Australia will certainly lose their number one status if they do not win the Test on a decaying surface, and at the back end of a series in which their batsmen have failed a trial-by-spin led by Sri Lanka’s wily veteran Rangana Herath.
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However, if Virat Kohli’s men failed to win the match at Port-of-Spain, it will be Pakistan who will become the top Test rank side in the world for the first time since the ICC introduced an official rankings system in 2003.
Dhananjaya de Silva hit a timely 65 not out off 74 balls inclusive of 10 fours while Lyon picked four wickets.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief Thilanga Sumathipala said the victory wll have a “huge impact” on the entire cricket-crazy nation of 21 million people as he thanked Australia for touring the island nation.
Shaun Marsh, who had dropped De Silva Saturday after the batsman had completed his maiden hundred, managed to hold on to the catch at forward short leg this time.
The teams now face off in a five-match one-day series beginning on Sunday in Colombo.
Lyon toiled for 37 overs, taking four wickets for 123, while Starc and Holland took two wickets each.
A Sri Lankan win would seal a 3-0 series whitewash and also Australia’s ninth straight defeat in Asia following a 2-0 loss to Pakistan in the UAE in 2014 and 4-0 hammering in 2013 at the hands of India.
Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews declared the second innings inside the first hour of play, following what appeared to be delaying tactics from the visiting side.
The 38-year-old Herath, who bowled with an injured groin in Colombo, remained the team’s go-to man throughout the series, claiming 28 wickets in the three matches.
Before the series began, Australia had the number-one position with 118 points.
“Very unfair, the ball didn’t beat the bat, he wasn’t beaten by much, just a little bit”.
The left-arm spinner has already called it quits in ODI and T20 cricket and has hinted that retirement from Tests is not far away but indicated on Wednesday that he wanted to add to his tally of 332 wickets.
“We should be reasonably embarrassed by our performance in this series, and that’s OK”, he said.
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“I think we’ve done that really well … we’ve taken early wickets”.
