SL vs AUS: Australia wrapped up Day 1 of the first Test match against Sri Lanka at Galle with a tremendous 330/2. The innings were rescued by two devastating centuries from Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith.
On the first day, there were moments which were historic in nature as Smith became the second fastest batsman ever to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Here’s a detailed description of the main events happening on the first day.
Khawaja and Smith’s Unbeaten Centuries On Day 1 SL vs AUS
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Both Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith played tremendous knocks, while Khawaja remained not out at 147 and Smith at 104 at the end of play due to bad light. Together, they dominated the partnership for the third wicket as they added 195 runs for the third wicket and placed Australia in a strong position by the end of the first day.
Khawaja, who had been trolled for his performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, silenced his detractors by anchoring Australia’s innings. His 147 runs came off a solid display of controlled aggression, including 10 fours and a six. Smith, meanwhile, was in sublime form as well, marking the day with his 100th Test half-century.
Steve Smith Reaches 10,000 Test Runs
The highlight for Steve Smith on Day 1 was reaching 10,000 runs in Test cricket. It is the first time he achieved this in a knock and, at the same time, marked him as the 15th batsman to achieve the milestone. Moreover, he became the fourth Australian player to have scored over 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Some other Australian legends like Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting crossed the threshold earlier.
Smith had gone past 9,999 runs coming into this game, and it did not take him much time to score the 10,000th run. A single off the bowling of Prabhat Jayasuriya was enough to get him to his 10,000th run.
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However, Sri Lanka did get an early opportunity to dismiss Smith from his innings when Jayasuriya dropped a very simple catch off his own bowling, an opportunity that Sri Lanka would soon come to rue. From that moment onwards, Smith went on a tear, hitting 10 boundaries and a six, further amassing his runs.
Travis Head’s Explosive Start
The innings for Australia took off to a flying start, thanks to explosive knocks from Travis Head who managed 57 off mere 40 deliveries. Head played an aggressive knock, hitting 10 fours and one six before being dismissed by Jayasuriya who caught him at long on. It was an ideal platform for Khawaja to join and extend his hand with a 92-run opening stand.
Sri Lanka’s Woes
Sri Lanka struggled to make inroads into Australia’s strong batting lineup on Day 1. They managed to take two wickets, but neither was able to break the key partnership between Khawaja and Smith. Jeffrey Vandersay, playing his first Test match in two years, had Marnus Labuschagne (20) caught at slip, but Sri Lanka couldn’t capitalize on the breakthroughs.
While Sri Lanka did have their moments, particularly the dropped catch off Jayasuriya, their bowlers could not find a way to dismiss Khawaja and Smith, who continued to pile on the runs throughout the day. The lack of any meaningful pressure created allowed Australia to control the game from the earliest stages.
Looking Ahead
When Day 1 of the Galle Test ended, Khawaja and Smith seemed unhindered in facing Sri Lankan bowling and put their country squarely in the box seat. Of course, some real bowling can shake things a bit; maybe, hopefully, that’s something that can break their stand into rubble to level terms, as soon as tomorrow might not be as straightforward a business as Australia can dream at least until day end on Saturday with an aggregate already built beyond fifty on each team.
All said and done, Day 1 was one for personal milestones and batting domination with Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith as the leading scorers for Australia. The best part of this action-packed first day of play in Galle was undoubtedly Khawaja and Smith’s fine centuries the latter reaching 10,000 Test runs.
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