Physical Address
Suite 5, 181 High Street,
Willoughby North NSW 2068
Aus walk off… despite ball bouncing | 00:53
Australia sealed a whitewash with a nine-wicket victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle to pick up a series win in the island nation for the first time since Nathan Lyon’s debut tour in 2011.
Watch India vs. England T20I & ODI Series LIVE on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
Steve Smith and Alex Carey were the stars with first innings centuries building a lead that before spinners Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann took seven wickets each for the match to set up a final innings of run chase of just 75.
It is the first time Australia has completed a series clean sweep in Sri Lanka since 2004, and it was set up by a crushing innings and 242 run triumph in the first Test off the back of Usman Khawaja’s double ton, Smith’s century and Kuhnemann’s nine wickets for the match.
The 2-0 series victory was the perfect way to end the World Test Championship cycle, which included reclaiming the Border Gavaskar Trophy with a come-from-behind 3-1 series triumph against India, retaining the Ashes in England and whitewashing the Black Caps in New Zealand, before facing South Africa at Lords starting June 11.
USMAN KHAWAJA – 10
295 runs at 147.5, HS 232
Khawaja added further to his glittering recent record in spinning conditions with a maiden Test double century in the series opener.
There were calls for the 38-year-old to retire due to his struggles against Jasprit Bumrah in the home summer, but he showed his class with a series of sweeps, both reverse and conventional, the trademark of his stroke play that also included quick footwork, both forward and back, to not only combat, but dominate the turning ball.
Khawaja joined elite company with Sir Donald Bradman the only other Australian to score a Test double century aged 38, and he now has Test centuries in Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan, Alan Border is the only other Australian to have raised made hundred in those three nations.
He topped off his superb tour with an unbeaten 26 in Australia’s run chase of 75 in the second Test.
TRAVIS HEAD – 5
98 runs at 32.66, HS 57; 1 wicket at 72, BB 1/31
Head did exactly what he was sent to the top to do, get the team off to a flyer but he would be kicking himself for not cashing in like some of his teammates did.
The dashing left hander comfortably had the best strike rate of the series, plundering his runs at 115.60, as he pounced on width from Sri Lanka’s sole seamer in each Test, Asitha Fernando in the first and Lahiru Kumara in the second, and hit the spinners hard, and straight.
Head’s 57 off 40 balls in the first Test was followed by Khawaja’s double hundred and Smith’s century, so he would be ruing not going big like that pair, but the vice-captain reaffirmed that he belongs at the top in the subcontinent after his aggressive approach against the new ball was also successful in India two years ago.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE – 3
50 runs at 25, HS 26*
It was a disappointing tour for Labuschagne as he missed out twice while his top order mates filled their boots.
He poked at a leg spinner from Jeffrey Vandersay and edged to first slip in the first Test, before being trapped lbw by a Prabath Jayasuriya arm ball in the first innings of the second Test.
The back-to-back failures led to suggestions that Labuschagne could be dropped off the back of averaging just 27.54 during the current WTC cycle and not scoring a century since his hundred at Old Trafford in the 2023 Ashes, while recent debutants Josh Inglis, Beau Webster and Sam Konstas have all impressed, and Cameron Green is likely to return later in the year.
But he redeemed himself with 26 not out to steer Australia home in the fourth innings run chase in the second Test.
STEVE SMITH – 10
272 runs at 136, HS 141
The stand-in skipper showed why he is one of Australia’s greatest with centuries in both innings as he continued to chalk up records.
He got off the mark in the series opener with his 10,000th Test run, became Australia’s all-time leading run-scorer in the subcontinent, surpassed Alan Border for the most centuries scored in Asia by an Australian with seven and moved level with Joe Root and Rahul Dravid on 36 Test centuries.
Reaching those milestones with his dazzling footwork against the spinners while sporting the baggy green was not enough for Smith, as he overtook Ricky Ponting for the most Test catches by an Australian ever with his brilliance in the slips, highlighted by a low, one-handed stunner to dismiss his opposing captain Dhananjaya de Silva off the bowling of Kuhnemann in the second innings of the second Test.
He took his career tally to 200, just ten shy of Rahul Dravid’s all-time record and also pulled off some excellent captaincy moves to break key Sri Lankan partnerships during the second Test.
JOSH INGLIS – 8
102 runs at 51, HS 102
A debut century was a dream start for Inglis as he repaid the selectors’ faith for trusting his aggressive stroke play against spin to thrive in the middle order.
