Key events
101st over: Australia 407-3 (Khawaja 180, Inglis 4) After waiting almost 30 years to debut and waiting all day yesterday and another 90 minutes today to bat, Josh Inglis has hit his first ball in Test cricket for a boundary. Khawaja’s single gives the debutant a look at Jayasuriya. He plays in a low crouch with soft hands and a hard jaw as his chewing gum cud gets a real workout. Nerves or nonchalance? We’ll soon find out.
WICKET! Smith lbw Vandersay 141 (Australia 401-3)
Smith is gone! Good bowling by Vandersay who sent one in straight and tricked Smith into playing for turn. It slid on, missed the outside edge and hit back pad on an off stump line. That brings debutant Josh Inglis, Australian Test cricketer No 470, to the crease at last.
100th over: Australia 399-2 (Khawaja 177, Smith 141) Bizarre scenes! Australia’s 400 has come up via an overthrow from wicketkeeper Mendes who spotted Khawaja ambling back at the non-strikers end and had a shy only to narrowly miss the timbers. Replays show Usman would’ve been gone if it’d been a direct hit. And now we have an appeal by Jefrrey Vandersay against Smith for lbw. Umpire says Nah but Sri Lanka think Yeah and send it upstairs. This has hit Smith’s back pad dead in front… and it’s OUT!
Josh Inglis flicks his first ball in Test cricket through mid-on for FOUR!
Over at the MCG, Australia are well placed to complete a series sweep. They have England on the rack at 63-3 with England’s captain the latest to fall to Kim Garth.
99th over: Australia 399-2 (Khawaja 177, Smith 141) Khawaja ambles another single and Smith spanks two more with a cover drive that is picked up cleanly just inside the rope by a tumbling Angelo Mathews. Three from the over. 69 runs from the first hour. We’ll have some drinks.
98th over: Australia 395-2 (Khawaja 176, Smith 138) Mr Vandersay becomes the third Sri lankan bowler to notch a century, with Khawaja’s clipped single bringing up three figures from his 22-odd overs. Smith adds another four with a late cut that split the field and hits the rope just right. Australia are effortlessly marching beyond 500 here.
97th over: Australia 388-2 (Khawaja 174, Smith 133) Smith’s loped two through square leg brings up the 250-run partnership from 402 balls. Mighty effort by Australia’s senior men. But Smith edges the next ball and it skips just past second slip and runs away. Close! Poor old Jayasuriya has his head in his hands. He knows how close that was. He also knows his team desperately need a wicket. Instead it runs away for another two runs.
96th over: Australia 384-2 (Khawaja 174, Smith 129) Vandersay is probing an off stump line. The late blooming finger spinner is five days shy of his 35th birthday yet this is just his second Test. Smith skips down and clips two to fine leg then taps one through covers to retain the strike.
95th over: Australia 380-2 (Khawaja 173, Smith 126) Virtuoso Khawaja! That was a glorious stroke for yet another boundary. Jayasuriya tossed it up and Usman rocked back and punched it to the offside boundary with a delicious flick of the wrists. Holds the pose as he notches the highest score by an Australian opener in Sri Lanka. Now Smith signals his intent, skipping down and clobbering Jayasuriya down the ground…. and over the fence for SIX!
94th over: Australia 368-2 (Khawaja 169, Smith 120) This is the change Sri Lanka needed: Jeffrey Vandersay has entered the attack. The 35-year-old bowled beautifully yesterday and took the scalp of Marnus Labuschagne for 20 with a beautiful jagging delivery that caught the edge and was pouched behind the stumps. He leaks a couple of singles but finds some grip and bounce into the bargain.
93rd over: Australia 366-2 (Khawaja 168, Smith 119) Smith adds another run to his second 10,000, driving handsomely to long on. Khawaja sweeps the last ball of the over fine for two. Both these batters are clean shaven, unlike the nine-of eleven moustache-toting Australian tourists who contested the first Test against Sri Lanka back in 1983.
Travis Head did the lip-bristlers proud yesterday, as did Magnum PI Tom Selleck who turns 80 today and could’ve passed for an Ausralian fast-bowler back in the 80s with his taste in loud shirts, short shorts and flash cars.
