Earlier, Warner showed the required tactical nous to flare briefly. He attempted to get to the pitch of the ball, but as soon as the duo of Perera and Herath pulled their length back, he camped in the crease to thread the gaps in the field. However, with subtle variations of drift and turn, the 34-year-old off spinner nipped out the aggressive opener.
For a while, Perera was tossing it up and plugging away in the channel outside. He then shifted his line to target the stumps and resorted to bowling the slider. Warner couldn't pick the variation and was rapped on the pads. After a bit of deliberation, the on-field umpire answered the vociferous appeal in the affirmative.
Warner, though, took the review, but the ball-tracker clearly projected that it would knock over the stumps and Perera was rewarded for his perseverance.
At the other end of the spectrum, Smith played with an air of composure to hold the creaky batting line-up together. He looked to step down the track, but also on occasions, waited for the ball to arrive and play under his eye-line. His partner, Adam Voges, tried to be proactive by bringing out the reverse sweep. The 36-year-old middle-order batsman then danced down the track to Perera and appeared to have eked out an inside edge with the fielder positioned at short leg grabbing the chance.
Voges, however, confidently elected for the review and it was clear on replays that it had missed the edge of the bat, and Chris Gaffaney had to overturn his decision. Sri Lanka, though, didn't have to wait for long to celebrate as Perera prised out Smith in the 20th over of the innings.
The loud appeal for a bat-pad dismissal was initially not upheld. However, Angelo Mathews straightaway took the review and there seemed to be a faint inside edge. For the second time in three overs, Gaffaney was forced to reverse his decision.
Voges, to his credit, soaked up the pressure to keep the spin trio of Herath, Perera and Lakshan Sandakan at bay. He had a few nervy moments on the way, but was able to glue the innings together for a period of time. Mitchell Marsh looked unsure as he prodded and poked at deliveries just on and around the off-stump, and after sharing a stand 39 with Voges was adjudged leg before in the 33rd over.
He too was ruled not out by the on-field umpire, but Sri Lanka opted for the review. As Marsh didn't offer a shot and with the ball hitting the stumps, the verdict was reversed. It has to be noted that the umpires didn't have a great morning. To make matters, Voges tried a risky reverse sweep off Perera and could only hear the death rattle. Incidentally, it turned out to be Perera's fifth scalp of the innings.
With just three wickets away from wrapping up the proceedings, the home team would fancy their chances of posting a well-earned series victory. Their opponents, Australia, have a lot of soul-searching to do.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 281 (Kusal Mendis 86, Angelo Mathews 54; Mitchell Starc 5-44) and 237 (Dilruwan Perera 64, Angelo Mathews 47; Mitchell Starc 6-50) lead Australia 106 (David Warner 42, Mitchell Marsh 27; Dilruwan Perera 4-29, Rangana Herath 4-35) and 133/7 (David Warner 41; Dilruwan Perera 5-46) by 280 runs
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