GALLE, Sri Lanka — Australia has clinched a convincing 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, securing the second Test with a dominant nine-wicket win in Galle on Sunday.
Marnus Labuschagne, the top-order batsman, sealed the win by flicking a delivery from retiring Sri Lankan player Dimuth Karunaratne to mid-wicket, achieving the victory just 15 minutes before the lunch break on the fourth day.
This win represents Australia’s first Test series triumph on Sri Lankan soil since 2011. Previously, the last victory under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy was a 1-0 result in 2011. In contrast, they faced a 3-0 defeat in a series in 2016 under Steve Smith, and the series ended in a 1-1 tie in 2022. This time, with Smith stepping in as captain for Pat Cummins, the victory serves as a significant redemption for the team.
Steve Smith expressed his satisfaction, stating, “I thought it was a real good series and we played well from the outset. Everyone had their methods and stuck to it over a long period of time and to score that many runs was great.” Smith, who received the Player of the Series award for his consecutive centuries, praised his team’s spinners and Mitchell Starc, who performed admirably throughout the series. “It’s been a great series win,” he added.
The Australian side approached the series with careful planning, including a dedicated training camp in Dubai, and executed their strategies effectively. Their batsmen set a strong foundation through substantial hundreds, allowing bowlers to dictate the match with aggressive field placements. The spinners, demonstrating remarkable discipline and variety, consistently put Sri Lanka under pressure, leading to the solid 2-0 series win.
Australia dominated from the outset, having triumphed in the first Test by a record innings and 242 runs, marking Sri Lanka’s heaviest Test loss. They maintained their clinical approach in the second match, ensuring that the home side had no chance of making a comeback.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka resumed their innings at 211-8, holding a slim lead of just 54 runs, with vice-captain Kusal Mendis playing a crucial role after remaining unbeaten the previous day. Mendis secured his second half-century of the match by guiding Nathan Lyon to deep cover but fell shortly after, caught at short square leg by Steve Smith. This dismissal marked a significant milestone for Smith, as it was his 200th Test catch, a distinction previously reached by only four other players, including Jacques Kallis and Mahela Jayawardene.
Beau Webster concluded Sri Lanka’s innings soon after, leaving Australia with a target of only 75 runs. Although Sri Lanka found brief hope when Prabath Jayasuriya dismissed Travis Head for 20, Usman Khawaja (27 not out) and Marnus Labuschagne (26 not out) calmly completed the chase with an unbroken 37-run partnership.
Alex Carey was awarded Man of the Match for his exceptional innings of 156 and for four catches behind the stumps, marking the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia. This victory signifies Australia’s fourth consecutive Test win, having also conquered the last two matches against India in a recent 3-1 home series. They will face South Africa in the final of the World Test Championship at Lords in June.
The match concluded with a disappointing end to the career of Sri Lankan opener Karunaratne, who played his 100th and final Test at the age of 36. Expressing his emotions, Karunaratne stated, “Very emotional day for me. It has been a long career. When I started my cricket, I just wanted to play one Test match. To go on to play 100 Tests was amazing. Playing cricket for so long has been a privilege. I take my hat off to everyone who backed me.”
