Australia dominated proceedings on Day 1 of their first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, riding on centuries from veteran opener Usman Khawaja and stand-in captain Steve Smith. Khawaja remained unbeaten on 147, while Smith reached 104 as the duo stitched together a commanding 195-run partnership for the third wicket. Australia headed to stumps at 330 for 2 when rain brought an early end to play on Wednesday, January 29.
Leading in the subcontinent, Steve Smith had emphasised the need for Australian batters to be proactive, and Travis Head set the tone on Day 1 after Australia won the toss and opted to bat.
Head, who replaced the young Sam Konstas in the XI, took the attack to Sri Lanka’s bowlers in the morning session. The left-hander smashed a six and 10 boundaries, racing to 57 off just 40 balls. He appeared set for a big score, but left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya ended his entertaining stay in the middle. |
Usman Khawaja, who had endured a difficult Border-Gavaskar series against India at home, roared back to form, showcasing his ability to handle spin with confidence. Playing more aggressively than usual, Khawaja prevented the Sri Lankan spin trio of Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, and Nishan Peiris from settling into any rhythm.
Sri Lanka were untidy in the field, squandering opportunities they should have converted. In the final session, they attempted to frustrate Australia by employing negative lines, but their effort to restrict the scoring had little impact on Smith and Khawaja, both known for their ability to play long innings.
Smith, in particular, looked in complete control, dominating the spin attack with precision. The skipper struck a six and 10 boundaries, asserting his authority at the crease.
Earlier in the day, Smith reached 10,000 Test runs, becoming the second-fastest Australian batter to achieve the milestone after Ricky Ponting. Remarkably, he needed just one run to reach the landmark and celebrated with visible joy after taking a single early in his innings.
He marked the occasion with his 35th Test century, surpassing legends such as Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara on the list of batters with the most Test hundreds.
