Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test Day 3 Highlights: Australia Close In On Series Sweep As SL Slump To 211/8

The players are back out to the middle. Dimuth Karunaratne gets a guard of honour as he walks out to the field. Great gesture. The Lankans take their positions on the field now. Travis Head and Usman Khawaja are the usual openers for the Aussies. Ramesh Mendis will start off proceedings in this fourth innings. Khawaja to face. Here we go...

... FINAL INNINGS ...

A better batting display by the home side but once again, it could not quite avoid the batting collapses. Partnerships are always a key in a Test inning and Sri Lanka got that. But they could not avoid the multiple collapses - 39/3 and then 5/33 towards the end. Great fight shown by the middle order, giving their bowlers something to defend.

27 of the 30 wickets in the match have gone to the spinners. No big deal. Mitchell Starc is the only pacer with 3 wickets and that's the way it happens in Galle. However, Australia have gotten away with a risky selection policy of taking only 3 regular bowlers in this match, which was further dwindled to 2 in the third innings, with Starc unfit. But Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon enjoyed the dusty conditions, picking up 4 wickets apiece while Beau Webster put himself in the ranks of the late Andrew Symonds, bowling medium pace and off spin at will.

Just 7.4 overs needed by Australia on Day 2 to pick the last wicket of the Lankan first innings. 6 overs needed by Australia on Day 4 to pick the last two wickets of the Lankan second innings. Kusal Mendis was supposed to be the only threat for the Aussies this morning and Nathan Lyon nipped that threat into the bud, by getting him on the 9th ball of the day. That killed whatever chances the Lankans had of getting to a lead of three digits and eventually, have been bowled out with a lead of 74.

OUT! DONE AND DUSTED! In just about half and hour or so, Australia have wrapped up Sri Lanka on 231, and technically on 74/10. Lyon comes from around the wicket and lands this on a fuller length, tossing it up nicely, getting a good in-drift as well, around off. Kumara takes his front leg out of the way and goes for an awkward slog against the line as the ball spins away after pitching. He misses it to get any wood on the ball and it goes on to clipping the top of the off stump.

Beau Webster has been given the ball. 2-0-6-1 so far.

Full on the stumps, Kumara works it past short leg for a single.

That bump on the ground saves Kumara and Sri Lankan innings for now! Australians were already heading to the dugout but there came the dreaded verdict from the third umpire! Lyon tosses it up, fuller and on off, turns away from the pitch. Lahiru Kumara lunges forward to defend it out but gets a thick outside edge and the ball goes flat and dips ahead of the second slip fielder Beau Webster who bends low and tries to scoop it off the grass. A streak of replays rolls in as the third umpire wants to have a check for the fair catch. And Lahiru Kumara can breathe for now as the ball has bumped off the surface before going in the hands of the second slip fielder. NOT OUT.

End of the innings? Lahiru Kumara has been caught at gully but Kumara is not going anywhere. The Aussies don't care. They are walking off the field. The decision has been referred to the third umpire. Here comes the replay - BOUNCED IN FRONT! Well, come back, Kangaroos. You can hop and skip, but a catch cannot be taken with the ball hopping in front of you. Very poor from Beau Webster not to inform that the ball had bounced. That was well in front of him.

Drags the length on off, Nishan Peiris hangs back and punches it to the point region and sets off for a quick single. The fielder from cover swiftly moves to his right, picks the ball and throws in a motion to the keeper. Carey collects it and breaks the stumps in a flash. A direct hit there could have been curtains for Kumara.

BEATEN! Drifts into the batter and then lands, and turns away off the deck, around off, Nishan Peiris goes for a front foot block but plays inside the line and the ball flirts past the outside edge.

On middle and leg, full, Nishan Peiris defends it out safely.

Lyon drops full and tosses it up around off, Nishan Peiris leans forward and blocks it straight to the bowler.

A bit surprising to see the field spread for both batters. Probably Steven Smith is expecting the tailenders to go swinging after the spinners but smartly, both Lahiru Kumara and Nishan Peiris are pushing it around the only focussing on taking the runs on offer. Their partnership is worth 12 now and it has taken just 20 balls, with the lead moving to 72. Wonder how long will it be before Smith looks to apply the squeeze and force the batters to work for their runs.

Around the wickets now bustles Kuhnemann, lands it on a good length, on middle and leg, Lahiru Kumara goes back and across to drop it near the strip to the leg side.

Turns in from around off, on a good length, Nishan Peiris leans back and cuts it to deep point for an easy single.

Much fuller on off, Lahiru Kumara drills it down to long off and rotates the strike.

Second slip gone, bowled full and around off, carved out by Kumara, but straight to short cover.

The second slip now comes in place as Matthew Kuhnemann bowls it full and outside off, Nishan Peiris strides across and drives it to the covers for a single.