Australia chip away as Sri Lanka seek runs

Starc closing in on history

REUTERS - Sri Lanka lost three wickets in an eventful morning session on Tuesday to reach 109 for four at lunch on the fourth day, a lead of 85 runs, and leave the third and final test against Australia evenly poised.

Kaushal Silva was batting on 32 at the break with skipper Angelo Mathews (four) at the other end as Sri Lanka seek to set Australia a steep target and flex their spin muscles to complete a 3-0 whitewash against the world's top-ranked test team.

Resuming on 22 for one, the hosts lost Dimuth Karunaratne (22) to a clever piece of stumping by Peter Nevill off Nathan Lyon's bowling.

Lyon trapped Silva leg before in his next over but the batsman successfully overturned the umpire's decision on review.

Kusal Perera (24) hit three boundaries in a Jon Holland over but eventually fell to the left-arm spinner, fluffing a reverse sweep.

Kusal Mendis looked in a hurry to score, hitting two sixes off Lyon but Mitchell Starc dismissed him leg before with a searing full length delivery to claim his 24th wicket in an otherwise spinner-dominated series.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)