Greeting cricket fans! Welcome to day four of the second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka at Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Australia are 1-0 up in the series and could be 2-0 in a matter of hours if they continue to monster the Sri Lankans this morning. The home side will resume at 211 for 8, a slim lead of 54 runs on Australia’s mammoth first innings of 414, but with just two wickets in hand.

Sri Lanka’s hopes sit heavy on the shoulders of first-innings hero Kusal Mendis (48 not out) after they again lost a clump of key of middle-order wickets yesterday, including the prized scalp of veteran Angelo Mathews for 76. Lyon was the assassin there, ending a partnership of 70 to gave Australia the edge on a day in which 15 wickets fell.

Australia built their 414 on the back of the 259-run stand from Steve Smith (131) and Alex Carey (156) – a 157-run advantage on the first innings. Carey’s swashbuckling 150 runs from 175 balls swept him past Adam Gilchrist’s two scores of 144 to set a new highest score for Australian wicketkeepers in Asia.

That 157-run lead might’ve been more but for some fine bowling by Prabath Jayasuriya. He punched through Australia’s middle order in style, grabbing 5-151 and sparking a late-order collapse that claimed first-Test centurion Josh Inglis (0), new boy Cooper Connolly (four), Beau Webster (31) and Mitchell Starc (8).

However, Sri Lanka couldn’t cash in with the bat. And if Nathan Lyon (3-80) and Matthew Kuhnemann (4-52) pick up where they left off yesterday and Travis Head swats another a quick-fire half-century from the top, Australia can bank their first series whitewash on the subcontinent in nearly 20 years.

Can Mendis conjure another rearguard action to scramble Sri Lanka into a three-figure total and give Jayasuriya something to bowl at on a fizzing Galle wicket? Or will the Australians blitz the tail and unleash ‘The Hammer’ Head to blaze a trail to victory?

Play starts at 3.30pm so join us soon to find out.