GALLE: Australia’s left-handed starter Usman Khawaja and all-rounder Cameron Green scored a half-century as Australia secured a commanding 101-run lead on a rainy second day of the ongoing First Test.
Resuming with an overnight score of 98/3, the touring team soon found themselves in a state of annoyance when left-handed batsman Travis Head perished without adding to his overnight score of six.
Khawaja then joined Green and marched to the total as the pair added a gutsy 57 runs for the fifth wicket before the first broke through when he fell short to Jeffery Vandersay, who provided an important breakthrough to his side with his first wicket in the longest format.
Khawaja played a magnificent hit of 71 from 130 deliveries, tied with seven bounds.
After his departure, Green and wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey took the charge and racked up 84 runs for the sixth wicket and bolstered Australia to take the lead.
The pairing looked solid with Green racking up his fourth Test century and Carey just five before Ramesh Mendis caught the latter to provide a glimmer of hope for the struggling hosts.
The right-handed batsman went 45-for-47 with the help of six limits.
The tour side then lost two wickets at an alarming rate and fell to 278/8 with Green and Mitchell Starc walking back to the pavilion in two consecutive overs, respectively. Green remained the leading scorer with 77 of 109 balls, tied with six bounds, while Starc was only able to score 10.
Skipper Pat Cummins and Australia’s last day hero on the ball, Nathan Lyon, added a crucial 35 runs to the conclusion of a rain-affected second day.
Cummins (26) and Lyon (8) will now resume proceedings for Australia at 313/8 on day three.
Mendis was the choice of Sri Lankan bowlers after his four wickets, while Vandersay impressed with his two. Silva’s Dhananjaya, on the other hand, made a scalp.
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