Glenn McGrath after dismissing Sanath Jayasuriya in Darwin on Thursday. (Reuters)

Darwin: Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas took five for 31 to skittle Australia for 207 on the opening day of the first Test on Thursday.

The world champions, however, hit back to reduce the touring side to 43 for three by the close on a day marked by some indifferent batting and questionable umpiring.

It was Australia’s lowest first-innings total on home soil since 1992-93.

Left-armer Vaas was cheered from the field at Darwin’s Marrara Oval after taking his career tally to 251. Vaas finished with the wickets of Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath with consecutive balls and he will start Australia’s second innings on a hattrick.

The tourists made light of the absence of key spinner Muttiah Muralidharan after Australia collapsed from 72 without loss.

Muralidharan, so often Sri Lanka’s matchwinner, withdrew from the tour after being upset by Australian criticisms of his controversial bowling action.

“The ball was seaming around. The wicket was a bit slow and a little bit moist so we wanted to put them in to bat,” said Vaas. “I’m not trying to do anything (special). My game is to swing the ball, keep it in the right spot and try to take wickets.”

Sent in by Maravan Atapattu, the home side lost their last seven wickets for 30 runs in an innings lasting 71.3 overs.

All of the top order except for Matthew Elliott, standing in for the absent Ricky Ponting following a family bereavement, had made starts.

Darren Lehmann top-scored with 57 from 108 balls including seven boundaries before debutant paceman Lasith Malinga (two for 50) removed him and Adam Gilchrist in one explosive over.

Lehmann put on 97 for the fourth wicket with Damien Martyn, who scored 47.

“Yeah, it was big flow of wickets for the first day. Obviously 13, you don’t get that often,” Lehmann said. “They bowled quite well and we fought back in the end which was a good result, three pretty key wickets for us.

“The wicket’s not ideal. It’s up and down so it’s not the greatest Test wicket we’ve played on.”

Chaminda Vaas celebrates one of his five wickets on the first day of the first Test in Darwin on Thursday. (AFP)

Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer shared the opening stand of 72 before three wickets fell for eight runs either side of lunch.

Langer, on 30, swept off spinner Thilan Samaraweera in the air to Upul Chandana at backward square leg.

Elliott, in his first Test for five years, went 10 balls later for one, caught at second slip by Russel Arnold off Vaas.

After the break, Vaas had Hayden caught in the gully by Jayasuriya for 37 in the third over of the new session to make it 80 for three.

Martyn, the only right-hander in Australia’s top seven, was caught at point by Arnold off Jayasuriya from the last ball before tea at 177 for four.

Lehmann was unsettled by a series of short balls from Malinga. The 20-year-old right-armer had Lehmann playing across his crease and he went leg before wicket.

Australia’s stand-in captain Gilchrist was then out for a third-ball duck, caught down the leg by ’keeper Kumar Sangakkara as he tried to pull out of the shot.

Shane Warne was run out for two and Vaas had Simon Katich caught behind for nine before he wrapped up the tail to finish with figures of 18.3-6-31-5.

McGrath, playing his first Test for 12 months after an ankle injury, took two for 28 to reach 432 Test victims. The 34-year-old moved to fifth on the all-time wicket-takers’ list, ahead of New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee on 431.