Key events
41st over: Sri Lanka 134-5 (Chandimal 62, Mendis 9) Mendis goes BIG! Murphy tossed it down shorter and wider and the 29-year-old got down on one knee and slog swept it over the rope for SIX. Great shot and it brings a glimmer of hope. Mendis is a 70 Test veteran with 10 Test centuries to his name so if he can stick with Chaminda there’s hope for Sri Lanka. That said, they still trail by 519 runs.
40th over: Sri Lanka 128-5 (Chandimal 62, Mendis 3) Nathan Lyon starts his 14th over with 1-40 and immediately finds sharp spin. Mendis retreats at this in-dipper and digs it out of his naval. Will he try to replicate Chandimal’s successful tactic of reverse sweeping Lyon? He sweeps a single instead. We have a shout on the final ball. Not a big appeal and umpire shakes his head but, given Carey’s quicksilver gloves, Smith thinks there’s a chance of a stumping. There isn’t. Chandimal’s foot is firmly planted.
39th over: Sri Lanka 127-5 (Chandimal 62, Mendis 2) Kuhnemann delivers five dots before Chandimal’s patience snaps. He skips back and swats the final delivery through cover for a sweetly-timed FOUR.
38th over: Sri Lanka 123-5 (Chandimal 58, Mendis 2) Chandimal charges Murphy! The result is a well timed four that splits the fielders and races to the mid off boundary. Murphy rips one out of ther rough in response, darting it back and causing Chandimal to flinch. His edge flies for a run but it’s a lucky one.
37th over: Sri Lanka 118-5 (Chandimal 53, Mendis 2) Kuhnemann starts his 12th over with 2-43. He also has two slips in place in Smith and Beau Webster. The Sri Lankans trade three singles as the screws turn. Still no sign of Usman Khawaja in the field today. Perhaps Smith has given his double-centurion the day off?
36th over: Sri Lanka 115-5 (Chandimal 51, Mendis 1) Murphy is in a nice groove now. He’s finding the footmarks and the volume behind the stumps is rising in excitement. His third ball slides on and beats Chandimal’s bat by a millimetre. The last nips back. Good bowling. Just one run from the over. Sri Lanka trail by 539 runs.
35th over: Sri Lanka 114-5 (Chandimal 50, Mendis 1) Edged… but safe! That dab through slip brings up fifty for Dinesh Chandimal. His half-century – the 31st of his 87-Test career – came from 91 balls. Kuhnemann finds a bit of bounce and zip to beat the bat on the final two. Great over.
34th over: Sri Lanka 113-5 (Chandimal 49, Mendis 1) New batter is Kusal Mendis and he watches as Chandimal survives a huge shout for lbw. Todd Murphy, still smarting after being spanked for consecutive boundaries in his last over, zipped that through faster. It landed full on off stump, and jagged back to middle where it hit Chandimal’s front pad. Big shout but Smith shakes his head. No review, and just as well: Murphy has overstepped and it’s a no-ball. Chandimal celebrates by sweeping Murphy over midwicket for a boundary.
33rd over: Sri Lanka 106-5 (Chandimal 45, Mendis 0) Kuhnemann cashes in on Dhananjaya de Silva’s rush of blood to the head. The captain and Chandimal had built the first significant partnership of the innings but a drinks break has sparked an impetuous decision and Australia are now into Sri Lanka’s bottom half.
WICKET! De Silva st. Carey b Kuhnemann 22 (Sri Lanka 107-5)
De Silva is stumped! A rash shot by Sri Lanka’s captain after the drinks break. He leapt out of his crease to spank Kuhnemann out of the ground but the Queensland leftie saw him coming and jagged it out of reach. Carey had the bails off in a flash!
32nd over: Sri Lanka 106-4 (Chandimal 44, de Silva 22) Here’s Todd Murphy. The bespectacled off-spinner from Echuca on the Murray River only got the one over yesterday (a maiden). He starts today from around the wicket. Chandimal drives a run. This is Murphy’s seventh Test. He debuted after just seven first-class matches for Victoria and was a bold choice for the 2022-23 tour of India. A seven-wicket haul in Nagpur put paid to the critics though. De Silva certainly likes what he sees of the 24-year-old. He pounds back to back boundaries from the final deliveries, the first a superb cover drive, the second a thrash through extra cover.
