera took a fine running catch. Then Josh Hazlewood was lured just out of his crease and stumped, and Nathan Lyon was lbw sweeping to end the match.
Herath was mobbed by his team-mates. Australia were history, and Sri Lanka had created it.
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