Rain and Sri Lanka’s Grit Frustrate Australia in Galle
The final two sessions of play in the Galle Test were washed out, with Sri Lanka finishing Day 3 at 136 for 5.
The day had started under bright sunshine, with Australia hoping to bowl Sri Lanka out quickly. However, their plans were disrupted by rain, causing two full sessions to be lost. In the limited play before the weather intervened, Dinesh Chandimal showed resilience, standing firm against the Australian attack.
On a rain-hit third day, only 27 overs were bowled before a downpour during the lunch break forced an early close to play. Sri Lanka, still trailing by 518 runs, ended the day at 136 for 5.
Despite the setback due to rain, Australia remains in control after declaring their first innings at 654 for 6. However, Sri Lanka might take some hope from the weather forecast, which suggests more rain on Day 4, increasing their chances of salvaging a draw. A full day’s play is expected on the final day.
Chandimal remains Sri Lanka’s key hope, fighting through immense pressure to hold one end. He reached an unbeaten 63 off 115 balls, including nine boundaries. At the other end, the team’s last specialist batter, Kusal Mendis, is unbeaten on 10.
Sri Lanka had already struggled with their top-order collapse the previous day, losing three wickets within the first 10 overs. Resuming at 44 for 3, they suffered another early setback when Kamindu Mendis fell in just the fifth over of the morning. Trying to glance a full-length delivery from Mitchell Starc, he only managed to edge it to the wicketkeeper.
Captain Dhananjaya de Silva also couldn’t last long. Attempting to charge down the pitch against Matthew Kuhnemann, he was outfoxed by the Australian left-arm spinner, who pulled the ball back slightly. Completely beaten, Dhananjaya was comfortably stumped by Alex Carey.
Amidst the wickets tumbling at the other end, Chandimal stood strong. He reached his 31st Test fifty off 91 balls, displaying composure under pressure.
A drizzle began shortly before lunch, leading to a prolonged delay. There was a brief hope of resumption, but the umpires eventually called off play over two hours before the scheduled close.
Summary Scores:
Australia 1st innings: 654/6 decl.
Sri Lanka 1st innings: 136/5 in 42 overs (from 44/3 overnight) (Chandimal 63*, Kamindu 15, Dhananjaya 22, Mendis 10*; Starc 2/13, Kuhnemann 2/48, Lyon 1/43, Murphy 0/26)
