Australia 313/8 at stumps, lead Sri Lanka by 101 Runs

Thursday, 30 June 2022 - 18:11

Australia+313%2F8+at+stumps%2C+lead+Sri+Lanka+by+101+Runs
1st Test, Galle, June 29 - July 03, 2022 - Australia tour of Sri Lanka

Australia 318 for 8 (Khawaja 71, Green 77, Carey 45*, Ramesh 4-107) lead Sri Lanka 212 (Dickwella 58, Mathews 39, Lyon 5-90, Swepson 3-55) by 101 runs

A brilliant half-century from Usman Khawaja and a superb partnership between Cameron Green and Alex Carey made the exploding day two pitch in Galle look playable and helped Australia charge to the lead at tea on the second day.

Jeffrey Vandersay's first Test wicket gave Sri Lanka a massive breakthrough as it saw Usman Khawaja fall for 71, leaving Australia reeling at 5 wickets down.

The play started late on Day 2, with the first session wiped out due to heavy rains. Session times are 1:45 to 3:45 and 4:05 to 6:00, with Tea to be taken between 3:45 and 4:05.

Australia were 98/3 at the start of Day 2 after bowling the hosts out for 212. Nathan Lyon's 20th 5-wicket haul helped Australia bowl Sri Lanka out for a modest total despite Niroshan Dickwella's counter-attacking 58

Sri Lanka's spinners were still getting plenty of assistance when they got it right but strong winds and Australia's strong will saw three of their four specialist bowlers, bar Ramesh Mendis, mauled at more than five runs per over.

Play on day two was delayed by 3 hours and 45 minutes after a storm had thrashed Galle international stadium overnight. The roof collapsed on one temporary stand while a pane of glass was blown over on another tent. Several camera structures were damaged as was the sightscreen.

The players arrived to see the ground entirely covered and soaked by the rain. The Australian team briefly contemplated leaving the venue and heading back to the hotel but the clouds parted and the strong winds dried the ground quickly as play started at 1.45pm local time, with 59 overs scheduled for the day across two sessions.

When play finally began,Travis Head only lasted seven balls. He was beaten several times in the opening over by Ramesh. And then off the first ball of the second over, he closed the face too early trying to work ill-advisedly against the offspin of Dhananjaya de Silva only to offer a return catch off the leading edge.



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