Colombo - Unbeaten centuries from Shaun Marsh and skipper Steven Smith powered Australia to 235 for one at lunch against Sri Lanka on the third day of the final Test in Colombo on Monday.
Smith and Marsh put together an unbroken
214-run partnership for the second wicket to strengthen Australia's first
innings reply against Sri Lanka's 355. The visitors still trailed the hosts by
120 runs.
The left-handed Marsh, whose innings was
laced with 16 boundaries, was on 110 while Smith, who has hit nine boundaries
and a six, was on 104 at the break.
Marsh, who started the day on 64, recorded
his fourth Test century and second in Sri Lanka.
The opener, who was drafted into the
Australia side because of his long experience of Asian conditions, survived a
dropped catch on 67 early in the morning against Rangana Herath but soon took
control.
He brought up his hundred with an inside
edge off Dilruwan Perera that went for a boundary and he celebrated the
milestone by hugging his skipper at the other end.
Smith, who resumed the day on 61, soon got
his 15th Test century to improve on his previous best of 55 in the series.
Smith and Marsh used their feet to good
effect to blunt the spinners, forcing Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews to keep
rotating his bowling options at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
For Sri Lanka, Dinesh Chandimal and
Dhananjaya de Silva had completed superb centuries on the second day to lift
the hosts from a precarious 26 for five to a respectable total.
Chandimal, who scored 132 and De Silva, who
scored his maiden Test ton, put together a remarkable fightback with a 211-run
sixth wicket partnership.
Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc
took five wickets with support from off-spinner Nathan Lyon who got two.
Top-ranked Australia are bidding to avoid a series whitewash after losing the first two Tests.