Third time does the trick for Australia! Goes for another big slog and gets a top edge that flies high to point. Kuhnemann gets his ninth wicket of the match and Australia register a win by an innings and 242 runs
Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test at Galle, Sri Lanka vs Australia, Jan 29 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary
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1st Test, Galle, January 29 - February 01, 2025, Australia tour of Sri Lanka
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And on that note it's a wrap from us. Australia have set a marker for this series, and Sri Lanka will have about five days to reflect till the start of the second Test on the Feb 6, which is this coming Thursday. But from us, that's about that. On behalf of Abhimanyu and the rest of the team, this is Madushka signing out.
Steve Smith: "I thought we started the Test beautifully, Usman and Travis up top really set the tone. Usman's innings was outstanding, to get his first double hundred, the way he went about it and the shots he played. The pressure he put on the bowlers was outstanding, and throughout that innings we had plenty of good partnerships. And to get 650 allowed us to bowl twice. Thought Starcy did a tremendous job with the new ball and the spinners did a great job as well. [surface?] I think it broke up as it went on. That first day probably didn't quite reflect the score perhaps. It was a little bit tacky and still taking some spin. Thought we batted extremely well, and gave us a chance to press the game and get to a position that we wanted to. I thought the bowlers bowled really well in tandem, the beauty of having three frontline spinners is you can just rotate and keep guys as fresh as possible. [10000 runs?] Never thought I'd score this many runs. Thought playing just one Test for Australia was a dream growing up. To have played over a 100 now and scored 10,000 runs it's a dream come true. And it was nice to contribute in this game as well with a hundred."
Dhananjaya de Silva: "[how important is the toss in Galle?] It's very important. Chasing 600+ runs is not easy. [batters] The wicket was not that hard, but the ball was turning. But the batters have to put their hands up and put the opposition under pressure. [chances not taken?] Yes of course, losing hurts always. We had our chances, reviews and catches dropped. We made chances but never taken. We have to put our bodies on the line and play well. They are champion side, in the WTC final, so we have to up our game for the next Test."
Unsurprisingly the Player of the Match goes to Usman Khawaja for his first innings 232: "It's just nice to score some runs and contribute to a winning team. Galle's always a tough place to play for us, so it's nice to get a good start. [Journey from a month ago] To be honest a month ago I was on the top of the world too, we won 3-1. Cricket is a team game and you want to score all the time, but it's not always possible. So hopefully when you don't score someone else does, and when someone else doesn't you score. That's the point. That 3-1 against was tough work, we were all very tired. But to come here and start the series off well, we're very happy. [playing spin] I've got my own plans to spin, I'm 38 now this is my 5th trip to Sri Lanka. I've made all the mistakes I know I can make, I know there are certain ways I'm happy to get out and certain ways I'm not. I just work around that, that's the most important thing."
3.25pm Alright then, time for the post-match presentation...
by inn & 242 runs - Galle, 2025
by inn & 201 runs - Melbourne, 2012
by inn & 108 runs - WACA, 1988
by inn & 242 runs - vs Australia, Galle, 2025
by inn & 239 runs - vs India, Nagpur, 2017
by inn & 229 runs - vs South Africa, Cape Town, 2001
Michael: "Incredible, the men's and women's Australian test teams both won by an innings and the games ended at almost exactly the same time!"
Thanks Abhimanyu. Sri Lanka then with plenty to ponder then, with this not only their biggest defeat at home, it's also the heaviest defeat in Sri Lanka's history. Further, it's the second highest innings victory at this ground, and only the second time Sri Lanka have been subjected to an innings defeat in Galle - the last coming all the way back in 2000 against Pakistan.
3.20pm Australia win their fourth-biggest Test win, and their ninth in Sri Lanka! It's been a stunning display from Lyon and Kuhnemann. Sri Lanka showed fight at the end, but it was never going to be enough, despite rain doing it's best over the last two days to try and slow down Australia's win. And who can forget Khawaja's double century and Smith and Inglis' special tons? The teams shake hands. Madushka will be back to take you through the presentation.
