Sri Lanka v Australia: first men’s cricket Test, day two – live

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5th over: Sri Lanka 20-5 (Chandimal 5, Mathews 1) Angelo Mathews joins Chandimal in the middle and the latter unfurls a crunching drive through cover to keep Starc grounded. That was a delicious looking stroke. Sri Lanka need a days worth of them… and no further wickets this evening.

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WICKET! Karunaratne c sub (McSweeney) b Starc 7 (Sri Lanka 15-2)

Noooooo! Sri Lanka lose their second wicket as Karunaratne fences a short ball through gully where sub fielder Nathan McSweeney parries the catch up then shows good awareness to dive and cling on a the second attempt. Trouble brewing for the home side.

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4th over: Sri Lanka 15-1 (Karunaratne 7, Chandimal 1) Kuhnemann has men around the bat but fluffs his lines with a full toss that Karunaratne jumps on and flashes away for a boundary through midwicket.

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3rd over: Sri Lanka 8-1 (Karunaratne 1, Chandimal 0) Starc stitches five dots together against Karunaratne before the batter gets off the mark with a push through mid off. It’s tough going out there for the home side.

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2nd over: Sri Lanka 7-1 (Karunaratne 0, Chandimal 0) Dinesh Chandimal arrives in the middle with a hefty job of work to do. There’s at least thirty minutes to get through this evening and Australia have their collective dander well and truly up.

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WICKET! Fernando lbw b Kuhnemann 7 (Sri Lanka 7-1)

Gone! Australia have their first and it is Matt Kuhnemann with the strike in his first over! The spinner gets one to slide on and Fernando made the mistake of playing back and missing the ball dead in front of middle. He reviews in vain, it was hitting the top of middle. A double loss of judgement as he burns a review for his side too.

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1st over: Sri Lanka 1-0 (Fernando 1, Karunaratne 0) Starc has two slips and a wide gully in place. He goes full in search of movement, of which there is a hint through the air. Nearly draws Fernando into a false stroke outside off stump with one that shapes away but the batter pulls out of the shot at the last. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. A single off the over to get Sri Lanka underway. Just 653 more of those will do it chaps.

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Righto, Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando have strapped the pads on and are out in the middle. The sun is back out in Galle, an intriguing and exceedingly tricky (for Sri Lanka) short session in store. Mitch Starc has the new nut in his mitts and a whole lotta runs to play with.

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“Hi James,”

Hello to you, Jake Kimber Thomson. Here, take my hand…

“On the topic of hand holding Victorian greats, as a junior I was coached by the late great Dean Jones, under whose tutelage we focussed almost exclusively on running between wickets. If one was involved in a run out in a match, at the following training both complicit batters had to hold hands for the entire session.”

Makes sense.

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Australia declare on 654-6!

They’ve pulled the pin! Steve Smith waves his side in, there’s no record Test score at Galle but Australia don’t care about that, they want a dart at a weary Sri Lanka under foreboding skies.

Sri Lanka forlornly trudge from the field as Smith and some of his men hop onto it to go through their warm up motions. Yeh that’d get right in my head too.

Fabulous batting effort from Australia, they’ve got this game in the palm of their hand. A few quick wickets this evening and Sri Lanka are right in it.

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153rd over: Australia 647-6 (Carey 45, Starc 13) Vandersay (cry baby cry) replaces Fernando and is worked for a couple into the leg side by Starc. The weather is holding off for now by the way, a bit of sun peeping through the gloomy clouds.

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152nd over: Australia 645-6 (Carey 43, Starc 13) Starc clears the front dog and smears Peiris away over cow corner for SIX!

Australia rack up the second highest Test score in Galle, do they have the 703 Sri Lanka scored against Ireland in 2023 in their sights? The third new ball is due in 8 overs… which means I’ve got to post this from the great man.

Having a conversation re what’s overrated. Our top 5 are
1 3rd New Ball
2 Holding Hands
3 Queuing
4 Lobster
5 Gourmet Pizzas
What’s yours?

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) November 4, 2017

Holding hands gets me everytime!

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151st over: Australia 637-6 (Carey 42, Starc 6) Fernando bangs one in short and Starc flogs it away through the leg side for four. He latched onto that and dismissed it in some style. “Starc won’t tolerate that sort of length” says the commentator on my TV – who turns out to be Simon Katich – which implores me to give this one a spin:

Anyone who can re-work Motorcycle Emptiness to include Alec Carey and Asitha Fernando gets a special prize*.

*Respect. That’s it. And I’m sure Nicky Wire follows the OBO too…

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150th over: Australia 632-6 (Carey 42, Starc 2) Mitchell Starc is the new batter, we might see some humpty with the long handle here.

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WICKET! Webster c Mendis b Vandersay 23 (Australia 629-6)

Good grab! Webster is disappointed but has to depart after driving uppishly into the covers where Mendis snaffles the catch in dodgy seeing conditions. Australia in strife*!

*It’s a bit of fun.

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149th over: Australia 628-5 (Carey 40, Webster 23) Carey adds a single as the rain falls more steadily.

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148th over: Australia 627-5 (Carey 39, Webster 23) There’s a thin miasma of mizzle falling in Galle. They might not be out there for much longer.

Ray Murphy knows my areas! A fine piece of work sir.

Don’t hit it any harder

Our batsmen are a waiting

Innings almost over

Bowlers get on ice

Trying to go the distance

Talking of big sixes

Once upon a boundary

Under S’Lankan light

What was the curried thing you gave to me”

This song has a special place in my heart as it used to be one of the only ones my daughter would fall asleep to in the car. It’d take a few repeats, mind. You’ll try anything after a billion listens to ‘Babyshark’.

