By sengajanand9959@gmail.com 
Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne established a strong foundation for Sri Lanka after Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and opted to bat first in Galle, despite the pressure on the batting lineup. Pathum Nissanka, who replaced Oshada Fernando, was dismissed early; however, the experienced duo of Chandimal and Karunaratne managed to prevent any further setbacks until the Lunch interval, guiding Sri Lanka to a score of 87/1.
With visible cracks on the pitch, Australia commenced their bowling attack with Matthew Kuhnemann from one end. Although Kuhnemann did not achieve an early breakthrough, Steve Smith introduced his primary spinner, Nathan Lyon, in the eighth over, and Lyon made an immediate impact. As the ball turned sharply, Nissanka attempted a sweep against the off-spinner but missed, resulting in his stumps being dislodged. Karunaratne, playing in his 100th and final Test match, was joined by Chandimal, and together they successfully navigated through to the drinks break and the conclusion of the session without losing further wickets.
The duo made certain that the hosts avoided repeating the mistakes from the previous match, where the top-order collapsed and permitted Australia to seize an early advantage, even on a pitch favorable to batsmen. Chandimal effectively utilized his footwork against the spinners, while Karunaratne displayed a robust defensive technique, leading to a partnership of 64 runs that remained intact as they approached the Lunch break.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 87/1 (Dinesh Chandimal 35*, Dimuth Karunaratne 34*; Nathan Lyon 1-19) vs Australia
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