Sri Lanka reached stumps on day three of the third Test against Australia with a lead of 87 runs, but with just three wickets in hand, leaving the game set to end a day early.
Australia had declared earlier in the day on 432 for nine, the score made substantial by an unbeaten 102 from wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. The Aussie bowlers then shared the spoils as they reduced the visitors to 225 for seven at the close.
Australia started the day with a slender lead of 48, with Wade in the middle alongside Peter Siddle. Wade had already accrued 47 runs on the previous day, so he and the fast bowler put on another 42 runs before Siddle was dismissed for 38 by Nuwan Pradeep.
Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were unable to stick with Wade for very long as neither added a score of substance, though Jackson Bird hung around to help his partner reach his second Test century. They put on 39 together before Michael Clarke announced the declaration just before lunch.
This left Sri Lanka trailing by 138 runs, and with more than half the Test still to go they would have felt hopeful of doing something decent with the time remaining. They lost Tillakaratne Dilshan early, the score on 24, before the tide seemed to turn.
Dimuth Karunaratne and Mahela Jayawardene put on 108 for the second wicket, all but wiping out the deficit and putting them in a strong position at tea, on 130 for one. But the respite was not to last and Karunaratne fell shortly after the resumption for 85.
The visitors then lost their next five wickets for 70 runs, despite Jayawardene’s continued efforts. The skipper was eventually caught for 60 by Clarke off Siddle, after watching Lahiru Thirimanne, Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews fall cheaply at the other end.
At the close of play, Dinesh Chandimal was on 22 and Rangana Herath on seven as they pushed the lead up to 87. A point of excitement for the fans, most of whom were dressed in pink to raise awareness for Glenn McGrath’s cancer foundation, was when Michael Hussey had a bowl.
Hussey, playing in his final Test before retirement, may not bat again, so the fans demanded to see him in action one more time, so Clarke gave him the old ball and he was immediately struck for four, much to the crowd’s displeasure. They were the only runs off his over.
