Khawaja, Marnus seal trouncing as Aussies sweep Sri Lanka

After Australia's biggest-ever win in Asia at Galle last week, Nathan Lyon noted the current men's Test outfit had yet to establish itself as a "great" team but they have taken a significant stride towards that ambition by completing a clean sweep against Sri Lanka.

The nine-wicket win they completed shortly before lunch on day four of the second Test was perhaps as emphatic as their domination of the opening game given this one was played on a much more traditional subcontinent pitch.

But after so many dispiriting visits to Asia over the past decade or more, the self-belief and clarity of thinking they have developed for such alien conditions has them confident they can install themselves among the great iterations of generations past.

As Lyon noted, the outstanding achievements for the current group under the leadership of Pat Cummins and stand-in skipper Steve Smith, who masterminded the Sri Lanka triumph, are series wins in India and the UK.

The opportunity for both those ambitions to be realised will come in 2027, with scheduled Test tours to India (where they've not won a Test series since 2004) and an away Ashes campaign which they've not secured outright since 2001.

"Since 2016 the first time I came here, the guys have developed so many different plans," said Smith, whose tons in both Test earnt him player-of-the-series honours.

"It is great to see the guys play the spinners, really good spinners. It was amazing.

"We had a really good training camp in Dubai where guys were able to work on their methods. Usman and Carey and Inglis use the sweep a lot. Myself and Marnus get down the track. Travis uses his feet."

Australia had begun day four holding the whip hand with Sri Lanka eight wickets down and just 54 runs ahead, but they were understandably wary given Kusal Mendis was among those two scalps that remained unclaimed.

Kusal was largely responsible for his team avoiding a second consecutive innings defeat, posting an unbeaten 85 in Sri Lanka's first batting effort in this match in which he dominated several vital partnerships with tailenders.

However, it took Lyon just four deliveries this morning to remove the outstanding threat and within six overs across 36 minutes the hosts were bowled out for 231 leaving Australia almost two days to find the 75 runs needed for a notable achievement.

Fears the Galle pitch would reveal itself as an unplayable monster by the latter half of the Test proved unfounded, and the Australians required just 65 minutes of that available time as victory was achieved for the loss of Travis Head's wicket off 17.4 overs.

Head edged a catch behind in attempting to force a ball angled across him through the off side.

But in keeping with the rationale for installing him as opener to cash in against the new ball in spinning conditions, he had effectively snuffed out any faint hopes Sri Lanka might have held for a clatter of early wickets by scoring 20 from 23 balls faced.

It was fitting that Khawaja was (27no) was in the middle at game's end given he dominated the batting to be leading runs scorer for series with 295 at the extraordinary average of 147.

And it was timely that he was partnered by fellow Queenslander Marnus Labuschagne hit the winning single and remained unbeaten on 26 (from 39 balls), ending a personally challenging series on a positive note.

There was also some poignant symbolism with former Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne called on to bowl the final over – his first trundle in Tests since 2022 – in his 100th and final match for his country.

Australia's most recent series clean sweep in Asia came against Bangladesh in 2006 when Ricky Ponting's team, on the back of Jason Gillespie's fabled 201no in Chittagong, completed a 2-0 close-out.

"We are very disappointed to be in the losing side," Sri Lanka's captain Dhananjaya de Silva said. "The conditions are very suitable for us. We haven't had our opportunities to get into the game.

"The Aussies showed why they are in the WTC final.

"We had the best time to bat this time, but 260 was not enough. Losing four wickets in an hour will not give you a win. The consistency was lacking with our spinners."

Their previous series success in Sri Lanka came in Nathan Lyon's debut campaign in 2011, but since then the only other outright success in nine visits to the subcontinent (including the UAE) was 2022's 1-0 win in Pakistan.

Lyon last night rated left-armer Matthew Kuhnemann as Australia's best bowler for the series, as reflected by his standing as leading wicket-taker with 16 at 17.18 despite playing with a fractured right thumb.

But it was the senior spinner who made the day's first and most crucial breakthrough when he removed Sri Lanka's last genuine batting hope Kusal Mendis in his first over of the morning.

Two deliveries after Kusal had posted his second half-century of the match, Lyon produced a brute of a ball that spun sharply into the right-hander who had initially looked to drag it through the leg side before realising too late he was in strife.

The resulting top edge floated to short fine leg which, under usual circumstances, would have proved safe but the ever-intuitive Smith had stationed himself there and duly accepted his 200th catch in Test cricket.

Only three players – India's Rahul (210), England's Joe Root (207) and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene (205) – have completed more, and it's yet another milestone Smith has ticked off on a tour that began with his 10,000th Test run.

But the 35-year-old received a painful reminder of his recent injury struggle when he ran from slip and instinctively hurled the ball back to bowler Kuhnemann in the faint hope of effecting a run out, and immediately clutched his right elbow in pain.

It was an injury to that joint caused when throwing from the outfield during last month's BBL that had briefly placed Smith's involvement in the Sri Lanka series under a cloud, and delayed his arrival to Australia's pre-tour training camp in Dubai.

Prior to the first Test Smith had stated he wouldn't be risking further injury by throwing during the current campaign, and joked if he was forced to chase a ball towards the boundary he would rely on one of his teammates to help out.

However, in the heat of battle Smith's competitive instinct took over and it remains to be seen if it impacts his involvement in the upcoming two-game ODI series against Sri Lanka and the subsequent ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan.

Any anxiety he might have felt was replaced by growing frustration as Australia were stymied at several attempts to wrap up Sri Lanka's final wicket.

Twice in the space of three deliveries, Lyon believed he had trapped last man Nishan Peiris leg before but both appeals were denied by umpire Adrian Holdstock whose decisions were upheld after Smith reviewed.

The visitors felt they were finally about to begin their pursuit in Lyon's next over when Lahiru Kumara pushed forward and squeezed a low chance to second slip where Beau Webster lunged and was convinced he had taken the grab cleanly before it touched the turf.

However, with most of Australia's fielders almost off the field and Lyon accepting congratulations for the 25th five-wicket haul of his career, the umpires' call for closer scrutiny decreed the ball had indeed bounced and Sri Lanka continued their defiance.

That act ended two balls later when Smith again turned to instinct for a bowling change with instant impact, as Webster's first ball of the day tempted Kumara to aim a wild heave that hit nothing but his off stump.

It meant Australia's long-held ambition of a series win in the most alien of conditions was within touching distance.

Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka

First Test: Australia win by an innings and 242 runs

Second Test: Australia win by nine wickets

Sri Lanka Test squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka (subject to fitness), Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Rathnayake

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

First ODI: February 12, Colombo (3.30pm AEDT)

Second ODI: February 14, Colombo (3.30pm AEDT)