Spinners put Sri Lanka in strong position

Tea Australia 203 and 83 for 3 (Smith 26*, Voges 9*) need another 185 runs to beat Sri Lanka 117 and 353 (Mendis 176, Starc 4-84)Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Australia do not lose Tests to Sri Lanka. That, at least, is the conventional wisdom, for it has happened only once in the 33-year history between the two nations. But there is every chance Sri Lanka will rewrite the conventions in 2016, for at tea on the fourth day in Pallekele they were in a powerful position. Sri Lanka needed seven wickets, Australia wanted 185 runs. And the runs were coming slowly for a nervy Australia.

Bad light forced an early end to the second session on a day that had already been curtailed by morning rain. When the players walked off, Steven Smith was on 26 and Adam Voges had 9, and Australia were on 83 for 3 in their pursuit of 268. Their innings had started in a flurry of aggression. When that didn’t work, they all but stopped playing any shots. Sri Lanka’s spinners forced the batsmen into their shells.

In particular, Australia’s batsmen found Lakshan Sandakan harder to read than Ulysses, his wrong’un often producing a confused look. But it was his stock ball that brought his only wicket, when Joe Burns played back to a big-turning wrist-spinner and was bowled for 29. Seven times in this Test Australian batsmen have passed 20, but none have yet gone on to a half-century.

Rangana Herath hardly turned a ball yet his changes of pace and flight were …

continue reading in source www.espncricinfo.com