1st Test, Day 3, The Gabba

Sri Lanka – 144,  139     Australia – 323

Australia wins by an innings 40 runs.

Australia’s summer of heartburn finally received a tonic with an innings and 40 run victory over Sri Lanka at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Pat Cummins produced career-best match figures of 10-62 to drive his team a much-needed win.

The winning moment for the Aussies! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/wTZA2gJ0Aj

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 26, 2019

Australian captain Tim Paine was happy with the way his team dominated the Test.

“It was a pretty well-rounded performance. I think there are a few things we can improve on but for a young, new group coming together it was a pretty good start.”

“We were disappointed after the Indian series, we felt we weren’t that far away but let it slip in some crucial moments. That was the difference in this Test. We won the big moments in the game and when you do that consistently you win more Test matches,” Paine said.

Cummins demolished Sri Lanka’s batting early on day three, taking three quick wickets to leave the tourists reeling.

He began his rampage by dismissing Dinesh Chandimal (0) who was caught in the gully by debutant Kurtis Patterson for first ball duck.

WICKET: Chandimal goes for a duck.

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— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) January 26, 2019

Cummins picked up where he finished the night before having taken the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne with the final ball of the day’s play the previous evening.

The Australian paceman was in a destructive mood and Kusal Mendis (1)  was the next to be steamrolled.

Mendis flailed at another Cummins rocket and when he edged to Joe Burns in the slips, the New South Welshman claimed his third wicket from his last eight deliveries.

.@patcummins has ANOTHER! Figures of 3/0 😳 #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/pV0NZqvaUM

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 26, 2019

His next victim was Roshen Silva (3) who was also unable to cope with a Cummins outswinger, edging to Burns who claimed his second catch for the innings.

WICKET: Silva goes for 3.

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— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) January 26, 2019

Debutant Jhye Richardson was also in the thick of the action, claiming his fourth wicket of the match with a steppling yorker that smashed into Dhananjaya de Silva’s (14)  off stump.

Knocked him over! Jhye Richardson with another beauty 🔥 #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/8clPx4U65v

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 26, 2019

Richardson finished the match with five wickets and told Fox Cricket he’d enjoyed his first taste of Test cricket and that it was everything he dreamed it would be.

“Absolutely, the guys performed outstandingly and the support was there the whole way, I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Richardson said.

Sri Lanka went to the Tea break at 5-74 having lost four wickets for 57 runs in the session.

It didn’t get any better after the recommencement of play.

Lahiru Thirimanne (32) had provided the only line of resistance to the Australian bowlers, grafting 32 runs from 98 balls before his luck deserted him.

Thirimanne was given out caught behind to Cummins despite a  decision review which seemed to indicate the delivery had grazed his elbow rather than the blade of his bat.

Third umpire Michael Gough deemed there wasn’t sufficient evidence to overturn the original umpire’s call and Thirimanne departed, less than satisfied with his fate.

"One frame behind, it's conclusive evidence that it's out and we have a spike on Snicko."

An unsuccessful review for Sri Lanka, and Cummins has 5! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/yJTC9ViVV2

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 26, 2019

At that point, Cummins had taken 5/13 from just nine overs in a sublime display of fast bowling.

Kurtis Patterson was selected as a batsman for his test debut but he’ll be remembered in this match for his spectacular catch that delivered Cummins his sixth wicket.

It was a spectacular, one-handed grab as he flung himself at the ball that had fizzed off Dilruwan Perera’s (8) bat toward gully.

WICKET: Perera goes for 8.

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— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) January 26, 2019

Richardson had front row seats to a fast bowling masterclass from Cummins, who after his long and frustrating five year battle against injury has emerged as Australia’s premier fast bowler.

The young West Australian quick admits it was a great learning experience.

“Just (his) patience and ability to use subtle variations. To be able to watch him bowl from one end and do my best from the other to try and create some pressure with him was perfect.”

“Credit to him, he bowled like a genius,” Richardson said.

The visitors started the day’s play 162 runs behind Australia’s first innings total and desperate to avoid the type of top-order collapse that nobbled their first batting performance but found themselves unable to cope with Cummins display of pace, power, and precision.

Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal admitted his team was well off the pace.

“We are really disappointed as a team. Our batting was below par throughout the game. We all know when we come to Australia we’ll get so much ( more) bounce.’

“As a batting unit we know we have to step up if we want to win the game here, so that’s the area we’ll have to improve,” Chandimal said.

Sri Lankan pace bowler Lahiru Kumara was unable to bat in the second innings due to a hamstring injury and is unlikely to be available for the second Test which starts in Canberra next Friday.