Dimuth Karunaratne leaves a Todd Murphy delivery and gets bowled for duck in SL vs AUS 2025 1st Test [Watch]
Australia's bespectacled spinner Todd Murphy claimed his first wicket of the ongoing opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle as Dimuth Karunaratne's misjudgment brought upon his downfall on Day 4 (February 1). The Victorian was inevitably fired up as Australia got the second breakthrough of the innings after enforcing the follow-on.
The dismissal occurred in the fourth over of Sri Lanka's second innings, as Murphy went round the wicket against the left-handed opener. The length delivery from the off-spinner pitched outside off and carried on with the angle to come back in. The former Sri Lanka captain anticipated it to miss the stumps and left it alone, but it hit the off-pole, leaving the veteran stunned.
Karunaratne (0) failed to trouble the scores. Earlier, Mitchell Starc had trapped Oshada Fernando LBW and the right-handed batter wasted a review, only to walk back cheaply (6).
After amassing 654/6 (declared), the tourists reduced Sri Lanka from 136-5 to 165 all out in their first essay on Day 3. With only two days left in the Test, Steve Smith decided to enforce the follow-on.
Dimuth Karunaratne has been struggling for runs for some time now
The 36-year-old, dismissed by Starc in the first innings for seven runs, has been struggling for runs for quite some time now. Although the southpaw peeled off five half-centuries in 2024, he hasn't made it to the three-figure mark since April 2023. Should Pathum Nissanka regain fitness for the second Test, Karunaratne could lose his place at the top.
Australia flexed their batting muscles to the best possible extent in Galle as Usman Khawaja (232), Steve Smith (141), and debutant Josh Inglis (102) struck centuries to declare their innings at 654/6. Australia's left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was the chief destroyer in the first innings, claiming a fifer, while Nathan Lyon took three wickets. Starc claimed a couple to leave the hosts 489 behind.