Sri Lanka fall to record defeat as Australia cruise to victory in first Test at Galle

Australia have taken 15 wickets inside two sessions to consign Sri Lanka to their biggest-ever defeat in Test cricket and go one-nil up in the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.

Heading into day four weather was the biggest obstacle in the way of an Australian victory but back-to-back abject batting displays for the hosts ensured it was never going to be a factor.

Having entered the day 5/136 Sri Lanka conspired to lose 15/276 as Matt Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon feasted on a scatterbrained batting line-up.

Once Kuhnemann removed Kusal Mendis Sti Lanka lost 5/9 to close out their first innings with the Queensland spinner finishing with 5/63.

Following on still 489 runs behind Mitchell Starc and Todd Muprhy removed both openers inside the first four overs before the spinners chipped away through the middle order.

Most Sri Lankan batters got starts but only spinner Jeffrey Vandersay passed 50 having swung for the fences in an entertaining final wicket partnership before perishing the next ball.

The innings and 242-run loss is the biggest defeat for Sri Lanka in Test while it is Australia’s biggest Test win in the subcontinent.

Vandersay appeared to have been aware that Sri Lanka had come up just short of avoiding a new low, kicking at the dirt when Mitch Starc caught him the ball after he made his half-century.

The wicket had begun to deteriorate by the time Sri Lanka were batting, but the hosts nevertheless came up with some embarrassing batting on home soil.

Most notably, veteran Dimuth Karunaratne (0) completely left Todd Murphy (0-28, 1-57) to career into his off-stump in the second innings.

Fellow opener Oshada Fernando (6) came up with one of the all-time bad reviews by sending a Starc (2-13, 1-4) in-swinger upstairs.

Balltracker showed it was hitting his middle stump for the first scalp of the second innings.

The pair of brain-snaps left Sri Lanka floundering at 2-6.

Kuhnemann came up with breakthrough wickets throughout Saturday, opening the floodgates in the first innings when he had Kusal Mendis caught at square leg.

The scalp triggered a collapse of 5-9 that left Sri Lanka all out for 165 in 26 balls, after they’d begun the day at 5-136.

Mild-mannered Kuhnemann ripped through the tail en route to his second five-wicket haul from four Test matches.

In the second innings, Kuhnemann enticed strike weapon Kamindu Mendis into hitting into the wind to midwicket and then took captain Dhananjaya de Silva’s wicket for the second time in the game.

Just as he looked to have his eye in, De Silva (39) edged Kuhnemann to Beau Webster at cover.

Lyon dispatched the only batter providing resistance in the first innings, Dinesh Chandimal (72), by bowling around the wicket to strike him on the back pad.

In the second innings, he helped Australia cut into the tail, with Alex Carey stumping Sri Lanka’s last recognised batter Kusal Mendis (34).

Lyon bowled off-spinner Prabath Jayasuriya attempting a slog sweep on the next delivery but Nishan Peiris hit him to cover before he could snare a first Test cricket hat-trick.

The tail hung around more than in the first innings - with Smith throwing the ball to Travis Head (0-8) for two overs - before Kuhnemann landed the final blow.