31st over: Sri Lanka 95-4 (Chandimal 42, de Silva 13) Kuhnemann returns for an eighth over, seemingly recovered from that fractured and dislocated thumb injury he suffered a few weeks ago. De Silva takes him for a clipped a single through midwicket and Chandimal drives to long off to retain strike. Sri Lanka now trail by 559.
30th over: Sri Lanka 93-4 (Chandimal 41, De Silva 12) Reverse swept to the rope! Now Chandimal gets in on the counterattack, taking on Lyon and winning. The GOAT mixes up the next two, sends them through faster, flatter. Chandimal defends them before flinching weirdly at the final delivery and punching it fine for a single.
29th over: Sri Lanka 87-4 (Chandimal 36, De Silva 11) Swept for FOUR! Great shot by De Silva. He swatted at the previous ball and missed but hasd the courage to double down and try again. Kuhnemann knew an attack was coming and dropped it short and Sri Lanka’s captain duly went into a crouch and belted him square to the boundary.
28th over: Sri Lanka 81-4 (Chandimal 36, De Silva 5) At the venue where he took a five-for on debut 12 years ago, Lyon continues to befuddle the Sri Lankans. The ball is now spinning noticeably more than on day two and Lyon has this pair pinned in the crease. They eke two singles, neither from a convincing stroke.
27th over: Sri Lanka 79-4 (Chandimal 35, De Silva 4) Kuhnemann delivers a maiden as De Silva recovers from an appeal on the second ball – a bottom edge saves him – and defends the rest.
26th over: Sri Lanka 79-4 (Chandimal 35, De Silva 4) Lyon enters his 11th over with 1-31. This is the old man from Young’s 135th Test and his dismissal of Angelo Mathews last night gave him 540 Test wickets. A 23-year-old Lyon made his debut here 12 years ago wearing a lot of hair and although the locks have been lost, the legend has grown and the GOAT always has a ball in Galle. De Silva tries three reverse sweeps in this over and none work.
25th over: Sri Lanka 78-4 (Chandimal 35, De Silva 3) The Big Kuhnemann is on. The Queensland leftie opened the bowling with Starc yesterday and rewarded captain Smith’s faith by picking up the wicket of Oshada Fernando in his first over. Today’s start isn’t as smooth. Finding a ball drifting too wide outside off, De Silva opens the face late to dab it past slip and run three. Good chasing by Todd Murphy at third man saves four.
24th over: Sri Lanka 73-4 (Chandimal 33, De Silva 0) With a little dance and a lot of power, Chandimal skips out and on drives Lyon to the boundary. Good batting. Sri Lanka are in a hole but they must attack and score runs to dig themselves toward a draw. It won’t be easy though. Lyon is in the zone and responds to that lashing with five probing dot balls.
23rd over: Sri Lanka 69-4 (Chandimal 29, De Silva 0) Ouch! Chandimal’’s attempt to pull Starc off his hip has backfired painfully. He was too slow through the shot and it has cannoned into the exposed area between the hip and the rib cage. Chandimal calls for the medic straight away. Magic spray. Magic sponge. Magic gum. He takes anything he can get. Restored, he faces up again, bravely ducking and swinging a short ball off the helmet badge and getting it square for a single.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 68-4 (Chandimal 28, De Silva 0) Chandimal’s single means De Silva gets his first look at Nathan Lyon today. He’s wary of what he sees which is sharp turn out of that rough patch outside off. De Silva is in his 62nd Test and has 12 centuries at an average of 40 so he knows a trap when he sees one.
21st over: Sri Lanka 67-4 (Chandimal 26, De Silva 0) New batter is Sri Lanka’s captain Dhananjaya de Silva. He plays out the over safely as Sri Lanka try to build a partnership of substance to scale this Australian Everest. As Starc celebrates his second wicket, his partner Alyssa Healy has just walked to the wicket at the MCG, replacing Phoebe Litchfield who has been dismissed by Lauren Bell to leave Australia 99-2.
WICKET! Mendis c Carey b Starc 15 (Sri Lanka 67-4)
Starc strikes! That’s a big wicket on day three as Mendis goes cheaply (for him). It was a lucky wicket for the big wuick. He sprayed it down the leg-side and Mendis chased it and unfortunately caught the edge. Carey pouched the chance with ease.
