Matt Kuhnemann records second five-wicket haul to put dreadful Sri Lanka in a spin

Matthew Kuhnemann claimed the second five-wicket haul of his short Test career, as Sri Lanka crumbled early on the fourth day of the first Test in Galle.

Resuming at 5-136, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal put on 20 runs relatively comfortably before Todd Murphy took a stunning catch to remove Mendis and give Kuhnemann his first for the morning.

It triggered an incredible 44-ball rot in which Sri Lanka lost 7-15 across two innings in barely an hour of live play.

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Chandimal was the second man to fall when he missed a straight one trying to sweep Nathan Lyon and trapped dead in front. He reviewed the decision, but to no avail.

Prabath Jayasuriya was next, when he wandered down the crease and could only watch on hopelessly as the ball spun past his outside edge, and Alex Carey did the rest.

Lyon was into the thick of the action again when he had Nishan Peiris caught at short leg by Josh Inglis.

Jeffrey Vandersay was the last wicket to fall, caught by Mitchell Starc at mid-wicket to give Kuhnemann - who only a matter of weeks ago looked to have a bone poking through the skin of his thumb - his fifth.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 165, a deficit of 489. It was Australia's fourth-highest first innings lead in Test history.

After Steve Smith, to the surprise of nobody, enforced the follow-on, Mitchell Starc trapped Oshada Fernando bang in front for 6 in the second over. To make matters worse, Fernando then asked for one of the worst reviews in DRS history.

Dimuth Karunaratne was the last of the seven wickets to fall, when he left a straight one from Todd Murphy and lost his off-stump.

Sri Lanka lost the final five wickets of its first innings for only nine runs in 25 balls, with Kuhnemann (5-63) and Nathan Lyon (3-57) inflicting the damage.