Captain Steve Smith fought hard but was one of two wickets lost within five balls — the last prompting an early lunch.

It will be an unhappy meal for the Australians, who were 7-141 and 126 runs distant from refuge.

Australia has only lost one of 13 matches played on the island. They had the excuse that time of seeing skipper Steve Waugh and bowler Jason Gillespie helicoptered to hospital after a horrific fielding accident.

Today Smith batted like a man who had never captained a losing side, but the Sri Lankan spinners finally wore him down.

Given out caught behind to the chinaman Lakshan Sandakan in the 49th over, he was reprieved by the third umpire after requesting a review.

It’s a case of if Sandakan don’t get you Herath must, and nine balls later Rangana Herath cannoned one into Smith’s pad. He was given out and the review backed the on field umpire.

Mitchell Starc came to the middle and left it three balls later after hitting an easy catch back to the bowler Sandakan in the next over.

Smith’s 55 represents the highest score by an Australian in what has been a poor and disappointing batting display from a group that has spent a fortnight acclimatising to these conditions.

Resuming on 3-83, Adam Voges (12) battled hard but added just three runs to his overnight score before scooping a caught and bowled back to Herath.

The visitors started the day needing 185 runs to take a victory that seemed a sure then when the top-ranked side took the field against an inexperienced outfit fresh from a winless encounter against England in the previous months.

Enter two young stars whose potential has the whole island talking.

Kusal Mendis, boyish, 21, not long out of school, has been thrown to the wolves at first drop, but played an innings that coach Graham Ford described as “one of the best I’ve seen”. The South African has been coaching since 1992. That’s plenty of time to see some good hands.

The kid was simply stunning. Brought up his 100 with an effortless six off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. His 176 is the second-highest score by a Sri Lankan against Australia, the highest by a Sri Lankan at this ground.

It was deserving of the highest praise. He was patient, practical, compact and in complete control.

And then there was Lakshan Sandakan, brought in from nowhere for his first game. The mystery chinaman with the curly locks who teamed with the wily old Herath in the first innings, sharing eight wickets equally.

Yesterday he ripped one through Joe Burns’ defence.

The Australian top order looked rattled.

Burns (3 & 29), Usman Khawaja (26 & 17) and Warner (0 & 1) have all had matches to forget.

Australia's Steve Smith plays a shot as Sri Lankan fielder Kaushal Silva jumps on day four. Picture: AP

Warner looked slow on a fast yorker from Nuwan Pradeep in the first innings, closing the door a little after the ball had bolted. In the second he charged Herath but managed to misjudge the straight one that didn’t bounce and was bowled.

The opener came into the match having not played since breaking his index finger early in the Caribbean tour. He missed the tour games and only began to have net practice after arriving in Sri Lanka. He had been careful not to re-injure the hand before the match but will need to grit his teeth and do more work before next week’s match after facing just nine balls in this one.

Needing 268 runs to win, Warner’s failure was not the start the Australians needed and worse was to follow when Khawaja was trapped in front attempting to sweep Dilruwan Perera.

He could have blocked but had shown his intent by driving confidently at Herath to put the bowler off his line on at least two earlier occasions.

The Australians had talked about not being put off their plans even if they hadn’t worked in the first dig and clearly part of the plan was for Khawaja to spread the field by taking down the Sri Lankan spinners.

The wicket looks hard and history suggests the chase is possible.