92nd over: Australia 362-2 (Khawaja 166, Smith 117) Peirius rolls in again but he’s not getting the movement Jayasuriya is finding and it might be time to give someone else a chance with this fresh cherry. There’s another reason as Khawaja cracks another boundary through at deep midwicket. Fast feet from the old man of the Australian XI!
91st over: Australia 358-2 (Khawaja 162, Smith 117) Spin for Jayasuriya! Smith, batting in his baggy green cap, was beaten by that one. It missed the bat and ricocheted off the hector protector with a dull but painless thud. Just a single from this over.
Australia have their third wicket at the MCG with Kim Garth claiming another lbw to set England reeling at 45-3.
90th over: Australia 357-2 (Khawaja 161, Smith 117) Almost a catch! Khawaja lunged at Peiris with a reverse sweep and got a top edge and it narrowly cleared the outstretched claws of the man at third man and runs away for FOUR. Smith takes a more direct route, middling one against the turn to notch his 11th four for the innings.
89th over: Australia 348-2 (Khawaja 156, Smith 113) A couple of strolled singles for Smith and Khawaja as they unhurriedly steer Australia to a mountainous total. Sri Lanka have been tighter this morning but there’s little threat evident just yet.
In the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG, England are fighting back after losing both openers cheaply. Here’s Darcie Brown trapping Tammy Beaumont in front.
88th over: Australia 346-2 (Khawaja 155, Smith 112) Peiris notched his own century this morning and starts his 25th over with 0-102. Still easy runs on offer here as Smith taps a run and Khawaja swipes a single in return. Peiris gets one to jag back at Smith now and there’s a yelp from the bowler as a crowd catch off the thight pad lands in the ‘keeper’s gloves. Shame that didn’t happen yesterday. Sri Lanka grassed two behind the wicket yesterday and the first catch they took didn’t count because they didn’t review it!
87th over: Australia 343-2 (Khawaja 154, Smith 110) Jayasuriya has also notched a century but it’s not one he’ll relish. He starts his 35th over with 1-106, a far cry so far from his 12-wicket haul that crushed Australia and won Sri Lanka the second Test here in Galle back in 2022. Smith gets on his toes to steer a single through cover and Jayasuriya finishes the over on a bright not by flashing one past Khawaja’s edge. Close!
86th over: Australia 342-2 (Khawaja 154, Smith 109) That’s 150 for Khawaja! It came from 223 balls, a very good clip considering Khawaja’s usually circumspect methods. He celebrates by sinking into a crouch and sweeping Peiris to the boundary. That’s Usman’s 11th four of the innings. He also wailed a six yesterday for good measure.
85th over: Australia 336-2 (Khawaja 149, Smith 108) Almost a run-out! Smith tapped Jayasuriya’s first delivery into the covers and set off but Khawaja bellowed in the negative and he had to spin and scamper to make his ground. To avoid further confusion, Smith skips down and whacks the fifth ball just shy of the rope. He gets two runs. That brings up the 200-run partnership for these two.
84th over: Australia 334-2 (Khawaja 149, Smith 106) Peiris to Khawaja as Sri Lanka opt for twin-spin to start day two. Unsurprising given medium-pacer Asitha Fernando went for near six and over yesterday, most of it from the broad blade of Travis Head. Peiris does better and delivers a maiden, his first from 23 overs.
83rd over: Australia 334-2 (Khawaja 149, Smith 106) Prabath Jayasuriya has been thrown the almost-new ball that is just 12 balls old. I doubt the left-arm spinner slept as soundly as Khawaja after dropping Steve Smith off his own bowling when the batter was on one. Exactly 105 runs later, Smith slaps a run through midwicket. Khawaja works another run off his hip. Sri Lanka bowled too full yesterday and both batters are again finding easy runs off the back foot today.
82nd over: Australia 332-2 (Khawaja 148, Smith 105) Nishan Peiris will bowl the first over of the day and it’s to Usman Khawaja who must’ve slept sweetly with 147 runs in the bank. He chips a single to cover to reopen his account and Smith does likewise.
Steve Smith has been speaking with the host broadcaster about reaching 10,000 Test runs. He became the fourth Australian to the milestone and 15th player overall. BY reaching the mark in his 205th innings, Smith became the fifth fastest player overall to reach the milestone. Only Brian Lara (195), Sachin Tendulkar (195), Kumar Sangakkara (195) and Ricky Ponting (196) did it quicker.
