GALLE: Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel of their worst-ever Test defeat Saturday after Australia enforced the follow-on and made early inroads, dismissing their top three batters before lunch on day four.

The hosts were 75-3 and still trailing by 414 runs in Galle with Angelo Matthews not out on 34 at the crease after Dinesh Chandimal’s dismissal on the last ball before the break.

Sri Lanka’s heaviest defeat to date came in Nagpur in 2017, when they were hammered by an innings and 239 runs by India.

Oshada Fernando failed to make an impact in his return to the side undone by a sharp inswinger from Mitchell Starc that trapped him plumb in front for six to go with his first innings seven.

Former skipper Dimuth Karunaratne’s horror run with the bat continued after an avoidable dismissal for naught from Todd Murphy.

Expecting it to turn, he watched in disbelief as the ball clipped the bails and walked back to the pavilion, with head bowed and shoulders slumped.