Sri Lanka vs Australia Live Score 1st Test, Day 2

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Tossed up, outside off, Usman Khawaja lunges to smother the ball.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Usman Khawaja, Outside off, helped past square leg for a run.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Usman Khawaja, Fuller, around middle, pushed down the track.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Comes down the track and has an uncharacteristic hack now. Is nowhere near the pitch of the ball and just swings wildly. Gets it off the inner half of the bat and it scoots past short leg, to his left. A single taken. The stand moves to 30 (40).

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, FOUR! PUMMELED! A bit of an error from Prabath Jayasuriya and Smith is in no mood to forgive. Flighted, outside off, just a bit wide. Steven Smith makes full use of the opportunity to free his arms and blasts it through the covers. After all, we are in the land of Percy, who used to sing, no mercy!

Prabath Jayasuriya to Usman Khawaja, A bit flatter, shorter in length, outside off, Khawaja goes back and punches it down to long on for a single.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Usman Khawaja, Full, around middle, Usman Khawaja jumps down the track and chips it uppishly. Lands just short of short mid-wicket.

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, On middle and leg, Usman Khawaja works it through fine leg for a run.

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Full, around off, Khawaja lunges to block.

Nishan Peiris to Steven Smith, Fuller, on middle, Steven Smith flicks it uppishly, just wide of short leg! A single taken towards deep square leg.

Nishan Peiris to Steven Smith, Around off, dabbed down the track.

Nishan Peiris to Steven Smith, Fuller, around off, pushed back to the bowler.

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, A bit too quick, from around the wicket, on middle, short as well. Usman Khawaja stays back and whips it through mid-wicket. There is confusion everywhere. First, between the fielders as deep square leg and deep mid-wicket leave it for one another to collect the ball. Then, between the batters as an alert Smith watches what is happening in the field, but Khawaja is not even looking till Smith yells. Too late by then. Smith is not impressed.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Full, around off, Smudge pushes it towards point. This might sound shocking, but this is the FIRST MAIDEN OF THE MATCH!

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Around middle, bouncing off suddenly and then turning away, SS manages to keep it out to the off side, albeit a bit surprised.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, A bit quicker through the air, fuller in length, around middle and off, Steven gets a big stride across to push the ball towards cover.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, The arm ball, outside off, short in length, the skipper stays back to block.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Slower through the air, outside off, Smith gets his bat behind the pad and pushes the ball towards cover.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Flighted, outside off, Steven Smith gets a big stride to defend.

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, A quicker one, around off, Khawaja works it towards short leg.

Nishan Peiris to Steven Smith, Outside off, Steven Smith jumps down the track and eases it down to long on for a run.

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Outside off, driven towards long off for one more.

Nishan Peiris to Steven Smith, Fuller, outside off, the skipper jumps out and drives it towards long on for a single.

Nishan Peiris to Steven Smith, Fuller, around off, Smith defends.

Nishan Peiris is giving some rest to Jeffrey Vandersay.

Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Full, outside off, Usman Khawaja steers it through point for a single.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Around off, smudged by Smudge towards cover.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, SIX! Up and over! So the plan continues to attack the spinners, irrespective of how many balls you have faced. 150 UP FOR AUSTRALIA. Flighted, around off, Steven Smith jumps down the track and lofts it beautifully through the line, straight back over the bowler's head. The timing is supreme and the ball has cleared the ropes at long on!

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Similar ball, this is more probably arund middle and off, Smith defends once again.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Slower through the air, from around the wicket, on middle and leg, Steven Smith defends.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Usman Khawaja, Dropped short, outside off, Khawaja is quick to pick the length. Goes back and swivels to pull the ball to deep square leg for a single.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Usman Khawaja, Full, outside off, slow turn, Usman Khawaja lunges to defend.

Welcome back. Whatever portion of rain clouds was coming before the Lunch break, has disappeared and bright sunshine is ready to welcome the players back again. A nice sea breeze is blowing across and hence, despite the heat, the players might find the conditions nice to be in. Usman Khawaja and skipper Steven Smith walk out and it will be Prabath Jayasuriya to start things off in the second session. 13-0-44-1 so far. Khawaja to face. Here we go...

... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...

Talking more about Australia and meaningless matches, there is another one popping up on 30th January, 2025. This includes the Eves again, but this time, the seniors. The final leg of the Women's Ashes is set to kick off on Thursday, with a 4-day one-off Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia have already retained the Ashes, winning 6 white-ball games on the trot to take an unassailable 12-0 lead but in Ashes, no game is meaningless. Australia will be itching for a complete tour whitewash while England will be desperate to turn their fortunes around. The initial news was that Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner would be there in the playing XI, but as per latest news, a fresh doubt has come up regarding their participation, especially that of Healy's. She will definitely not keep, but will she be able to play as a batter? For England, they have confirmed that Sophia Dunkley will play while Kate Cross is also confirmed to miss the entire tour.

