Lyon enters 200 wicket-club in Tests
A brilliant maiden century by Kusal Mendis helped Sri Lanka claw their way back into contention in the first cricket Test against Australia today and open up a 196-run lead before play was suspended early due to bad light.
Playing in only his seventh Test, Mendis was batting on a monumental 169, with Sri Lanka 282 for 6 and eyeing a come-from-behind win.
It surpassed Mendis’ previous best of 53 at Test level and he’s well on track to make the highest score by a Sri Lankan against Australia, a record held by Kumar Sangakkara when he belted 192 in Hobart, in 2007.
A 29-run lead with only four wickets in hand reflected Australia’s failure to capitalize on a splendid bowling effort on day one, when the hosts were bundled out for 117.
Both sides will also play against each other in Galle and Colombo to complete the three-match series.
Chandimal eventually fell lbw to Mitchell Marsh (1-33), but Mendis received further support from Dhananjaya de Silva (36), and went through to his hundred off 143 balls with a slog-swept six off Lyon.
Earlier, resuming on 6-1, Sri Lanka received an early jolt with Mitchell Starch trapping Dimuth Karunaratne LBW for the second time in the match with the third delivery of the day. It’s been a tough day for the Australian bowlers but the good thing about Test cricket is we will bounce back tomorrow and look forward to taking the new ball and, hopefully, taking some early wickets and then get batting.
Sri Lanka, however, lost Kaushal Silva too early in the opening session, before Mendis stitched together a 41-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Angelo Mathews, the captain.
Mitch Marsh (31) and Adam Voges (47) put on a steadying 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket, before debuting left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan bowled Marsh to claim his first Test scalp.
Australia suffered a huge blow on the third day of the ongoing Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka when left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe left the field two balls into his 17th over, having tweaked his right hamstring. At tea, Sri Lanka were 253 for 5, with Mendis looking untroubled.
Of the 15 Sri Lankan wickets to fall so far, eight have been lbw.