Captain of Australia Steve Smith crossed a milestone of 10,000 runs in Test cricket as Australia achieved 145-2 at lunch on first day of the first match against Sri Lanka.
The Austrian team opted to bat with openers Travis Head, who cracked a rapid-fire 57, and Usman Khawaja (65 not out) off to a flaming start in the first of two Tests in Galle.
In place of teenager Sam Konstas, Head promoted to the top of the order due to his ability against spin, attacked early to put Sri Lanka on the back foot.
The left-handed continuously found the boundary ropes, forcing the hosts to abandon their tight field settings and spread out in an effort to curb his smooth hits. Sri Lanka missed a trick when Sri Lankan team chose not to review a leg-before appeal against Travis Head when he was on 23 runs, a decision they would soon regret.
Head in his 40-ball tap, scored his fifty off just 35 balls and smashed 10 fours and one six. The 92-run opening stand was eventually broken when Travis Head took on Prabath Jayasuriya but unable to clear the fielder at long-on.
Jeffrey Vandersay, who making his Test comeback after two years struck Sri Lanka again just before lunch, removing Marnus Labuschagne for 20 caught at first slip.
Smith with his very first delivery to mid-on for a single and joined the 10,000 club. He became the fourth Australian and the 15th batsman to 10,000 Test runs to achieve the feat. From Australian team to achieve the feat after Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
Sri Lanka squandered a golden chance to send back the Australia captain when Jayasuriya overturned a return catch in the same over.
In the whole 32-over session not a single maiden over was bowled- a telling symbol of Sri Lanka’s struggles on a surface that is expected to decline as the match progresses.
