Mendis steadies Sri Lanka after early collapse

Sri Lanka suffered an early collapse on day one of their second Test against Australia but steadied the ship late as Kusal Mendis kept the hosts on track.

Having suffered their worst defeat in Test cricket last time out, Sri Lanka battled through the first day to reach stumps at 229-9.

Despite Pathum Nissanka's early dismissal for just 11, Sri Lanka started strongly, reaching 93-1 before the cracks started to show.

Australia's attack started to hit their stride, with Nathan Lyon (3-78), who had taken Nissanka, also dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne (36) and Angelo Matthews (one).

Kamindu Mendis could only rack up 13 before he was caught by Steve Smith, while Mitchell Starc (3-37) dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva for a duck as Sri Lanka lost four for 34 in a terrible slump after lunch.

Dinesh Chandimal's (74) half-century kept Sri Lanka going, before Matthew Kuhnemann's intervention, with Kusal (59 not out) and Ramesh Mendis (28) combining for a 65-run partnership on the seventh wicket to keep the hosts in with a chance in Galle.

Australia will remain confident though, with Ramesh Jayasuriya and Nishan Peiris both dismissed for ducks in the late stages, leaving the match finely poised heading into day two.

Kusal Mendis led a resilient fightback against Australia on Day in Galle #WTC25 #SLvAUS : https://t.co/PVPw6kFuGn pic.twitter.com/PpnAFdoXj1
— ICC (@ICC) February 6, 2025

Data Debrief: In the balance

Sri Lanka's main aim after last week's Test defeat would have been to keep themselves in the match, and they could have fought their way to a competitive first-innings total.

However, Australia's bowlers will feel they have put their side on top despite an up-and-down performance in Galle. Lyon and Starc both took three wickets each, with the former moving on to 549 Test wickets, while the latter has now racked up 57 wickets against Sri Lanka.

There was also a slice of history for stand-in captain Smith, who took his 197th Test catch, going past Ricky Ponting's 196.