Australia’s bowlers ripped through Sri Lanka’s brittle batting order to dismiss the home side for 117 on an eventful first day of the opening Test here on Tuesday that also saw the visitors lose their openers for just seven runs.
Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed three wickets apiece, while Mitchell Starc and Steve O’Keefe picked up two each as the host was shot out shortly after lunch.
Debutant all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva (24) was the top scorer for Sri Lanka.
Australia’s innings also got off to a shaky start as it lost David Warner and Joe Burns inside the first four overs before captain Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja calmed things down with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 59 runs.
Smith was on 28 while Khawaja was on 25 at the tea interval with Australia rebuilding on 66 for two. Rain then washed away the entire final session. The downpour in Pallekele cast a further gloom over the Sri Lankan side after it recorded its lowest total at the picturesque ground.
Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews decided to bat on what began as a sunny day, but Australia made early inroads as they reduced the host to 84 for five at lunch.
It only needed a further 6.2 overs in the second session to finish off the batting line-up, with the wickets evenly spread between the fast bowlers and spinners.
