Twitter Reactions: Sri Lanka hand Australia series drubbing at Galle

Sri Lanka beat Australia in the second Test of the series at Galle to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. With that the number 7 ranked side has defeated the number 1 ranked team in a Test series which also seems to be a one of its kind occurrence.

Angelo Mathews and his men were thoroughly dominant with the bat and ball as well as on the field. The last dismissal that of Aussie wicketkeeper Peter Nevil by a reflex-flick throw by Kusal Mendis from forward short-leg was a perfect example of how sharp the home team had been on the field.

World class spinners, turning ball and close in fielders is something the Australians are not habitual of and they were served exactly that. Mathews won the toss and decided to bat first the batters responded well and with fifties from Kusal Mendis and the skipper himself Sri Lanka posted 281 runs on the board. It looked challenging but a lot depended on how the Aussies approached their inning.

David Warner started off well with a counter-attacking knock but once he fell there was no resistance whatsoever and the Lankan spinners killed the inning with just 109 runs on the board. Veteran spinner Rangana Herath grabbed a hat-trick and finished with 4 wickets; he was well supported by Dilruwan Perera who also returned with a 4-wicket haul.

Also check out – CricToon: Mohammad Nabi invites Steve Smith for a tour to Afghanistan

Mitchell Starc who is making a comeback to the longest format of the game showed just how dangerous he can be even if the conditions aren’t really favorable. He struck thrice to shift the balance towards his team but the Sri Lankan middle and lower-middle order didn’t give in and posted 237 runs before being bowled out. That put a target of 414 ahead of the Aussies for the 4th innings.

Australia had 6 overs to play out at the end of day 2. Sri Lanka started with the spinners and they immediately had the Aussies hopping. Joe Burns was out on the last ball of the first over, they sent in night-watchman Nathan Lyon who couldn’t watch much and returned. The regular no.3 Usman Khawaja also lost his wicket to increase worries for the visitors. On the 3rd day, the Aussies could last just more than 44 overs. With that, Sri Lanka registered a historic series victory over Australia the first in 17 years.

Also check out – CricToon: Steve Smith wants CA to reconsider tour to India

Here is how Twitter reacted to Australia’s dismal show against spin: