COLOMBO: Australia’s Nathan Lyon on Wednesday said the first Test is in the balance after his five-wicket haul helped bowl out Sri Lanka for 212 but the hosts hit back with three wickets on a frenetic, spin-dominated day one on Wednesday.

The tourists reached 98 for three at stumps after Sri Lankan spinner Ramesh Mendis struck twice, including David Warner’s key wicket for 25, on a turning pitch at the picturesque Galle stadium.

Opener Usman Khawaja rode his luck to an unbeaten 47, while Travis Head was on six at the close with Australia still 114 behind in what promises to be a low-scoring contest.

Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella made a defiant 58 before the Sri Lankan innings folded in the final session of a quick-moving game.

“I was really proud the way we came back after tea and stuck to our plans and we were able to get the late rewards and knock them over,” Lyon said on bowling out the hosts after they took tea at 191-6. “Saying that, I see this game as even, there’s still a lot of work to do.”

The tourists could have been in a better position but for two avoidable dismissals in the final session.

On a pitch where spinners dictated terms from the opening session, Warner realised the futility of trying to hang around and scored at a run-a-ball rate. He made 25 with five boundaries before falling lbw to Ramesh Mendis.

Marnus Labuschagne fell for 13 after a rash reverse-sweep shot found the only fielder on the vast off-side and Steve Smith was run out for six after a mix-up with Khawaja.

Khawaja used a review to overturn an lbw decision against him and also survived a missed stumping opportunity as he built up his score.

But Lyon, who bagged his 20th five-wicket haul in Tests, stood out for Australia and combined with fellow spinner Mitchell Swepson, a leg-spinner who took three wickets, to rattle the opposition batting.

“I’m extremely proud of Sweppo,” said Lyon of the up and coming wrist spinner who took two wickets in his recent debut series in Pakistan. “You talk to him and he didn’t have the series he wanted in Pakistan, but to be honest I still thought he was learning and learning how hard Test cricket is to play.”

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne (28) combined with Pathum Nissanka (23) to give the hosts a decent start after electing to bat. But fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc struck with a wicket each as Sri Lanka took lunch at 68-2.

Australia captain Cummins dismissed Nissanka and Alex Carey took the second of his four catches behind the stumps when Kusal Mendis nicked Starc.

Warner took a diving catch at gully to send back Karunaratne before Swepson twisted the knife combining drift and turn.

The leg-spinner fired identical loopy leg-breaks to remove Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal off successive deliveries but was denied a hat-trick by Dickwella.

Angelo Mathews made 39 before walking into Lyon’s leg-slip trap but Dickwella decided offence was the best defence.

The stumper-batsman raced to a 42-ball fifty with the sweep shot, both traditional and reverse, proving particularly productive for the left-hander.

Even more audacious was his ‘Dilscoop’ — a shot named after compatriot Tillakaratne Dilshan — when he bent forward to scoop a Cummins delivery over his own and the wicketkeeper’s heads for a boundary.

Lyon wrapped things up quickly after the tea break, dismissing Ramesh Mendis and Dickwella in successive overs. He got his fifth wicket in Lasith Embuldeniya and Swepson ended the innings.

“Obviously we would have liked more runs in the first innings after having won the toss. We lost wickets in clumps after the break, something we need to work on,” Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood said.

“The way Dickwella and Ramesh played was excellent, it put pressure back onto the Australians. All said, come back tomorrow take quick wickets then Australia are under pressure.”

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2022