Australia's plan to re-emerge as a sub-continental force began with aplomb when the tourists decimated Sri Lanka's batting line-up on the opening day of the first Test. 
While they may be the world champions, Steve Smith's men know they must improve their record in Asian conditions before they can truly be a feared unit.
Sri Lanka is not the force it once was, having slipped to seventh on the International Cricket Council's rankings, but Australia's balanced attack humbled the hosts for 117 in 34.2 overs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Paceman Josh Hazlewood exposed a fragile top-order, reducing Sri Lanka to 5-84 at lunch, before off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed 3-4 in two overs after lunch. He now has 198 wickets and will almost certainly in this Test become the first Australian off-spinner to 200 Test wickets.
Sri Lanka's raw attack was expected to be its main concern but the batting has quickly emerged as a major issue.
Smith may have lost the toss but it did not matter for fast bowlers Mitch Starc and Hazlewood and the accurate spin of Steve O'Keefe made rapid inroads.
That the Sri Lankans opted to field uncapped pair Dhananjaya de Silva and Lakshan Sandakan, meaning they have had seven debutants in the past year, compared to Australia's none, highlighted how much of a rebuild this side is in following the retirements of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.
Starc, in his first Test since the Adelaide clash against New Zealand in   November when he required ankle surgery, began the rot when he tailed a sharp, fuller delivery into the pads of Dimuth Karunaratne. The Sri Lankan opted to appeal the decision but umpire Richard Kettleborough's decision was upheld when replays showed the ball would have hit leg stump.
The Australian was given only a four-over opening spell, with spinner O'Keefe, so impressive in the warm-up clash, then handed the ball. But it was Hazlewood who then landed the ball on a dime, dislodging Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal.
He had Silva poking at a full delivery and edging to Smith at slip, before Mendis also succumbed to a full-length delivery which swerved into his pads. Mendis deliberated for too long over whether to launch a challenge and, by the time he chose to, had been timed out by umpire Sundaram Ravi.
Skipper Angelo Matthews and Chandimal offered some respite from the carnage but the skipper was understandably agitated with himself when he pushed at O'Keefe and was snapped up by Smith at slip. Hazlewood continued the carnage when Chandimal feathered an edge through to Peter Nevill, leaving the hosts in dire trouble at 5-84 by lunch. Lyon then stepped up to the plate and destroyed the Sri Lankan innings.