Australia obtained a fantastic 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, securing the second Test with a nine-wicket win in Galle, Sri Lanka.
Top order batter Marnus Labuschagne hit a delivery from Sri Lankan player Dimuth Karunaratne to complete the triumph 15 minutes before lunch on the fourth day.
This was Australia’s first Test series win on Sri Lankan soil since 2011, with Steve Smith standing in as captain for Pat Cummins. Their last win in Sri Lanka was under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, a 1-0 victory in 2011. However, they suffered a 3-0 whitewash in 2016 under Smith’s leadership, and the 2022 series ended in a 1-1 draw.
Australia captain Steve Smith was named Player of the Series after his consecutive hundreds. He said, “I thought it was a real good series, and we played well from the outset.”
“Everyone had their method and stuck to it over a long period of time and to score that many runs was great.”
“All our spinners and lone quick Mitchell Starc did quite well. Been a great series win.”
Australia approached the series with meticulous planning — including a training camp in Dubai — and precisely executed its strategies.
Their batters laid the foundation with big hundreds, while the spinners displayed remarkable discipline. They put pressure on Sri Lanka and paved the way for a resounding 2-0 series win.
They won the first Test by an innings and 242 runs, Sri Lanka’s largest-ever Test defeat, and remained clinical in the second match, ensuring the hosts could not recover.
Unable to set a testing target, Sri Lanka resumed at 211-8, holding a graceful lead of just 54 runs, depending on vice-captain Kusal Mendis, who had remained unbeaten overnight.
Mendis scored his second half-century in the game with a delivery from Nathan Lyon, but he also perished in the same over when Steve Smith caught him.
Beau Webster wrapped up the innings soon after, leaving Australia with a modest target of 75 runs.
Sri Lanka briefly found hope when Prabath Jayasuriya removed Travis Head for 20 early. However, Usman Khawaja (27 not out) and Marnus Labuschagne (26 not out) calmly guided the visitors across the finish line with an unbroken 37-run partnership.
Alex Carey was named Man of the Match for his outstanding 156 and four dismissals behind the stumps. His innings stand as the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia.
