Australia completed a commanding 2-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka at Galle on Sunday, securing a nine-wicket victory before lunch on day four.
With a modest target of 75 set for them, the world’s top-ranked Test team lost only Travis Head as they raced to victory in a ruthless display.
Travis Head and Usman Khawaja had set a solid foundation, adding 38 runs for the first wicket while playing comfortably on a turning pitch.
Head was dismissed by Prabath Jayasuriya, caught behind for 23, but Marnus Labuschagne (26) and Khawaja (27) made quick work of the remaining runs.
Dimuth Karunaratne, in his 100th and final Test match, was called up to bowl with only three runs required for the win. Labuschagne flicked the third delivery of Karunaratne’s over to midwicket, levelling the scores, and then sealed the victory with another flick off the very next ball, 16 minutes before lunch.
"It’s been a privilege," Karunaratne said after the match. "When I started my cricket, I just wanted to play one Test match. To go on to play 100 Tests was amazing. Playing cricket for so long has been a privilege."
Australia had earlier inflicted an innings and 242-run defeat on Sri Lanka in the first Test, marking the hosts’ heaviest-ever loss. The second Test victory sparked jubilant celebrations among the Australian fans, who vastly outnumbered the home supporters. Many gathered on top of the centuries-old Galle Fort, with one banner reading, "South Africa, you're next!" in reference to the upcoming World Test Championship final in June.
Aware of the challenges posed by Galle’s turning pitches, Australia had prepared with a week-long training camp in Dubai on similar surfaces. The Australian batting unit put on a masterclass, with one double century and four centuries across the two matches.
In contrast, no Sri Lankan batsman managed to score a century, with Kusal Mendis’s unbeaten 85 being the highest individual score. On Sunday, Australia began the day by wrapping up Sri Lanka’s second innings for 231, having started the day at 211-8.
Sri Lanka’s resistance crumbled within 26 minutes, with Mendis dismissed for 50 and Lahiru Kumara for nine. Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon shared the spoils, taking four wickets each.
However, it was Kuhnemann, playing only his fifth Test, who finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 16, outshining Lyon, who reached the milestone of 550 Test wickets in the match, becoming just the third Australian to achieve the feat.
Sri Lanka’s fragile batting lineup had relied heavily on Kusal Mendis, who had impressed in the first innings with his unbeaten 85.
He continued to fight in the second innings, reaching a half-century before being dismissed for 50.
Mendis fell victim to extra bounce from Lyon, top-edging a flick straight into the hands of Australian captain Steve Smith, who took his 200th Test catch.
Smith became only the fifth player in Test history to achieve this feat, joining the ranks of Rahul Dravid, Joe Root, Mahela Jayawardene, and Jacques Kallis.
Smith praised his side's performance after the match. "The way the guys have played is exceptional," he said.
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