Mitchell Starc claimed 5/46 to finish with 10 wickets for the match and propelled Australia to a mammoth 366-run win, the hosts claiming the two-match series 2-0.
Starc has blow hot and cold all summer, but he was back to his best at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. He claimed 5/54 in Sri Lanka’s first innings, and followed it up with another five-for in their second to blow them away a second time.
Sri Lanka were set a target of 516 and resumed the fourth day at 17/0, but were shot out for 149 in 51 overs by Starc and Pat Cummins, who claimed 3/15.
With the 13th ball of the morning, Starc got one to nip past Dimuth Karunaratne’s defence and dismissed him for his overnight 8. He then got one to straighten and had Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal (4) caught at third slip.
At the other end, Lahiru Thirimanne looked relatively solid at the crease, and it took a good piece of catching by Cummins, off his own bowling, to dismiss him for 30. It was a delivery that got big on Thirimanne and he was unable to keep it down.
Niroshan Dickwella walked in looking to play a typically counter-attacking knock, but Starc got one to stay low and cleaned him up for 27. When he had Kusal Perera caught behind the very next ball, Sri Lanka were in dire straits at 83/5.
The duo played some aggressive shots, and found the fence every now and then. It was part-time leg-spinner Manus Labushchagne who ended the resistance, with Mendis chipping a drive off him straight to cover for a hard-earned 42. Chamika fell soon after, caught behind off Cummins.
When Cummins then had Dilruwan Perera (4) caught behind as well, there was the real danger of him taking his fourth and denying Starc 10 for the match. However, it didn’t come to pass as Starc fittingly finished things off with a searing yorker to clean up Vishva Fernando.
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