Sri Lanka complete historic whitewash

Rangana Herath bowled Sri Lanka to a famous and historic Test series whitewash over Australia as the islanders won the third and final Test match by 163 runs on Wednesday at SSC grounds.

Herath captured his 26^th five-wicket haul and completed his 6^th ten-wicket haul to end with figures of 13 for 145 runs as Australia were bowled out for 160 on a wearing day five surface. This is Sri Lanka’s fourth-ever 3-0 series whitewash in their 34-year old Test history and the first against Australia.

Sri Lanka won the ‘Warne-Muralitharan’ trophy for the first time after it was unveiled in 2007 as Herath finished off with 28 wickets from 3 match to win both ‘Man of the Series’ and ‘Man of the Match’ awards.

Resuming on 312 for 8, Sri Lanka surprisingly batted for 4.3 overs on day five, accumulating 35 runs to set an improbable 324-run target for the Australians in a minimum of 83 overs. Dhananjaya De Silva scored an unbeaten 65 off 74 balls to become the first Sri Lankan to get a hundred and a half-century in the same Test batting at No.7 or lower.

The visitors started their chase brilliantly as their opening pair, Shaun Marsh and David Warner recorded the highest-ever stand for the 1^st wicket throughout the series, 77 runs before the former was caught excellently at short-leg by Kusal Mendis off Dilruwan Perera.

Incidentally, Sri Lanka lost both their reviews in two consecutive balls when Warner was batting on 37. Skipper Mathews first thought the ball gazed off the glove, appealed for a catch but the replayed showed no deviations while in the next ball, he reviewed for a LBW but the replays showed the ball was pitching outside leg.

After lunch, Warner continued with his attacking approach while padding anything that’s pitched outside leg. He brought up his first half-century of the series while scoring his 4^th boundary, hitting over the mid-on fielder.

Skipper Steven Smith playing for vicious turn was undone by that famous ‘straight-on with the arm’ delivery of Herath as it skidded off the surface to rattle the stumps. Adam Voges did the same mistake as his captain but had his front-pad on the way but could not save him from being adjudged plumb in front.

Warner used his feet excellently and rocked back strong to anything short throughout his 94-ball 68 before he was bowled around his legs by Dilruwan. He offered no stroke and just used the pad but the ball sneaked around his legs to end the Australian hopes of an impossible win.

Moises Henriques was caught short of his crease by Captain Marvel, Angelo Mathews as the Aussie all-rounder jumped out of his crease off Perera to work the ball to the leg-side but the ball ricocheted off the pads to the slips where Mathews aimed perfectly to dislodge the stumps.

Herath picked up all the remaining five wickets as Australia slumped from 77 for no loss to 160 all out and eventually losing their number 1 Test ranking to India. They have fallen down to number 3 while Sri Lanka will now move up the rankings to number 6.

Mitchell Marsh was caught behind by Kusal Perera off Herath with a stunning delivery which took off from the rough while wicket-keeper Peter Nevill top-edged to the slips while attempting a rash sweep shot.

Mitch Starc stroked a few boundaries but skied one which wicket-keeper Kusal Perera ran about 30 yards and caught valiantly. Josh Hazelwood was stumped and the final nail in the Aussie coffin was nailed when Nathan Lyon was caught plumb in front while trying to sweep.

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