Australia seals historic win over Sri Lanka in first Test

Australia have recorded their biggest Test win in Asia, trouncing Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs in the series opener in Galle.

The tourists took a staggering 15 wickets either side of enforcing the follow-on on day four and had wrapped up the first of two Test matches by tea.

Sri Lanka (165, 247) finished well short of the mammoth total Australia (6d-654) built across the first two days courtesy of Usman Khawaja (232), Steve Smith (141) and Josh Inglis (102).

The win overtakes Australia’s defeat of Pakistan in the UAE in 2002 - by an innings and 198 runs - as their biggest in Asia.

This is now Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat in Tests going past its loss against India in Nagpur in 2017 when the visiting team lost by an innings and 239 runs.

This win is also Australia’s fourth biggest in the red ball format; its best win was against South Africa in Johannesburg where the visitors defeated the hosts by an innings and 360 runs.

Sri Lanka’s biggest defeats in Tests:

1) By an innings and 242 runs vs Australia, 2025
2) By an innings and 239 runs vs India, 2017
3) By an innings and 229 runs vs South Africa, 2001

--Agencies