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Australia convincingly defeats Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in first Test in Galle

Travis Head (left) was superb with his part-time spin, claiming 4-10 in Sri Lanka's second innings. (Getty Images: Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Australia has scored a commanding 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, wrapping up victory inside three days.

The tourists established a 109-run lead after the first innings when they were dismissed for 321 in their opening dig early on day three.

Their spinners immediately went to work in Sri Lanka's second innings, with part-timer Travis Head (4-10), Nathan Lyon (4-31) and Mitchell Swepson (2-34) ripping through the host's batting order.

Sri Lanka was dismissed for a paltry 113 in 22.5 overs, leaving Australia a victory target of just five runs.

Australia opener David Warner wasted little time, hitting a four and a six to reach the target in four balls.

The second Test begins in Galle next Friday.

David Warner brought up the winning runs in quick fashion. (Getty Images: Buddhika Weerasinghe)

The win came in 153.2 overs for the Test match, Australia's fastest since it demolished Pakistan in Sharjah in 2002.

So quick did the morning move, Australia began and ended the first session with bat in hand after it resumed its first innings at 8-313.

Sri Lanka made a clear effort to go after Australia's bowlers, following the same approach as its opponents with the bat.

Mitchell Starc's first over went for 17, as Dimuth Karunaratne hit the quick for three boundaries and Pathum Nissanka another one with a perfect cover drive.

But within four overs, Australia had spinners on from both ends, and Sri Lanka quickly found itself in a hole.

Three of Lyon's wickets came from miscued sweep shots and another from a reverse sweep as his figures went with his 5-90 in the first innings.

He first removed Karunaratne, caught behind on 23.

Kusal Mendis and Ramesh Mendis were both beaten by the off-spinner's turn and bounce, failing to get over balls and hitting them straight to backward square.

Mitchell Swepson helped the Australian spin brigade during an electric morning session in Galle. (Getty Images: Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Swepson also got Nissanka sweeping on 14 when he trapped him LBW with a delivery that did not turn too much, while it was his extra spin that later drew Oshada Fernando's edge.

Fernando had earlier been substituted into the game, with Sri Lanka's veteran Angelo Mathews contracting COVID-19.

Mathews's viewing from isolation in the team hotel would not have been enjoyable, with his team's second innings the shortest in their Test history.

Sri Lanka's misery was compounded when Head took his first Test wicket, spinning a ball a long way between Dinesh Chandimal's bat and pad.

All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva became his second Test victim three balls later, comically padding up to a delivery on middle stump.

Head took the last two wickets of the innings, bowling Jeffrey Vandersay and trapping Lasith Embuldeniya LBW.

Australia was comprehensively beaten when it last visited Galle in 2016, spun out for 106 and 183 as Rangana Herath claimed a hat-trick and Sri Lanka wrapped up the series.

But Australia has returned with a far better game plan this time, finding a way to unsettle an inexperienced Sri Lankan attack and run through the batting order.

Usman Khawaja best exemplified that on days one and two as he swept and reverse-swept his way to 71, while player-of-the-match Cameron Green used his long legs to nullify the hosts' spin with his 77.

ABC/AAP

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