After leaving the hosts reeling at 211/8 after leading by 54 runs in their second innings on Saturday, February 8 at Galle International Stadium, Galle, Australia is poised to complete a historic whitewash in Sri Lanka. After Steve Smith (131) and Alex Carey (156) gave Sri Lanka a commanding 157-run lead in the first innings, Matthew Kuhnemann (4/52) and Nathan Lyon (3/80) tangled a web around their batters on Day 3. Kuhnemann destroyed Pathum Nissanka's stumps for eight, rocking Sri Lanka early once more.
Kuhnemann's second strike came when he edged his opening partner Dimuth Karunaratne straight into Alex Carey's gloves after Karunaratne failed to score much in his final Test innings. Consequently, Karunaratne concluded his incredible Test career and was greeted by cheers from the Australian players as he returned to the pavilion.
Dinesh Chandimal (12), who holed out to mid-off to leave his team at 39/3, was also dismissed by Nathan Lyon as Sri Lanka's wickets continued to fall. Batting through a difficult stretch, Angelo Mathews, who entered at number four, kept the scoreboard moving. But Kamindu Mendis (14) also threw away his wicket when attempting to go inside out against Nathan Lyon and was caught at mid-off, so there was not much encouragement for the seasoned veteran. With Mathews on 38 and captain Dhananjaya de Silva (8) at the crease, Sri Lanka entered tea at 98/4.
After tea, the pair increased their partnership to 47 before Kuhnemann struck again at a critical juncture for Australia, giving De Silva the advantage over Steve Smith at slip. When Kusal Mendis joined Mathews at the crease, Sri Lanka had already lost half of their team and was still behind by 29 runs. To ease tensions in the locker room, their 70-run collaboration allowed their team to cut the deficit and grab a 41-run advantage. The happiness was short-lived, though, as Mathews ended up brushing Nathan Lyon right down Beau Webster's neck at backward square leg. Following a spectacular knock of 76 (149), which left his team on 198/6, he appeared upset as he made his way back to the pavilion.
Alex Carey breaks Adam Gilchrist's record
Earlier in the day, with a composed Steve Smith and Alex Carey at the crease undefeated on their individual hundreds, Australia resumed their first innings at 330/3, ahead by 73 runs. The two continued to work together for 259 runs before Kusal Mendis' dismissal of Smith at 131 gave Sri Lanka the victory. Alex Carey beat Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia and went on to cross the 150-run milestone for the first time in his Test career. In the end, he lost his stumps to Prabath Jayasuriya (5/151) and was dismissed for 156.
Only Beau Webster, with a knock of 31(62), showed some resistance after he was removed, as no other Australian batsman was able to reach double figures. Australia took a 157-run lead after being knocked out for 414 in the first innings. In the meantime, Australia is about to humiliate Sri Lanka in their own country for the first time since 2004 following yet another dominant day. In order to get ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Steve Smith and his team will be keen to wrap up things swiftly on Day 4 and turn their attention to the ODI series.