GALLE, Sri Lanka — Australia, the reigning world champion in cricket, appears set for a decisive victory in Galle. As they enforced the follow-on, Sri Lanka found themselves struggling at 75 for three in their second innings by the lunch break on the fourth day of the first Test. Sri Lanka is still faced with a daunting task, requiring 415 runs to avert an innings defeat.

The morning session proved disastrous for the Sri Lankan side as they lost a total of eight wickets—five in the first innings, followed by three more after being asked to bat again. Matthew Kuhnemann emerged as the star performer for Australia, achieving his second five-wicket haul in test cricket. Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon, adding to his three wickets from the first innings, created numerous chances with his off-spin delivery, but the Sri Lankan batters struggled to counter Kuhnemann’s left-arm spin, often attempting aggressive shots that did not pay off.

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc made an immediate impact, dismissing Oshada Fernando early on. Todd Murphy then took out Dimuth Karunaratne, who failed to score in this critical match, further highlighting the vulnerabilities within Sri Lanka’s middle order as the new ball was introduced.

Dinesh Chandimal, who had registered a half-century in the first innings, aimed to stabilize the batting alongside Angelo Mathews, and they managed to accumulate 69 runs for the third wicket. However, disaster struck in the final delivery before lunch when Chandimal edged a ball to the bat-pad fielder, falling to Lyon once more after having been dismissed lbw in the first innings.

Sri Lanka’s lackluster performance is apparent, especially considering they allowed Australia to amass a formidable first innings total of 654 for six declared. Usman Khawaja’s remarkable double century, coupled with Josh Inglis’ debut century and Steve Smith’s second Test century in Galle, has placed the visitors firmly in control.

The second Test in the two-match series is scheduled to commence on February 6, also in Galle.