Sri Lanka v Australia, 2016

At Pallekele, July 26-30, 2016. Sri Lanka won by 106 runs. Toss: Sri Lanka. Test debuts: D. M. de Silva, P. A. D. L. R. Sandakan.
The Pallekele Test followed the script for one day, before twisting violently as it became clear Australia could not handle the Sri Lankan spinners. Their failure to set up a decisive first-innings lead left the door open, and Kusal Mendis barged through with a knock that would define the match - and the series.

As Lakshan Sandakan and Dhananjaya de Silva were handed debuts, there was much discussion of how an inexperienced Sri Lanka might wilt. When play began, the prediction seemed prudent: Hazlewood, Lyon and O'Keefe - whose low-slung left-arm spin looked ideally suited to the conditions - all delivered exacting spells to cover for a rusty Starc. Sri Lanka's first innings was over soon after lunch, and their 117 looked puny on a pitch that offered few threats to attentive and patient batsmen.

There was surprise when Australia's openers played around straight balls from Pradeep Fernando and Herath, but by the time rain ended play Khawaja and Smith had taken the tourists more than halfway to parity. A moment of early-morning arrogance from Smith changed the tone of the match: aiming an unsightly heave at Herath's second ball of the day, he missed and was stumped. Khawaja was pinned in front soon after, and from there wickets fell steadily to leave Australia only 86 in front. Sandakan's left-arm wrist-spin flummoxed the tail, after he claimed his first Test wicket with a lovely wrong'un to deceive Mitchell Marsh.

One substantial innings or partnership would have put the match out of Sri Lanka's reach. But though five men reached 20, no one scored more than Voges' 47, giving the hosts the chance to seize the initiative. Initially they were unsteady, losing four before gaining a lead. But Mendis found a willing ally in Chandimal, and their century stand - coupled with a hamstring strain that ruled O'Keefe out of the rest of the series - gave Sri Lanka the upper hand. De Silva helped add another priceless 71, and Herath's customary late-innings biffing pushed the target up to 268. Mendis's hundred, sealed with a six off Lyon, was his first in Tests, an innings full of calm and command. He had hinted at his ability during the torrid England tour earlier in the summer, but few expected him to bloom so soon. His 176 was a ground record. Australia were quickly in difficulty as the memory of their first-innings struggles clouded thinking. Time was not short, but Warner and Khawaja were out trying to up the rate; Burns was entirely unprepared for Sandakan's sharp spin back from Starc's footmarks.

Smith pared his game down almost purely to leg-side deflections but, when Voges bunted a return catch to Herath, the game looked finished. All that remained was an extraordinary period of dead-bat defiance. After O'Keefe hit a four in the 63rd over to take Australia to 161 for eight, there followed 154 consecutive deliveries without a run, including Nevill's wicket, beating England's record of 92 against West Indies at Lord's in 1950. They blocked in the hope of late-afternoon rain, but it did not arrive, and when Herath eventually dismissed O'Keefe - for a 98-ball four - Sri Lanka clinched only their second Test win over Australia (after Kandy in September 1999), and Smith's first defeat as captain. While Mendis basked in glory, Sandakan took pride in collecting the best debut figures by a chinaman bowler in Tests, with his first-innings four for 58. By the end, the Australians' strut had disappeared, replaced by uncertainty about the opposition, and a persecution complex about the conditions.
Man of the Match: B. K. G. Mendis.