Yeah nice to get that out of the way, it’s been some time coming. I had my opportunity in Sydney a few weeks back and let that slip. But nice to get it out of the way first ball yesterday. I feel like I’m batting nicely at the moment. Obviously very different conditions to back home. Yesterday was kind of a hybrid wicket I think, in terms of when we came here last time. One of the Tests last time was pretty flat first innings and the broke up. The other one was pretty extreme from the outset. So yesterday it seemed like in the middle somewhere. It was a nice partnership with Uzzie. I thought he batted beautifully and I think it’s one of those wickets it’s going to be challenging to start on. But once you get the pace of the wicket, it’ll get a bit easier.
After lighting up the cricket world with his batting pyrotechnics in the Boxing Day Test against India, plenty of cricket fans were disappointed by the omission of Sam Konstas from the Australian XI for this Test, but the 19-year-old seems to have taken the news with typical nonchalance.
I’ve had the Ouija board out channelling the late great Tony Greig’s Weather Wall and the good news is that it’s blue skies in Galle. The forecast for today was a bit grim, with more showers predicted, but the day has dawned bright and sunny and play will start on time, which is to say 15 minutes early, at 3.15pm.
In Galle, the next man in for Australia is new No 5 Josh Inglis who yesterday became Australian Test cricketer No 470 (despite being born in England).
As Australia and Sri Lanka duel for the Warne and Muralidaran Trophy, Alyssa Healy is captaining Australia against England in the sole Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG.
Play has just begun and England are in early trouble after Maia Bouchier nicked one behind for stand-in keeper Beth Mooney to take an early catch off the bowling of Kim Garth in the very first over!
Join Martin Pegan’s live coverage here…
For those who came in late, here’s a match report of day one…
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
Hello cricket fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s over-by-over coverage of day two of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka at Galle International Cricket Stadium.
Australia bossed the opening day and galloped to an imperious 330-2 at stumps with Usman Khawaja (147 not out) and Steve Smith (104 not out) piling on the pain for the home side with an unbeaten 195-run partnership for the third wicket.
Smith had a day to remember. Captaining the side in the absence of Pat Cummins (back home awaiting the birth of his second child), he won the toss and chose to bat first on a grassless centre square. Having made the tough call to leave Australian cricket’s shiny new toy, teen sensation Sam Konstas on the shelf, he promoted the side’s No 5 Travis Head to opener with a licence to thrill. Head did exactly that, flaying three fours from the first over as a statement of intent, before going beautifully berserk for the next hour, walloping 57 off 40 balls.
It inspired Khawaja to up the ante too. After 34 innings without a century and a lean summer against Jasprit Bumrah, the 38-year-old looked reborn yesterday. Mixing classical drives and late cuts with adventurous reverse sweeps and paddle slaps, he kept the accelerator down when Head holed out with the score on 92 and Marnus Labuschagne (20) snicked off on 135. Khawaja’s 16th Test century came from 135 balls.
For Sri Lanka, 135-2 was as good as it got. They had already inexplicably failed to review an lbw appeal against Head that replays showed was hitting the stumps, then made the same mistake when Khawaja snicked behind. Khawaja was also dropped twice behind the stumps either side of lunch. From there, it got worse – much worse.
The costliest spill was when Prabath Jayasuriya dropped Smith on his third ball at the crease. By then Smith had secured the solitary run he needed for 10,0000 Test runs. The 35-year-old joined an exclusive club with 15 members including a veritable Rushmore of Australian batters in Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. With a typically quixotic array of strokes, he surged to 50 at run-a-ball then cruised to a 35th ton.
The weather Gods spared Sri Lanka some humiliation, by sending down showers 45 minutes before stumps. It gives day two an early start of 3.15pm AEST. But even if Sri Lanka break the Smith-Khawaja partnership this morning, debutant dynamo Josh Inglis is in next with SCG hero Beau Webster and the cavalier Alex Carey waiting in the wings to pile on the pain. Can the home side hit back? Or will Australia roll on?
Join us in a hot half-hour and we’ll find out.
