Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test at Galle, Jun 29 2022, Australia tour of Sri Lanka

RESULT
1st Test, Galle, June 29 - July 01, 2022, Australia tour of Sri Lanka
212 & 113
(T:5) 321 & 10/0

Australia won by 10 wickets

Player Of The Match
77
cameron-green
Match centre 
Scores: Binoy George | Comms: Madushka Balasuriya
Scorecard summary
Sri Lanka 212/10(59 overs)
1st INNINGS
Australia 321/10(70.5 overs)
1st INNINGS
77 (109)
4/112 (32)
71 (130)
2/37 (8.5)
Sri Lanka 113/10(22.5 overs)
2nd INNINGS
4/10 (2.5)
Australia 10/0(0.4 overs)
2nd INNINGS
10* (4)
0/10 (0.4)
10* (4)

And on that note, it's been a pleasure covering this Test, despite its truncated nature. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to join us again for the second and final Test starting next Friday. But till then, for myself, Andrew McGlashan and Binoy George, it's farewell!

Asher: "Bowlers rarely get PotM awards on flat wickets where a batter makes a big hundred. Let's let a bowler have this one"

Shayan: "Just can not believe this a player took 9 wickets and scored 15 runs but MOM goes to 77 run batter.. " Scoring the runs was arguably the tougher of the two tasks on this track, Shayan.

Ine: "Is this the shortest 4th innings." Surprisingly, not even close. As Sampath from stats points out, it doesn't even make the top 10. In fact, Sri Lanka once conceded a target of two runs without bowling a legitimate delivery.

Australia Captain Pat Cummins: "Amazing win. Turning up this morning I didn't think it was going to happen that fast. Really proud of the squad. It's really foreign conditions for us. Although the way everyone played was outstanding. I don't think we were surprised [by the conditions], but we were really clear in our planning, how everyone was going to go about it. I thought the bravery and especially the proactiveness shown by our batters was fantastic. It was really tough, but it was the same for both teams. Totally agree [that the young guys stood up]. Someone like Green has grown up at the WACA and over in Perth it's so different to here. Players go through their whole careers looking for a method in these conditions, and in he's first knock he's found it. Really happy for him, he was the difference."

SL Captain Dimuth Karunaratne: "Yeah [it's a shock]. It's been disappointing, to win the toss and get out for 212 - disappointed as a batting unit. There was something for the bowlers, but our bowlers couldn't hurt the Australians. And they also batted really well. I think as a batting unit, we needed to put our hands up and put up a good score, to put them under pressure. That's what we expect. We've been playing in these conditions, we know how to play turn, but the decisions we took were horrible. We've played with these boys [the spinners] for the last couple of years, I think they're good enough to know how to do their job over here. We bowled well in patches - I think Ramesh bowled really well but the others couldn't support him. When we bat second it's not easy, especially against Lyon who was turning the ball heavily. We just wanted to put pressure on him, and play a couple of shots. The approach was really good, the intention was really good, but I think sometimes we took bad decisions."

Cameron Green is the Man of the Match: "yeah definitely [a special innings]. Playing in the subcontinent you've got a few unknowns, but you've got a lot of experienced guys in the dressing room to help out. Good first game. A few guys said just to be proactive. If you go out there just defending, you get yourself in trouble. Looking to score is how you give yourself the best chance. You're gonna get out at some point so you might as well play some shots."

Alright time for the presentation...

Surath: "You guys didn't publish my comment today morning but it's exactly what I said! Won the toss, failed to bat 90 overs and SL don't deserve to win or draw this game. Aussies did brilliantly well with what they have. Hope to see Theekshana and Wellalage in the next game." Neither Theekshana or Wellalage in the Test squad, Surath.

Shishank Dahiya: "One of Green or Khawaja should get MoM. On a bowlers' wicket makes sense to award it to a batter"

Joydeepsinghgil: "Australia extremely well in Asian conditions this wtc cycle they won the test series from Pakistan first and now over here have levelled the series "

Turns out the is the first time Australia have won a Test match in Sri Lanka where they batted second. All their previous seven Test wins in Sri Lanka came when they batted first.

The presentation should take place shortly.

12.10pm So a comfortable 10-wicket win in the end for Australia, but this will give Sri Lanka a lot to think about. The next Test is in exactly a week, and this Galle surface is unlikely to change too much. Spin will likely be the order of the day once more, and the hosts's spinners will need to take a hard look at how much better the Australian counterparts utilised the conditions. The batters, meanwhile, will also no doubt look at working on plans to counteract the quality spin offered up by their opponents.

0.4
6
Mendis to Warner, SIX runs

Shuffles down and whips it over the deep midwicket boundary! What a way to finish, and a deserved win for the Australians, who completely dominated this Test. They take a 1-0 lead in the series.

0.3
4
Mendis to Warner, FOUR runs

And the scores are level! Reverse swept past short third. Almost there.

0.2
Mendis to Warner, no run

Attempted sweep, struck on the the chest but it's outside the line

0.1
Mendis to Warner, no run

Length outside off, looks for the cut and but into the turf

Alright we're almost underway on the chase.

