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Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja's blistering tons on Galle's turning strip put Australia in a commanding position against Sri Lanka before rain came in to interrupt the final moments of the opening day in the first Test.
At the end of the stumps on Day 1, Australia's score read 330/2, with Khawaja and Smith unbeaten at scores of 147(210) and 104(188), respectively. Stand-in captain Smith and seasoned opener Khawaja delivered a swashbuckling performance to force Sri Lanka's back against the wall. The duo combined for an unbeaten 195-run partnership for the third wicket, capitalising on the batting-friendly conditions. It all started with Australia winning the toss and Smith showing no hesitation to bat. Travis Head set the tone with his quick-fire 57 in 40 deliveries, laced with a whopping 10 fours and a sole six. In the opening over, he reeled off three fours from Asitha Fernando to mark the beginning of his sizzling run-scoring show. Khawaja gave into his attacking instincts, with Asitha Fernando emerging as their favourite pick among the bowlers. Head implemented sweep and reverse sweeps to its optimum use to bring up his fifty off just 35 deliveries. Throughout his knock, he casually ambled down the track to produce thunderbolts from his bat. Head's high-flying knock met its end when he strolled out of his crease and mistimed his shot to hole it straight into Dinesh Chandimal's palms. Marnus Labuschagne (20) looked comfortable during his outing, which lasted for 50 deliveries. Jeffrey Vandersay emulated a Shane Warne-style leg break to force an outside edge to Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva. Smith and Khawaja holed the fort for the rest of the day to hand control of the game to the touring party. After being perched in Sydney on 9,999 runs against India, Smith arrived at the 10,000 Test runs milestone on his first ball. Moments later, he cushioned the ball back to Prabath Jayasuriya, who fluffed his chance and ended up dropping the catch. From that moment, Smith never looked back and slammed a 50 in 57 deliveries before dropping his scoring rate. On the other hand, Khawaja was a relaxed figure throughout the day, considering the absence of his tormentor in the BGT, Jasprit Bumrah. Just like Head, he unfurled sweeps, slog, and reverse sweeps to score at a healthy rate en route to his century off 135 deliveries. Just like Smith, Khawaja had luck on his side when he edged it to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis off Jayasuriya. But Sri Lanka decided not to review the decision. Sri Lanka rued many chances to remove Khawaja, including two dropped catches, which added to Jayasuriya's frustrations. With Australia cruising in the final session, rain intervened to call the stumps early. (ANI)
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