Australia in control after day one of Sri Lanka series

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Australia in control after day one of Sri Lanka series

AUSTRALIA V SRI LANKA: Day one of the first Warne-Muralitharan Trophy Test in Galle, Sri Lanka.

SCORE: Australia 2-330.

SUMMARY: Promoted to the top of the order after Australia won the toss, Travis Head (57) was the architect of a fast start and silenced critics of the bold decision to drop Sam Konstas from the XI. After Head holed out in the deep, Usman Khawaja (147no) took control and brought up a 16th Test century during a 195-run partnership with Steve Smith (104no), who also reached triple figures in the third session. The hosts were short of answers to contain the pair, who made the best of a slow Galle pitch that offered little bounce. Sri Lanka were haunted by missed chances; they blew at least one opportunity to dismiss each of the top four, and most painfully, opted not to review two appeals that would have dismissed each of Head and Khawaja. The run rate slowed down in the final session but Australia nevertheless appeared well in control when rain forced stumps to be called 20 minutes early.

THE MOMENT: With a single to mid-on from the first ball he faced, Steve Smith made it to 10,000 Test runs after famously finishing the home summer one run shy of the milestone. He raised his bat as the crowd rose to its feet, joining Allan Border, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh as the fourth *********** to reach five figures.

THE PLAYER: With his 16th Test century, Usman Khawaja broke a drought that had stretched back to the 2023 Ashes and silenced the critics that came out in force during his lukewarm home summer. Khawaja showed off his sweep shot and on a day of superb batting from the tourists, shone the brightest. It’s hard to believe selectors once considered him too incompetent against spin to be selected on subcontinent tours.

THE STAT: At 38, Usman Khawaja became the oldest *********** to score a Test century since Steve Waugh did so at the same age in 2003. He’s also the oldest *********** opener to score a Test century since a then-39-year-old Lindsay Hassett tonned up in the 1953 Ashes.

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