Harris Powers Aussies Poised for Victory

Galle: Australia require five wickets to win the first Test after reducing Sri Lanka to 5-120 by stumps on day three at the Galle International Stadium.

The tourists were all out for 210 in their second innings on Friday, setting Sri Lanka a target of 378 to win the match.

Mahela Jayawardene made an unbeaten half century of 57 and will resume alongside Angelo Mathews (32) on day four, with Sri Lanka needing 259 to win.

The hosts lost Tharanga Paranavitana to a first-ball duck, trapped lbw by Ryan Harris.

Harris struck again six overs later, finding the gap between bat and pad to bowl Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan for 12.

Shane Watson picked up the scalp of Kumar Sangakkara for 17 and Mitchell Johnson accounted for Thilan Samaraweera (0).

Harris claimed a third wicket, forcing Prasanna Jayawardene to settle for a pair after failing to get off the mark in either innings.

The start of play on Friday was delayed by rain, and it was early afternoon when Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson resumed, with the tourists 6-115.

Johnson did not last long, adding five runs to finish with eight, undone attempting to slog sweep Rangana Herath.

But Khawaja was joined at the crease by a determined Ryan Harris and the pair did well to add 40 runs for the eighth wicket.

Chanaka Welegedara struck to remove Khawaja lbw for 26 - hardly a towering score, but potentially decisive in a low-scoring game.

Harris went two overs later, caught and bowled by Herath, but not before making 23 invaluable runs.

And there was unexpected resistance from the tail - debutants Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon weighed in with 32 runs between them.

Dilshan dislodged Lyon for 13 to bring the innings to a close, leaving Copeland unbeaten on 23.

Herath finished as the leading wicket-taker in the innings, claiming 5-79.

Dilshan and Welegedara had two apiece, with Suranga Lakmal notching one.

Brief scores
Australia 273 and 210 (Clarke 60, Herath 5-79)
Sri Lanka 105 and 120 for 5 (M Jayawardene 57*, Harris 3-24)
Status Sri Lanka need 259 runs to win