Rain halts Sri Lanka Test as Australia tighten grip in first Test

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jan 31, 2025, 16:32 IST

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Persistent rain halted the third day of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka, with Australia leading by a significant margin of 518 runs. Sri Lanka, struggling at 136-5 by lunch, saw Dinesh Chandimal fighting at 63 not out while Starc and Lyon kept up the pressure.

Rain halts Sri Lanka Test as Australia tighten grip in first Test

(Cricket.com.au Photo)

NEW DELHI: Persistent afternoon rain brought an early halt to day three of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle on Friday, with the visitors firmly in control, leading by 518 runs. Former Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal remained unbeaten on 63, fighting a lone battle.
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Sri Lanka reached 136-5 by lunch, with wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis on 10, after resuming from their overnight total of 44-3. The match was called off 90 minutes before the scheduled close due to the weather.

Dejected fans leave the stadium after Virat Kohli's early dismissal

Kamindu Mendis fell for 15, edging Mitchell Starc to the keeper, continuing his struggles despite a promising start to his Test comeback last year. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva looked comfortable before misjudging a charge against Matthew Kuhnemann, resulting in a simple stumping by Alex Carey for 22.
Starc skillfully exploited rough patches outside the off-stump, while Nathan Lyon applied relentless pressure from the other end. Chandimal, who has excelled at the crucial number three spot since his promotion last year, displayed resilience as Sri Lanka battled to avoid the follow-on.
Australia had declared at a massive 654-6 on day two, powered by Usman Khawaja’s career-best 232.
The opening day saw Steve Smith enter the prestigious 10,000-run club in Test cricket, becoming only the fifteenth player and fourth Australian to achieve the milestone.
Galle will also host the second and final Test next week, followed by a two-match ODI series in Colombo.

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