Kusal Mendis played a determined knock of 85* to help Sri Lanka reach 257 on Day 2 of the final Test against Australia in Galle. After resuming at 229/9, Mendis added 28 valuable runs with Lahiru Kumara, who stuck around before being dismissed by Matthew Kuhneman, claiming his third wicket of the innings.
Mendis was unlucky not to reach a century but displayed remarkable resilience, anchoring Sri Lanka’s tail. Australia’s chase began with Travis Head, who managed 21 runs off 22 balls, but Sri Lanka’s spinners made an early breakthrough. Head, known for his aggressive approach, was caught at first slip after attempting to step out to a looping off-break from Prabath Jayasuriya.
Marnus Labuschagne’s struggle continued as he was trapped LBW by Jayasuriya’s arm-ball. The review proved successful for Sri Lanka, and at 37/2, the hosts had Australia on the back foot. However, the experienced duo of Usman Khawaja (34*) and Steve Smith (23*) steadied the innings with an unbeaten 48-run partnership, showing solid technique against the spin attack.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 257 (Kusal Mendis 85*, Dinesh Chandimal 74; Mitchell Starc 3-37, Matthew Kuhnemann 3-63)
Australia 85-2 (Usman Khawaja 34*; Nishan Peiris 1-20)
Sri Lanka leads by 172 runs.
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