Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

UT Khawaja
232(352) 16x4 - 1x6
Control %90%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 64 runs
  • 0x4 - 0x6
10 18 38 35 55 18 17 41
SPD Smith
SPD Smith
141(251) 12x4 - 2x6
Control %93%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 38 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
4 11 15 5 26 6 37 37

Best performances - Bowlers

MP Kuhnemann
O18.2
M3
R63
W5
Eco3.43
RHB
OFFLEG
3W2W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
NM Lyon
NM Lyon
O19
M4
R78
W4
Eco4.1
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
2W1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF

Match Details

Toss

Australia , elected to bat first

Player Of The Match

Series result

Australia led the 2-match series 1-0

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

09.45 start, Lunch 12.00-12.40, Tea 14.55-15.15, Close 17.15

Match days

29,30,31 January, 1 February 2025 (5-day match)

Test debut

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Points

Australia 12, Sri Lanka 0

Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Madushka Balasuriya

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...

Australia's biggest Test wins against Sri Lanka:

by inn & 242 runs - Galle, 2025 by inn & 201 runs - Melbourne, 2012 by inn & 108 runs - WACA, 1988

Biggest defeats for Sri Lanka in Test cricket:

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, 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

JDF Vandersay c Starc b Kuhnemann 53 (50m 47b 7x4 2x6) SR: 112.76

54.2
6
Kuhnemann to Vandersay, SIX, 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, 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:
54 | 1 Run | SL: 237/9

  • Asitha Fernando6 (18b)
  • Jeffrey Vandersay43 (44b)
  • Todd Murphy11-0-57-1
  • Nathan Lyon19-4-78-4
53.6
0
Murphy to AM Fernando, no run, On a length on middle, he defends

Around the wicket now

53.5
0
Murphy to AM Fernando, no run, Tossed full on middle, he tucks it square
53.4
0
Murphy to AM Fernando, no run, Flighted full outside off, Asitha lunges forward to defend

Sri Lanka 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st6FDM KarunaratneBOP Fernando
2nd0FDM KarunaratneLD Chandimal
3rd69AD MathewsLD Chandimal
4th39AD MathewsPHKD Mendis
5th0AD MathewsDM de Silva
6th65DM de SilvaBKG Mendis
7th8NGRP JayasuriyaBKG Mendis
8th5JDF VandersayNGRP Jayasuriya
9th17JDF VandersayKN Peiris
10th38JDF VandersayAM Fernando