Usman Khawaja found his scoring touch and fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned to his fiery best as Australia moved within sight of victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Manuka Oval on Sunday.
After Australia, on course for a first series win since beating England early last year, set the tourists an improbable 516 for victory openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne survived some nervy moments to take Sri Lanka to 17 before bad light ended the third day’s play early.
Starc picked up his 10th five-wicket haul – his first since his 5-34 against South Africa in Durban last March – as Australia bundled out Sri Lanka for 215 to take a first-innings lead of 319. Australia, who won the opening Test in Brisbane by an innings and 40 runs, did not get off to a great start in their second innings as they lost Marcus Harris, Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne cheaply.
But Khawaja and first-innings centurion Travis Head combined for a stand of 159 as Australia declared their second innings closed on 196-3. Captain Tim Paine called the batsmen in after Khawaja completed his eighth test hundred. scored only one fifty in the home summer. He remained unbeaten on 101 while Head made 59 not out. Earlier, Starc, who got the wicket of Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal on day two, bowled with pace and aggression to pick up the first two to fall on Sunday, then returned after lunch to polish off the tail and finish with figures of 5-54. Kusal Perera did not return to bat for the touring side after being hit on his helmet and leaving the field.
