Australia overpower Sri Lanka to claim a historic clean sweep victory
The series win marks Australia's first in Sri Lanka since 2011.
GALLE: A dominant Australia took just over three days to defeat Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the second Test, completing a 2-0 series sweep on Sunday.
This marks Australia’s first series victory in Sri Lanka since 2011, providing a timely boost for a team that will defend their World Test Championship (WTC) title against South Africa in June.
Australia had already established a commanding 157-run lead in the spin-heavy contest at Galle International Stadium. On the fourth day, the visitors needed just 25 minutes to take the last two Sri Lankan wickets, dismissing the hosts for 231 in their second innings.
Australia then set out to chase the 75-run target, losing only Travis Head, the lone wicket to fall. Usman Khawaja (27) and Marnus Labuschagne (26) guided the team to victory, with Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne, playing his 100th Test, bowling the final over.
“We played really well from the outset,” said Australia’s captain Steve Smith, who scored his second century of the series and earned the player-of-the-series award. “The batters adapted to the conditions here, and it was amazing to see. All our bowlers did a tremendous job.”
Smith also praised the team’s continuous improvement since their 2016 tour.
Australia’s response to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 257 was a dominant 414, driven by Smith’s 259-run partnership with Alex Carey, who made 156. Carey’s performance earned him the player-of-the-match award after being promoted to number five in place of Josh Inglis, who had a back spasm.
Matthew Kuhnemann (4-63) and Nathan Lyon (4-84) tore through Sri Lanka’s second innings, with the spin duo accounting for 30 of the 40 wickets in the series.
Despite battling half-centuries from Angelo Mathews (76) and Kusal Mendis (50), Sri Lanka was never able to seize the momentum, and Australia remained in control throughout the match.
Smith, standing in as captain for Pat Cummins, also became the first Australian and fifth overall player to take 200 outfield catches.
“Losing a home series 2-0 is very disappointing. The conditions were very suitable for us,” said Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva. “We never had the opportunity to get into the game, and Australia proved why they’re in the WTC final.”
The teams will now head to Colombo for a two-match one-day series beginning on Wednesday.
