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Colombo: Australia have been dismissed for 379 in their first innings and have somehow managed to take a slender lead of 24 runs over the hosts.
Day Three of the final Test between Australia and Sri Lanka ended with the hosts trailing visitors by only two runs with nine wickets in hand.
The match is very well balanced and anything can happen in the next two days as no team has gone out of sight with the match till now.
Australia started the day in a superb fashion with overnight batsmen, Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh, getting to their respective centuries.
The team crumbled after their dismissals as only Mitchell Marsh could score a half-century from the middle-order.
Rangana Herath again outdid the Australian batsmen with another five-wicket haul in the series and ended the innings with six, in total. Herath now has a total of 27 wickets against Australia whereas former legendary spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan had 26.
Australia have been dismissed for 379 in their first innings and have somehow managed to take a slender lead of 24 runs over the hosts.
Australia captain Smith made 119 and opening batsman Marsh fell for 130 as the touring side went to tea on 316 for four. Adam Voges (22) and Mitchell Marsh (17) were unbeaten at the interval.
Resuming on 141-1, Smith and Marsh kept the hosts wicketless through the morning session but both fell in the space of three overs after the new ball was taken after lunch.
The pair added 246 for the second wicket.
Marsh, playing his 18th test after a seven-month absence, was the first to get to his hundred, his fourth in tests, with a paddle sweep off Dilruwan Perera that went to the boundary.
The second wicket partnership between skipper, Smith and Marsh added 246 runs as both the players went onto score centuries and gave a good platform to their side but the story remained the same as the rest of the batsmen fell flat against the spin attack of the Lankans.
Sri Lanka, 2-0 up in the series, recovered from 26-5 to post a first innings total of 355 and still lead the world's top-ranked side by 39 runs.
Brief scores
Sri Lanka - 355 for 9 (Chandimal 132, De Silva 129, Starc 5-63) and 22 for 1
Australia - 379 (S Marsh 130, Smith 119, M Marsh 53, Herath 6-81)
Status - Sri Lanka trail by 2 runs