54.3
W
Kuhnemann to Vandersay, OUT
Jeffrey Vandersay c Starc b Kuhnemann 53 (47b 7x4 2x6 50m) SR: 112.76
54.2
6
Kuhnemann to Vandersay, SIX runs
This time it goes all the way! Kuhnemann tempts him again and he smacks this wider and gets his first Test fifty in style!
54.1
4
Kuhnemann to Vandersay, FOUR runs
Another half-volley that Vandersay lofts down the ground! This was spinning away but he gets a good hold of it and it's a one bounce four
end of over 541 run
SL: 237/9CRR: 4.38
Asitha Fernando6 (18b 1x6)
Jeffrey Vandersay43 (44b 6x4 1x6)
Todd Murphy 11-0-57-1
Nathan Lyon 19-4-78-4
53.6
•
Murphy to Asitha Fernando, no run
On a length on middle, he defends
Around the wicket now
53.5
•
Murphy to Asitha Fernando, no run
Tossed full on middle, he tucks it square
53.4
•
Murphy to Asitha Fernando, no run
Flighted full outside off, Asitha lunges forward to defend
53.3
1
Murphy to Vandersay, 1 run
Length ball pushed out through cover for a single
53.2
•
Murphy to Vandersay, no run
Length ball outside off, he stays back to fend it down
53.1
•
Murphy to Vandersay, no run
full outside off, spinning in, he misses a reverse sweep but was struck on his pad outside off
Murphy replaces Starc, who got just one over
end of over 535 runs
SL: 236/9CRR: 4.45
Asitha Fernando6 (15b 1x6)
Jeffrey Vandersay42 (41b 6x4 1x6)
Nathan Lyon 19-4-78-4
Mitchell Starc 5-1-14-1
52.6
•
Lyon to Asitha Fernando, no run
Length ball spins in from outside off, Asitha keeps it out going back
52.5
•
Lyon to Asitha Fernando, no run
Tossed full outside off, well defended
Robert: "Vandesay doing a Ben Stokes Headingley 2019 Ashes last wicket stand." Let's not get that far ahead of ourselves, yeah?!
52.4
•
Lyon to Asitha Fernando, no run
Full outside off, it spins in from outside off and Asitha defends
52.3
1
Lyon to Vandersay, 1 run
Eases a drive through cover for a single
52.2
•
Lyon to Vandersay, no run
On a length outside off, spins in and Vandersay parries it down
52.1
4
Lyon to Vandersay, 4 runs
Tossed full outside off, he eases a drive through the vacant mid-off region. That's excellent fielding from Inglis at extra cover to try and pull that back. But the batters run four anyway!
end of over 523 runs
SL: 231/9CRR: 4.44
Jeffrey Vandersay37 (38b 6x4 1x6)
Asitha Fernando6 (12b 1x6)
Mitchell Starc 5-1-14-1
Nathan Lyon 18-4-73-4
51.6
1
Starc to Vandersay, 1 run
Full on middle, he whips it to midwicket where the fielder can only deflect it towards mid-on and that allows them to race for a quick run, letting Vandersay keep strike
Karthick: "Its an usual feel all around the world to not work on Sundays. Why not SL players?"
51.5
•
Starc to Vandersay, no run
Vandersay ducks as Starc angles a short ball across him
Abhishek: "I sooo love Smith's proactive captaincy, both here and in the last BGT in India. The tactical battle brings so much freshness to the game. It is such a contrast to Cummins' captaincy which is more about going hard and continuously in the traditional manner."
51.4
2
Starc to Vandersay, 2 runs
Full outside off, Vanfdersay is able to drive it through cover point. They manage to come back for the second
51.3
•
Starc to Vandersay, no run
Full on off, punched back towards mid-off
51.2
•
Starc to Vandersay, no run
Bangs it in short on off and angles it across him, Vandersay takes evasive manoeuvres
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