12pm Well what a procession that was! And Australia need just 5 runs to take a 1-0 lead in this two-Test series. Sri Lanka realised that a positive approach was the best one on this wicket, but the Aussie spinners were far more adept at utilising the pitch than their Lankan counterparts and, in the end, that proved extremely telling. Not to mention, the Sri Lankan batters' almost suicidal use of the sweep and reverse. Nathan Lyon, Travis Head and Mitchell Swepson accounted for all 10 wickets, with the former two picking up 4 apiece. Head's inspired turn (pun very much intended) was the surprise package, as he accounted for the wickets of Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva in the span of a single over - his first in Test cricket - to really handicap the Lankan innings. Then he cleaned up the tail. What that meant though was Lyon unfortunately fell one short of a 10-for, though I don't think he'll mind too much.

22.5
W
Head to Embuldeniya, OUT

Is that the innings wrapped up?! This is tossed up from Head on middle and leg, and it beats the bat as the batter looks to work this onside. He's struck on the front pad and given not out, Australia review. This could be going down leg, but has it straightened enough? Yes, yes it has! Three reds as this is shown to hit leg. And Sri Lanka are all out for 113!

Lasith Embuldeniya lbw b Head 0 (6b 0x4 0x6 8m) SR: 0
22.4
Head to Embuldeniya, no run
22.3
1
Head to Asitha Fernando, 1 run

Again leans back and smears this fullish delivery to long on

22.2
4
Head to Asitha Fernando, FOUR runs

Walloped straight down the ground! And they avoid an innings defeat. This won't be found in any manual, as he just leans back and flat bats this past the bowler.

Sri Lanka still 1 away from avoiding an innings defeat.

22.1
W
Head to Vandersay, OUT

And Head has his third! Again with a ripper through bat and pad, as Vandersay goes for the forward defence but ends up with his stumps disturbed. This is a beaut of a ball, just clipping the top of leg.

Jeffrey Vandersay b Head 8 (8b 1x4 0x6 11m) SR: 100

Harry: "@madushka look I'm English but credit where it's due son. yeah it's not great from Sri Lanka. But this pitch is a nightmare. Why produce this? The Aussies executed the perfect game plan for these atrocious conditions" Yes, it's taking turn, but I wouldn't call it a nightmare by any means. As the Aussie batters showed, if the bowlers don't utilise the conditions well then there's runs to be had.

end of over 221 run • 1 wicket
SL: 108/8CRR: 4.90 
Lasith Embuldeniya0 (4b)
Jeffrey Vandersay8 (7b 1x4)
Nathan Lyon 11-1-31-4
Travis Head 2-0-5-2
21.6
Lyon to Embuldeniya, no run

good length on the stumps, defended

21.5
Lyon to Embuldeniya, no run

tossed up on off, spins past the outside edge on the forward defence

21.4
Lyon to Embuldeniya, no run

good length on off, comes forward and defends

21.3
Lyon to Embuldeniya, no run

Tossed up on off, spinning away, and beats the outside edge. Perfectly bowled.

21.2
W
Lyon to Dickwella, OUT

and Dickwella goes! No repeat of his first innings heroics here, as he goes for the reverse sweep and gets a low top edge towards Marnus at cover, who dives full length to his left to hold on to good low take.

Niroshan Dickwella c Labuschagne b Lyon 3 (7b 0x4 0x6 18m) SR: 42.85
21.1
1
Lyon to Vandersay, 1 run

swept from outside off and loops off the top edge to the vacant short fine leg region

Joydeepsinghgil: "Madushka Sri Lanka almostly have avoided inning defeat that's something for them for sure and for their fans either" Not sure they're going to see it that way, Joy. This has been pretty poor from them.

end of over 216 runs
SL: 107/7CRR: 5.09 
Niroshan Dickwella3 (6b)
Jeffrey Vandersay7 (6b 1x4)
Travis Head 2-0-5-2
Nathan Lyon 10-1-30-3
20.6
Head to Dickwella, no run

attempted reverse sweep, and there's an appeal as this strikes the front pad. But it looks to have caught a little bottom edge

20.5
3
Head to Vandersay, 3 runs

crunched to the left of extra cover, but this just holds up before the boundary as they run three

20.4
Head to Vandersay, no run

driven to mid-off from a length

20.3
Head to Vandersay, no run

Reverse sweep but there's a man at backward point

20.2
2b
Head to Vandersay, 2 byes

Wow, another ripper from Head! This zips past bat and pad, and deflects of the thigh guard past the keeper

Ravin: "I don't understand the logic behind preparing pitches that turn from the 1st day. Specially considering that the opposition has better spin bowlers and all-round better batting unit"

Best performances - batters
Spike Graph
Wagon Zone
C Green
77 runs (109)
6 fours0 six
Productive shot
sweep shot
25 runs
4 fours0 six
Control
74%
UT Khawaja
71 runs (130)
7 fours0 six
Productive shot
flick
13 runs
0 four0 six
Control
75%
Best performances - bowlers
NM Lyon
O
25
M
2
R
90
W
5
ECO
3.6
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
3W
NM Lyon
O
11
M
1
R
31
W
4
ECO
2.81
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
1W
1W
Match details
Galle International Stadium
TossSri Lanka, elected to bat first
Series
Season2022
Player Of The Match
Series resultAustralia led the 2-match series 1-0
Match numberTest no. 2469
Match days29,30 June, 1 July 2022 - day (5-day match)
SL Player Replacement
Substitute in out (2nd innings, 69.6 ov)
Test debut
Umpires
TV Umpire
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
PointsAustralia 12, Sri Lanka 0