Australia tighten grip over Sri Lanka in rain-marred Galle Test
What's the story
Australia maintained their dominance in Galle on the rain-hit Day 3 of the ongoing opening Test against Sri Lanka.
The hosts were reduced to 136/5, trailing by a massive 518 runs, when rain interrupted play in the morning session.
The inclement weather continued, entirely washing out the second and third sessions.
Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed their innings at a precarious position of 44/3 against Australia's mammoth first-innings total of 654/6d.
Early blows
Starc and Lyon trouble Sri Lankan batters
The second day began with Nathan Lyon almost getting Dinesh Chandimal in the first over, but an outside edge fell short of Steve Smith at first slip.
Mitchell Starc then troubled Kamindu Mendis, beating his bat on several occasions before finally getting him caught behind down the leg side off a full angled-in delivery.
This early wicket further deepened Sri Lanka's woes in their uphill battle against Australia's formidable score.
Partnership
Chandimal and de Silva's resistance
After Mendis's dismissal, Dhananjaya de Silva and Chandimal held their ground and batted through the next 12 overs.
Their partnership took Sri Lanka past the 100-run mark.
However, after the drinks break, de Silva was stumped off Matthew Kuhnemann's bowling.
In the next over, Chandimal brought up his 31st Test fifty with Kusal Mendis at the other end.
Aggression
Chandimal's attack and pitch conditions
Chandimal, who had earlier struggled against Lyon's bowling, decided to go on the attack.
He hit a few boundaries off Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy's spin before rain stopped play.
The pitch, which had been relatively benign for the first two days with its slow turn, started showing signs of wear with visible cracks and unpredictable bounce.
Dismissals
Sri Lanka's recklessness costs them
Despite the difficult pitch, Chandimal and skipper de Silva showed that there were still runs to be had.
However, Sri Lanka's momentum was broken by reckless batting when de Silva was stumped off a delivery from left-arm spinner Kuhnemann.
At stumps, the score read 136/5 with Chandimal (63*) and Kusal Mendis (8*) at the crease.