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Sri Lanka’s captain Angelo Mathews, (C) and teammates Rangana Herath (L) and Dilruwan Perera leave the grounds with the stumps after victory in the second Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia at The Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on 6 August, 2016 - Pic by ISHARA S.KODIKARA / AFP
AFP: Skipper Angelo Mathews on Saturday described Sri Lanka’s historic Test series win against Australia as “satisfying” after their spinners wreaked havoc to notch up an emphatic 229-run victory against the world number one team in the second Test in Galle.
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath combined forces to dismantle the Australian batting in both the innings as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Perera bagged six wickets to help bundle out Australia for 183 after lunch on the third day as Sri Lanka registered their first Test series triumph against the visitors since 1999.
Herath set up the win for the hosts with his maiden Test hat-trick which helped dismiss Australia for a record low of 106 in their first innings.
Australia faltered in their second outing as well after Perera, who registered his career-best figures of 6-70, sent the visitors packing in just 50.1 overs as the Sri Lankan players went into a celebratory huddle.
“It feels great. The way we played in the last two games, I thought we were brilliant. To beat the number one team is very satisfying,” Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews told reporters.
Overnight batsmen David Warner and skipper Steven Smith offered some resistance with their 51-run fourth wicket partnership but both of them fell to Perera’s guile.
Warner, who tried to counter attack during his 31-ball 41, was trapped lbw off a straighter Perera delivery that hit the batsman on the front pad.
Smith (30), who used his feet well against the spinners during his 58-ball stay, was the next to go as he gave away a catch at backward short leg.
Man of the match Perera, who bagged 10 wickets in the match, then bowled Adam Voges for 28 to register his fourth five-wicket haul in 11 Test matches.
“They (Australian batsmen) look a bit lost when it comes to our spinners. Our spinners have bowled extremely well. They found it a bit hard to score off our spinners,” said Mathews.
Herath hat-trick
But it was Herath’s left-arm spin that did the early damage in a match dominated by Sri Lankan slow bowlers.
Herath and Perera shared four wickets between them on a chaotic second day which saw the fall of 21 wickets and put the match on the fast track. The 38-year-old Herath, who became only the second Sri Lankan to claim a hat-trick after former pacer Nuwan Zoysa, dismissed Voges, Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc off consecutive deliveries.
Australia’s pace spearhead Starc though made his presence felt on a track that offered little help to the fast bowlers with his career-best match figures of 11-94.
But Starc’s standout show for Australia did little to help the team’s dismal record in the sub-continent.
Australia’s last outing to the sub-continent saw them lose all four Tests against India in 2013 and they also lost both matches when Pakistan hosted them for a two-Test series in 2014 in the Gulf. “It’s been too long now - I think it’s been 15 or 16 games since we’ve won a game in the sub-continent, so whatever we’re doing it’s not working,” a disappointed Smith said after the loss.
“We have to find ways to score and find ways to take wickets and chase runs. We have not been able to do that in the first two Test matches.
“Credit to Sri Lanka for the way they have played to wrap up series here today,” Smith added Saturday.
The action now shifts to Colombo for the final Test beginning August 13.
President Maithripala Sirisena today congratulated the Sri Lanka cricket team for clinching a historic Test series win against the world’s top-ranked Test team, Australia.
Sri Lanka beat Australia by 229 runs in the second match of the three-match Test series at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday to clinch the series after the hosts also won the first match in Pallekele.
“Congratulations to Sri Lanka Cricket team as it makes history with this win. A moment of pride in Sri Lanka Cricket,” the President said in a Twitter message.
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera’s six-wicket haul on the third morning helped Sri Lanka seal a historic 229-run win over Australia in the second Test. Australia, chasing a challenging 413 for victory, were bundled out for 183 after lunch as Sri Lanka, who won their last series against the visitors in 1999, took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Perera also became the first Sri Lankan cricketer to hit a half-century and bag 10 wickets in the same Test.
The victory was set up by Rangana Herath on Friday. The veteran left-arm spinner’s maiden Test hat-trick helped dismiss Australia for a record low of 106 in its first innings, before Perera’s half-century and Angelo Mathews’ fine 47 helped post a target beyond Australia’s reach.
AFP: Australia skipper Steven Smith on Saturday asked his spinners to step up their game in the sub-continent after his side’s crushing 229-run loss to Sri Lanka in the second Test in Galle.
In a match where Sri Lankan spinners Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath wreaked havoc on a typical sub-continent track, their Australian counterparts had little impact.
Perera bagged six wickets to help bundle out Australia for 183 after lunch on the third day as Sri Lanka registered their first Test series triumph against the visitors since 1999.
Herath set up the win for the hosts with his maiden Test hat-trick which helped dismiss Australia for a record low of 106 in their first innings.
In contrast, Australia’s Nathan Lyon (4/158) and debutant Jon Holland (2/133) just got six wickets between them in the course of the match which saw 24 wickets fall to spinners.
“They didn’t get many wickets did they? We need to find ways to bowl differently to how we bowl our spin in Australia as well,” Smith said.
“You look at the Sri Lankan spinners or any of the subcontinent spinners, they bowl that side seam on the ball where they can go up and down with their speeds and trajectory,” he added.
Australia’s batting card also didn’t read a pretty picture in the two Test matches with Smith’s 55 being the top score in Pallekele and David Warner’s 42 in the first innings standing out in Galle.
“Yeah it certainly needs to be looked at. If there are guys that can play spin well in these conditions then it’s certainly got to be a chance,” Smith said.
Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc stood out with his career-best figures of 11-94 on a track which provided little assistance for fast bowlers.
“I thought all of the fast bowlers did a pretty good job for us in this game, but to be fair, it shouldn’t be them taking the wickets. It should be our spinners getting the job done,” said Smith.
“For Jon Holland in his first Test, he was obviously a little bit nervous and you can excuse that a little bit. The spinners have to find a way to get wickets and keep the runs dry on these surfaces.
“We’ve gone at over four an over for both Test matches, so we’ve got to find a way for the spinners to get wickets in these conditions,” he added.
