The second Test saw Australia win, giving them a clean sweep in Sri Lanka. This was just another example of how the Australians maintained their dominance with the bat and the ball throughout the Test match. Day 4 saw the conclusion of the game, and the visitors concluded their final World Test Championship cycle series with a strong showing.
At the end of the third day, the team captained by Steve Smith had already taken the lead with a total of 414, putting them at 211/8.
The Australia quickly bowled out the Lankans in the second innings,
Eventually bundling them out for 231 runs. The Baggy Greens ultimately required just 75 runs to win the match and defeat the Lankan Lions at home.
Despite Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne remaining at the crease, the Australia easily chased down a score of 75, losing just Travis Head’s wicket in the process.
They won the match by nine wickets. The Australians will try to retain their championship against South Africa in the final at Lord’s to wrap up the World Test Championship 2023–25 cycle after an unforgettable series.
Matthew Kuhnemann dazzling with the ball and Smith leading from the front
As the team’s stand-in captain, Smith performed admirably in Pat Cummins’ absence, not only helping them win the series but also becoming the second-highest run scorer in the series with two hundreds, second only to opener Usman Khawaja. The hitter for New South Wales had strong relationships with Alex Carey and Khawaja, who won Player of the Match in the first and second games, respectively. He was also named the Player of the Series because of this.
The series concluded well for experienced spinner Nathan Lyon, who finished with 14 wickets. In the lengthier format, Lyon also reached a new milestone, having taken more than 550 wickets in Test cricket. However, in this particular series, youthful left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was the greatest bowler, claiming 16 wickets in his two games.
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