He was another who swept superbly, and proved that he is a near-lock for future tours of the subcontinent after several years serving as Alex Carey’s deputy gloveman, while taking those duties in white ball cricket.
A duck in his the first innings of the second Test was unfortunate after back stiffness forced him off the field and he was unable to bat at number five, and sustained a serious case of pad rash as Smith and Carey made tons, but Inglis put his best foot forward to continue to be picked purely as a batter.
ALEX CAREY – 10
202 runs at 202, HS 156
Carey made the most of his promotion up the order, to number six in the first Test and to five in the second, by making his highest Test score in the first innings of the second Test in a monster partnership of 259 with Smith.
The left-hander was another who swept, both conventionally and reverse beautifully, and his second Test century came as reward for a underrated 12 months with the bat which has included an unbeaten 98 to guide Australia to victory against New Zealand in Christchurch and a 70 against India in Brisbane.
His glovework was also excellent and seemingly gets better and better as he snared four catches and four stumpings to dispel any chatter after Inglis’ ton about who is the prefer keeper in the Test team.
BEAU WEBSTER – 5
54 runs at 27, HS 31; 2 wickets at 9.5, BB 2/6
Webster was not required to make big contributions with the bat as he walked to the crease at 5/570 and 5/350 in the first innings of each Test, but played valuable hands of 31 and 23 to keep the Sri Lankans in the field longer.
His versatility was undeniably an asset to the side with the clean set of hands he displayed on debut at the SCG last month once again on month, as he took five excellent catches across the two Tests.
The Tasmanian’s medium pacers were rarely used but he chipped in with his off spinners, snaring a scalp as part of Sri Lanka’s collapse late on day three of the second Test and another the morning after to wrap up the innings.
COOPER CONNOLLY – 1
4 runs at 4, HS 4; 0 wickets, BB 0/9
Personally, a disappointing debut for the 21-year-old despite the team’s success in the second Test.
He was out for four, caught squiring a catch to backward point after dancing down the wicket to try launch a Nishan Peris off spinner out of the ground.
The Australian hierarchy would not have minded the positive intent as he tried to push their lead of 127 at the time forward, while he only rolled out five overs of his left arm spin, and was unable to take a maiden first class wicket in the process.
MITCHELL STARC – 9
6 wickets at 14.33, BB 3/37
Starc relished the role as Australia’s lone quick as the left-armer’s love affair with Sri Lanka continued.
He swung the new ball at pace, and somehow even managed to get several nick offs on slow, turning pitches as he took his career tally in the island nation to 35 wickets at 16.94 in seven Tests.
Australia will be hoping the back soreness he pulled up with during the second Test is nothing major, in fact an aching body is to be expected considering Starc pushed through the pain to play all seven Tests for a second consecutive summer.
NATHAN LYON – 8
14 wickets at 22.50, BB 4/78
Lyon enjoyed another superb subcontinent tour as he notched up his 550th Test wicket, and caused the Sri Lankan batters constant headaches.
The off spinner was ultra consistent picking up a three-wicket haul on three occasions to go with a four-wicket haul in the second innings of the first Test.
The series being played in Galle where he famously dismissed the great Kumar Sangakkara with his first ball in Test cricket in 2011 was symbolic for Lyon, so too were his battles with veterans Angelo Matthews and Dimuth Karunaratne, who retired after the second Test, which Lyon got the better of, as they have locked horns repeatedly over the years.
MATTHEW KUHNEMANN – 10
16 wickets at 17.18, BB 5/63
From a broken thumb in the Big Bash, to Australia’s breakout Test star, it has been quite the last month for Matt Kuhnemann.
The left arm tweaker was hailed by Nathan Lyon as the team’s “best bowler” during the series, and the numbers back up that claim.
Nine wickets for the match, including a five-wicket haul, in the crushing first Test victory and a further seven for the match in the second Test was simply superb, and stamps his place as Australia’s go to support option for Nathan Lyon on turning tracks.
He topped the wicket charts for the series, and is already Australia’s most successful ever left arm spinner in Sri Lanka.
TODD MURPHY – 2
1 wicket at 85, BB 1/57
Controversially dumped for Cooper Connolly’s all-round abilities for the second Test, Murphy had a tricky time of it in the first Test.
The Victorian, who was recalled for the first time since the 2023 Ashes, bowled just six overs in the first innings as Kuhnemann, Lyon and Starc rolled Sri Lanka for 155.
He then opened the bowling in the second innings, and dismissed Karunaratne with a beautiful arm ball that crashed into off stump, but he copped some tap after that as the hosts went on the attack, going at 5.18 an over.