Meanwhile. Australia and Sri Lanka are playing elsewhere too. We are talking about the Eves, in the ongoing Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia. And just like this Men's Test series has no bearing on the World Test Championship final, the Women's game too has no bearing, as from their group, Australia have already qualified for the semifinal while Sri Lanka have already been knocked out. After electing to bat, Sri Lanka Women Under-19 have just lost Sumudu Nisansala after a good opening stand of 42. The Lankan Eves are 51/1 after 9 overs.

The sun was beating down for most parts of that opening session, but towards the end, a few clouds started to arrive at the ground. There is some rain forecast in the afternoon, but hopefully, it does not turn out to be true. The second session is expected to begin at 0710 GMT.

Good headstart for Australia. They are aware that once the ball gets old, it is going to get tricky to negotiate the spinners, so they came out and treated the new-ball period like a Powerplay. One can expect many more wickets in the second session but what Head's assault has done is, got his team close to 150 in the first session itself. Usman Khawaja is looking really solid at the other end, for his 65. Now, if the others can play around him a bit, the tourists will be hoping to double their Lunch score by the end of the innings. A collapse could definitely be on the cards, since this is Galle, but if one of Khawaja or Smith can bat deep, one end will be safeguarded.

One look at the previous paragraph and we realize how different a session that could have been. That's why fielding is so important in all forms of cricket, not just white-ball. Even if we ignore the missed LBW review and that run out chance of Labuschagne, the other two chances should have been taken. It is moments like these which can swing the fortunes around. Make no mistake, Sri Lanka have bowled really well. The spinners are threatening to give a competition to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe of bowling more than 90 overs in a day's play. Nishan Peiris was looking a bit off colour while Jayasuriya and Vandersay have been mostly on the money. Probably the economy rate of Jayasuriya does not show that but that is the Travis Head effect. And of course, because we are in Galle, the seamers are only going to make a special appearance to mark their attendance. Oh sorry. Seamer, not seamers. Angelo Mathews bowled only twice in the whole of 2024 and don't think he will be required either here..

So let's start the series of flashbacks. 4.6. Travis Head on 23. Australia on 32/0. Asitha Fernando got a terrific indipper which caught the South Australian in front of the sticks. Sri Lanka did not review, possibly thinking that there was bat involved and also probably, the height could have been a factor. UltraEdge detected nothing when ball went past bat and Ball Tracker returned three reds! Flashback number 2. 16.6. Marnus Labuschagne on 3. Australia on 96/1. Labuschagne had got out of his crease, thinking he had got one past short leg. But the fielder did well to stop the ball and have a shy at the striker's end, only to miss. Labuschagne had not even reacted to try and get back. Flashback number 3. 28.3. Usman Khawaja on 54. Australia on 131/1. Prabath Jayasuriya got one to square up Khawaja and find the outside edge, only for Dhananjaya de Silva to grass it at first slip. And finally, Flashback number 4. 30.5. Steven Smith on 1. Australia on 138/2. Prabath Jayasuriya created another chance, got Smith to drive one aerially back at him, only for him to put it down.

Gosh. That is some session for the visitors. No Bazball, maybe, a Headball? The punt to push Head at the top of the order has paid dividends for Australia as they just reminded everyone how has Test cricket changed in terms of batting. One feels that Sri Lanka probably got overawed because they looked under pressure and missed a few moments, which could have changed this session.

Jeffrey Vandersay to Usman Khawaja, Fuller, around off, Usman Khawaja works it through mid on for a run. LUNCH ON DAY 1, AUSTRALIA ARE 145/2!

Jeffrey Vandersay to Usman Khawaja, Ooohhh... tossed up well outside off, Usman hops across and looks to defend. The ball spins in, bounces, takes the inside edge and drops just short of short leg!

Jeffrey Vandersay to Usman Khawaja, Full, around off, Usman Khawaja defends.

Jeffrey Vandersay to Steven Smith, Fuller, outside off, pretty slow, Steven Smith reaches out and drives it through the covers for a run.

Jeffrey Vandersay to Usman Khawaja, Fuller, worked to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Jeffrey Vandersay to Usman Khawaja, FOUR! A long hop, around off, Khawaja rocks back and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary!

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Fuller, around off, driven back to the bowler.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, DROPPED? Indeed. Someone go and get hold of that crow which flew in between. No, we are serious. Jayasuriya did all the hard work, flighted the ball, gave an invitation to Smith and the batter responded. Jumped down the track and hit it straight back, but could not keep it down. Now, just at the time when the ball was coming to the bowler, a crow flew in between the ball and Jayasuriya, right across the pitch, towards the leg side. Maybe, that distracted the bowler and he could not hold on! Second catch put down by the Lankans.

Prabath Jayasuriya to Steven Smith, Fuller, around off, Smith defends.