Labuschagne, Smith tons put Australia in charge on opening day
Labuschagne, Smith tons put Australia in charge on opening day. On the 1st day of the second Test between Aus and Sri Lanka in Galle, centuries from Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith put Australia in a commanding position.
When the coin was flipped, Australia elected to bat first.
Australia sent out the same team that played in the first test, however, Sri Lanka made four substitutions due to a Covid outbreak.
Hosts Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, and Maheesh Theekshana all made their Test debuts.
Balanced first hour
The home team got off to a strong start, and Kasun Rajitha was the one who gave them an early breakthrough by removing David Warner’s off stump in the fifth over of the day. This was the beginning of a successful day for the hosts. Rajitha, who was bowling alongside Ramesh Mendis and the rookie Prabath Jayasuriya, was instrumental in containing the Australians thanks to his probing line and length.
In the 22nd over, Mendis took the wicket of Usman Khawaja, just as the partnership for the second wicket was beginning to gain momentum. At 70 to 2, it appeared that the battle was evenly balanced.
Visitors back on track
It was just a matter of time before the Australian batsmen regained control of the game once it was determined that there were no demons on the pitch. After the break for lunch, it did not take Marnus Labuschagne very long to bring up a fantastic fifty, and he was the one who was leading the pace. As soon as he passed the benchmark, he picked up the pace, quickly approaching the hundred mark.
The visitors were able to exert complete control over the second session, and Steve Smith proved to be the ideal partner for Labuschagne’s antics. With a soft single to the midwicket region, the latter batsman reached his fourth Test century, which was also his first outside of Australia.
Niroshan Dickwella, who had earlier in the day missed a stumping opportunity to dismiss Labuschagne for 28, made amends when he whipped off the bails of the advancing batter to give Prabath Jayasuriya his first Test wicket. This allowed Prabath Jayasuriya to become the first Sri Lankan bowler to take his first test wicket.
While Australia was having tea at 204/3, Labuschagne left for 104 (156) and went his own way.
Smith is back in form
The dismissal of Steve Smith by Labuschagne did little to dampen the seasoned batter’s spirits as he set his sails and lowered the anchor. The seasoned hitter was able to keep Australia in control despite the few challenges he faced. Following this, Sri Lanka formed two brief partnerships with Travis Head and Cameron Green; however, as long as Smith was in the picture, they were unable to regain control of the game.
The patience of the Australian batter paid off as he brought up his 28th Test century with a cover drive that crunched in the final hour of play on the day. The excellent player had not achieved triple figures since January of 2021, so it was a long wait for him to get there.
Smith and Alex Carey batted with a tremendous deal of patience to guarantee that no more wickets would fall for Australia even if they were losing wickets at the other end. As a result, Australia reached stumps at 298/5. The tourists might potentially reach the score of 400 runs in their first innings, which is a sum that would be difficult for Sri Lanka to overcome without significant effort.