Smith ends century drought as Australia take command on opening day

GALLE: Australia’s right-handed batsman Steve Smith ended his century-long drought after 16 consecutive innings and bolstered Australia to post a commendable 298/5 on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Smith, who last reached the triple-digit mark in January 2021 against India, finally found his lost form when he smashed his 28th Test hundred on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka.

His counterpart, Marnus Labuschagne, on the other hand, also followed in his superior’s footsteps as he powered the tour team to a commendable total with his first century on the subcontinent.

The right-handed batsman, however, couldn’t get his bat to the stumps and came up short against Prabath Jayasuriya in the 59th after scoring a superb 104.

Labuschagne faced 156 balls in the course of his amazing swing and broke a dozen bounds.

Australia’s leading scorer with the bat, Smith, on the other hand, stood his ground and carried his bat throughout the second day as he posted an unbeaten 109 in 212 deliveries, laced with 14 bounds.

Goalkeeper batsman Alex Carey, who walked into the middle after a brief collapse before the conclusion of the opening day, scored an unbeaten 16 and will now resume proceedings for Australia at 298/5 with Centurion Smith.

Left-handed starter Usman Khawaja gave his team a solid foundation in the opening session with a gutsy 37-run strike despite the rare miss of teammate David Warner, who scored just five.

For Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya led the way with three wickets, while Ramesh Mendis and Kasun Rajitha each made a scalp.

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