Pic by - Johann Jayasinha (SNNI) Hobart

Australia continued to inflict misery on the touring Sri Lankans when they restricted them to 246 in their first innings and instead of inserting the follow on, sent in their two big left-handers and reached 111 for one by stumps on day-three. Having gained a 296-run lead, thanks to their massive first innings total of 542 for five declared, Australia now have a lead of 407 with nine wickets remaining.
It was once again a miserable day for the Sri Lankan batsmen, who put up yet another pathetic display. Captain Mahela Jayawardene brightened the Sri Lankan innings with a master class 104 before being last man out. But apart from his effort and Kumar Sangakkara's determined 57, the rest of Sri Lanka's batting was mediocre.
Resuming from the overnight score of 30 for no loss, Australia drew first blood, when Lee cleaned up Van Dort with an in-swining yorker that uprooted the left-hander's middle stump. Marvan Atapattu had looked solid and Sri Lanka needed him to stay on to avoid the follow on, but Lee tempted the batsman to drive and got a thick edge that flew to gully where Michael Clarke completed a good catch.
Then the tourists had some luck going their way as Jayawardene and Sangakkara added 73 runs for the third wicket. First a catch taken by Michael Hussey with Sangakkara on four was ruled not out by the third umpire as television replays showed some doubt about the legality of the catch. Then when he was on 13, Adam Gilchrist dropped a regulation catch with Lee missing out the opportunity on this occasion too.



The left-hander, who missed the last Test due to a hamstring strain, began to flourish from thereon as he played an array of attacking shots. Sangakkara, who in his last two Test innings had scored doubled hundreds, was solid against the pacemen and attacked the leg-spin of Stuart MacGill. He had got off the mark with an elegant glance off Lee that went to the boundary and reached his 23rd half-century by cutting Mitchell Johnson for four.
At that stage, with Jayawardene too batting sedately, Sri Lanka looked to be in control. But with just seven minutes left for the luncheon interval, Sangakkara got out playing a poor shot. He cut a short ball from Johnson straight to Hussey at point and the breakthrough helped the Aussies to get a sniff at the Sri Lankan middle order that looked rather fragile.
After the seamers had done the job, the leg-spin of MacGill got Australia two middle order wickets. Jayasuriya departed for three when he tried to sweep a straight ball that hurried onto him and the ball crashed onto his off-stump. Chamara Silva, who had got out playing rash shots on both occasions at the Gabba, once again was out in similar fashion, this time failing to cut a ball that spun sharply.
Then there were twin errors by Prasanna Jayawardene. First he was dismissed without troubling the scorers and then running for the injured Farveez Maharoof, he was run out when he attempted a single after the ball had rolled over to mid-on, where substitute Rhett Lockyear was fielding. That put an end to a flourishing 33 run partnership between the captain and Maharoof.
Jayawardene, meanwhile, looked that he came back to his ominous form, with his first Test hundred against Australia. The Sri Lankan captain had managed only one half-century against them in nine Tests before this game and his average against them stood at 29.81. But after the early collapse, he teamed up with Lasith Malinga in adding 36 runs for the ninth wicket and helped himself to a well deserved hundred.
There were two chances that eluded the Aussies, first when Stuart Clark at mid-off failed to move quickly and hold onto a half chance off Lee with the batsman on 71 and then two balls later Lee himself failed to hold onto a tough caught and ball opportunity.
He brought up his 19th Test hundred with an exquisite cover drive off Lee.

Australia 1st innings 543/5 decl.
Sri Lanka 1st innings (30/0 Overnight)
M. Atapattu c Clarke b Lee 25
M. Van Dort b Lee 14
K. Sangakkara c Hussey b Johnson 57
M. Jayawardene c Clarke b Lee 104
S. Jayasuriya b MacGill 3
C. Silva c Gilchrist b MacGill 4
P. Jayawardene c Gilchrist b Clark 0
F. Maharoof run out 19
D. Fernando c Gilchrist b Lee 2
L. Malinga b Clark 1
M. Muralitharan not out 1
Extras: (lb 7, nb 9) 16
Total: all out 246
Overs: 81.2
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-54, 3-127, 4-134, 5-152, 6-163, 7-196, 8-207, 9-243.
Bowling: Lee 23.2-4-82-4 (8nb), Johnson 17-3-44-1, Clark 16-6-32-2 (1nb), MacGill 25- 5-81-2.
Australia 2nd innings
P. Jaques not out 53
M. Hayden lbw b Muralitharan 33
R. Ponting not out 7
Extras: (b 2, lb 1, nb 15) 18
Total: for one wicket 111
Overs: 20
To bat: M. Clarke, A. Symonds, M. Hussey, A. Gilchrist, B. Lee, M. Johnson, S. Clark, S. MacGill
Fall of wickets:1-83
Bowling: Malinga 7-0-41-0 (7nb), Fernando 6-0-35-0 (6nb), Muralitharan 7-0-32-1