Sri Lanka v Australia LIVE: Tourists push for victory on day four

Nathan Lyon, with 3-80 so far this innings, has also been given the ball first thing. Can Australia contain this lead to below 90?

Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann, requiring one-wicket for another five-wicket haul, is delivering the opening over of the morning to the left-handed Lahiru Kumara. The final delivery beats everyone and races away for four byes.

Sri Lanka 8-215, with a lead of 58.

Former Australian batsman Simon Katich says the national selectors have much to ponder ahead of the mid-year World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.

Skipper Pat Cummins will return, while there are other positions to consider.

“It might change because the conditions at Lord’s are different, and Pat Cummins will come back into the mix,” Katich told Seven.

“I am not sure where Josh Hazlewood will be fitness-wise and the dynamic of the batting order potentially changes if they want to move Travis Head back to five and [Sam] Konstas at the top. Cameron Green as well, if he is fit, and if they bring him back in. He had a great tour of New Zealand in early 2024. A few things to weigh up.”

Green has missed the Australian summer because of surgery on his lower spine, but said last week he was eying a return for WA in the Sheffield Shield before the end of the summer.

Allrounder Beau Webster says the visitors are determined to not let Sri lanka’s lead blow out, that margin now being 54 runs with two wickets in hand. The tourists will be desperate to see the end of stroke maker Kusal Mendis, who resumes unbeaten on 48.

“The wicket has been busting up more and more, and we don’t want this lead to blow out more,” Webster told Seven.

“I am sure that the boys will have plans for Mendis and the two other tailenders. We’re hoping for a quick wrap-up and get to batting. As I said, that wicket is deteriorating quickly, and we’ve seen the class their bowlers have.”

As he took in the achievement of plucking 550 Test wickets and forecast many more, Nathan Lyon raved about left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann as “our best bowler”, in what looms as a drought-busting Test series victory for Australia in Sri Lanka.

Nicknamed “Jaddu” after Ravindra Jadeja, Kuhnemann (4-52) took wickets in his first and last overs of day three. In between times he provided a constant threat to players well-versed in how to handle slow bowling, and put himself in extremely rare territory for Australian left-arm spin.

Until this series, arguably the most celebrated performance by an Australian exponent of the art was actually Allan Border’s 11 wickets against the West Indies at the SCG in 1989, a rogue match for a part-timer. More recently, Michael Clarke’s 6-9 in Mumbai in 2004 and Steve O’Keefe’s 12 wickets in Pune in 2017 stand out.

But none have put together a series more consistently dangerous in South Asia than this one from Kuhnemann. He has a chance on day four to add a couple more wickets to a tally that currently stands at 16 victims at 16.50, striking every 33.6 deliveries.

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A banner hung from the ramparts of the old Dutch fort proclaiming “South Africa you’re next!” and in the final half hour of day three Australia finally struck the pivotal blows to put them within sight of a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka.

The hosts’ middle order put up serious resistance in the evening session, building a pesky lead with the possibility of more on the fourth morning, before the tireless Nathan Lyon (3-80, including his 550th wicket in Tests) captured Angelo Mathews (76) on the sweep.

Mathews fell to one of three excellent catches taken by Beau Webster in this match, and perhaps it was this athletic snaffle at deep backward square leg that caused Steve Smith to give him the ball for some off-spin.

Webster got enough pop to have Ramesh Mendis pouched at short leg, before the excellent Matt Kuhnemann (4-52) defeated his opposite number Prabath Jayasuriya with a classic delivery in the day’s last over, to leave Australia with two more wickets to get. Kusal Mendis (48 not out), playing with freedom and class, is his side’s last hope of a substantial fourth innings chase, as their lead is just 54.

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Good afternoon and welcome to our rolling coverage of day four of the second and final Test between Australia and Sri Lanka from Galle.

I am Jon Pierik, and I’ll be guiding you through events with our man on the ground, Daniel Brettig.

Australia are closing in on victory, with the home team leading by only 54 runs with two wickets in hand in their second innings.