SL vs AUS 1st Test: Lyon claim a five-wicket haul in the 20th Test, where the hosts started before the return match

With a view to making his debut in five-day cricket in 2011, Leon (5-90) left Sri Lanka in the spin as he and Mitchell Swapson (who finished the Test-best 3-55) knocked out the hosts. 212 – A good counter-fifty from Niroshan Dickwella limits the loss.

Ramesh Mendis then hit twice to David Warner (25) and Marnus Labushen (13), before Dangerman Steve Smith (13) was run out after a miscommunication with Usman Khwaja, leaving Australia 98-3 and still 112 runs left.

With no wickets in the first session, Leon’s constant pressure helped Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to an early victory in the morning – both Patham Nisenka and Kusal Mendis withdrew.

But after lunch, captain Dimuth Karunaratne gave David Warner a bubble in the slip and Leon was rewarded.

Even before Dickwella saw a hat-trick, some of the Swisson beauties sent Dhananjay de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal back to the pavilion and completed their half-centuries off just 42 balls.

Angelo Mathews was responsible for Leon’s 14 off Dickwella’s over, and – after the seventh wicket for 54 runs – Mendis was lbw out before he was finally sent to Dangerman Packing. Khwaja’s sharp catch to mid-on by Lasith Ambuldenia, followed by his fifth run.

Had it not been for the late wicket, it would have been a better day for the tourists, the last day of which was run out when Khwaja and Smith started running, just to send the previous players back. Except for the former captain.

Tribute to Shane Warne

The Sri Lankan cricket board paid tributes to the late Shane Warne before the start of the game, which was attended by several cricket icons from across the country, including off-spin great Muttiah Muralitharan and former captain Arjun Ranatunga.

Warne died of a suspected heart attack in March at the age of 52 and took his 500th Test victim at Galle in 2004.

The Test series will be played for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, which has been on offer since 2007-08 but the current series is the first since Warne’s death.

Leon joins the select club

After taking Nathan Lyon’s 20th or 5th wicket in Test cricket, he joined the elite club as one of only five Australian players to take 20.5 wickets.

He joins Clary Grimmett, Dennis Lilly, Glenn McGrath and Warne in the latest entry, 11 years after Lyon’s galley debut.

Among active cricketers, Leon is only third behind England’s James Anderson (31) and India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (30).