20th over: Sri Lanka 66-3 (Chandimal 26, Mendis 15) Usman Khawaja didn’t field yesterday due to cramp. Fair enough too after he batted 503 minutes and 352 balls. Instead Nathan McSweeney was sent in his stead and took a superb juggling catch in the gully to dismiss Dimuth Karunaratne for 7. McSweeney is back out there this morning as Ussie guzzles pickle juice in the shade of the dressing-rooms. Three singles from this Lyon over as Sri Lanka’s batters stay busy.
19th over: Sri Lanka 63-3 (Chandimal 24, Mendis 14) Mendis plays an aggressive angled bat to Starc but can’t get past the man at gully. He tries to drive the third but it sprays off the inside edge. Good to see an aggressive approach from the Sri Lankans this morning. Chandimal and Mendis are brilliant batters, highly capable of big runs on home pitches and have each compiled their highest Test scores at Galle so why not? A Chandimal single and a leg bye in this over means Sri Lanka are now only 591 behind.
18th over: Sri Lanka 61-3 (Chandimal 23, Mendis 14) Nathan Lyon is fizzing his off spinners into the rough left by Mitchell Starc’s big hooves. Second ball falls short of that golden rough and Chandimal pulls it for a boundary. Lyon’s riposte is brilliant. Chandimal is drawn forward to a floater and gets a thick edge. It should be safely scooped up by first slip but Smith is standing wider than usual and it flies past his left hand and runs for four. Lyon puts his hands to his head, tearing out invisible hair. He recovers to rip another past the edge. Chandimal recovers too, reverse sweeping the final ball for four. 12 from the over!
17th over: Sri Lanka 47-3 (Chandimal 9, Mendis 14) Mitchell Starc opens Australia’s attack from the other end. Straight away he slides a sweet nut past Mendis’s edge. Wry grins from batter and bowler. Beautiful bowling at 144kph. Starc is wearing long inner sleeves under his shirt today, perhaps a birthday present for turning 35 yesterday? Starc is full and focused on that channel outside off. Mendis survives but can’t score.
16th over: Sri Lanka 47-3 (Chandimal 9, Mendis 14) Mendis shucks off the rust with a little dab through square leg. Chandimal’s first attempt at a run is much dicier as Lyon tosses one down outside off and finds steep bounce. It leaps past the batter’s throat and goes over Alex Carey’s helmet. We are away!
Players are on the field and Nathan Lyon is at the top of his mark awaiting Kamindu Mendis, a man with five centuries and four fifties from his last 10 Tests! Let’s go…
Don’t forget the Women’s Ashes Test is happening at the MCG, with Australia looking good. Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland are in the midst of a 76-run partnership and Australia are cruising at 93-1 in pursuit of England’s 170.
Martin Pegan has out live coverage bubbling here…
Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal will resume Sri Lanka’s innings today unbeaten on 13 and 9 respectively. For the home side, their torment in the final session was slightly alleviated by rain, hence the start time of 3.21pm AEST today.
There is more rain predicted for the afternoon but so far things look clear for play to begin on time.
For those who came in late, here’s a report on day two…
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
Greetings sports fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of day three in this first Test between Australian and Sri Lanka at Galle International Cricket Stadium.
Australia are bossing this Test match. An Usman Khawaja double-century 232, Steve Smith’s 141 and Josh Inglis’s 102 on debut have set Sri Lanka the mountainous total of 654 (dec) – a new Australian record for Tests played in Asia. Sent in for an hour in the final session, Sri Lanka collapsed to 44-3!
Can the home side conjure a miracle and pull this Test out of the fire? They still have Dinesh Chandimal at the crease – his glorious double-century in 2022 led Sri Lanka to a comeback victory and a squared series. And his current partner Kamindu Mendis is no slouch either, having scored 1000+ Test runs last year at an average nudging 75.
But the road to another 610 runs and parity is long, winding and steep. It is also deadly, with Australia’s triple-threat spin cartel of Nathan Lyon (1-7), Matthew Kuhnemann (1-26) and Todd Murphy already developing an appetite for destruction.
Play starts at the traditional time of 3.21pm so batten ‘em down and buckle ‘em up. We’ll have action under way soon.