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148th over: Australia 627-5 (Carey 39, Webster 23) Now then! Has a message been sent out? Webster trots out of his crease and flays Vandersay over the leg side for four. Is this Australia putting their foot down in search of a declaration?

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147th over: Australia 621-5 (Carey 31, Webster 15) Fernando chugs in, a short ball rears up and Webster plays it well under his nose with the full face of the bat. A quick single follows to bring Carey on strike. Shot! Carey lashes a length ball on the up through the off side! That’s the first boundary in a hundred balls.

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146th over: Australia 611-5 (Carey 31, Webster 15) More hammering of the popping crease, more dark clouds rolling in. Three singles worked off Vandersay.

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145th over: Australia 608-5 (Carey 29, Webster 14) Jayasuriya is presumably having a nice long lie down in a cryogenic chamber round the back of the changing room – Asitha Fernando is coming on to bowl. There’s a delay as the groundstaff come out and hammer the loose soil of the popping crease into more solid ground. There’s probably a metaphor in there somewhere.

Three more off the over. Said groundstaff are now getting a bit twitchy with the dark clouds rolling in…

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144th over: Australia 605-5 (Carey 27, Webster 13) There are some dark clouds building up ominously behind the ground in Galle. I may have tempted fate by dismissing the weather forecasters so crudely. For that, I can only apologise.

Vandesay begins after tea, Webster and Carey are watchful, playing him off the back foot and turning the strike over to collect five runs off the over.

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Here come the players post tea, how many are Australia going to rack up? There’s only one way to find out.

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I predict a… century on Test debut!

Josh Inglis becomes the first Yorkshireman to score a Test hundred in the Ashes year of 2025 with a debut effort for Australia v Sri Lanka in Galle. Here he is getting a Year 8 sports award from Kaiser Chiefs as a 13-year-old in 2008, two years before emigrating. pic.twitter.com/WnlXK1SU2W

— Richard Gibson (@richardgibsonDM) January 30, 2025

This is fantastic.

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143rd over: Australia 600-5 (Carey 25, Webster 10) Australia go to tea sitting pretty on a plump and juicy 600 runs. Jayasuriya sends down his 60th over and then surely departs for a well earned sandwich with a side portion of ice bath.

The visitors are ticking along at four runs an over and show no signs of pulling the plug just yet.

Australia’s amass 600 runs in the first innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP
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142nd over: Australia 599-5 (Carey 24, Webster 10) Vandersay replaces Peiris and nearly clings on to a return catch as Carey bunts one down the ground in the air, it was juuust out of reach for the bowler in his follow through.

Vandersay, cry baby cry.

It would be remiss of me not to include a reference to The National at least once in this OBO. It can’t all be a Furtado stronghold.

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141th over: Australia 592-5 (Carey 21, Webster 9) Prabath Jayasuriya is into his 59th over. Sonny Ramahdin isn’t in danger just yet. Murali might be though, he holds the record for the most overs bowled in an innings by a Sri Lankan – 75 overs against India at Mohali in 1997.

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140th over: Australia 589-5 (Carey 18, Webster 9) Carey and Webster rotate the strike and tick Australia on towards six hundred. I think Steve Smith is happy to let his side bat and bat and bat some more. There’s a lot of time left in this Test. There are a proposed 40 overs left in the day! 40 overs, I’ll be on my knees! You think this stuff writes itself? Don’t answer that. ChatGPT couldn’t do an OBO to save its artificial life.

Could it?

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139th over: Australia 584-5 (Carey 14, Webster 8) Jayasuriya rattles through a maiden to Webster. Scoreboard pressure!

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138th over: Australia 584-5 (Carey 14, Webster 8) Beau Webster pushes for a couple into the covers and his Test batting average goes to 100. Easy game eh?

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137th over: Australia 579-5 (Carey 13, Webster 4) Jayasuriya wheels away, bright sunshine in Galle, one in the eye for the weather forecasters who said it was going to pelt it down this afternoon. Australia continue to pile em on, albeit with two singles nurdled off the over.

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136th over: Australia 577-5 (Carey 12, Webster 3) Peiris’ gets some drift and bounce now, beating Webster’s poke forward.

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135th over: Australia 574-5 (Carey 10, Webster 2) My esteemed colleague Taha Hashim has requested – nay demanded – to have the aforementioned Nelly Furtado tune posted on the OBO. This one goes out to him.

Oh, two singles off the over.

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134th over: Australia 574-5 (Carey 10, Webster 2) Jayasuriya is bowling with a spring in his step after pocketing the wickets of Inglis and Khawaja. He’s sent down 56 overs in this innings and counting. And you’re proud of the five minutes of pilates you’ve done this morning/evening?

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Lovely stuff:

The raw emotions of a pair of proud parents soaking in every bit of the moment when they’re son made a century on Test debut. What a moment for Josh Inglis along with his dad Martin & mum Sarah #SLvAus pic.twitter.com/vT77pvLnQp

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) January 30, 2025

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133rd over: Australia 572-5 (Carey 9, Webster 1) No sign of a declaration as Beau Webster strides out to replace Inglis. There are signs this pitch is starting to turn a little more sharply, as if the Aussie’s needed a further spring in their step. Peiris rags one past the edge of Carey. Off camera, Nathan Lyon is licking his lips.

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WICKET! Inglis c Mendis b Jayasuriya 102 (Australia 570-5)

Inglis is gone now though. Now sooner had he replaced his helmet and re-marked his guard, Jayasuriya gets one to hold in the pitch and Inglis looks to work to leg, the leading edge loops to short extra cover. 102 off 93 balls, he can be very proud of his day’s work.

133rd over: Australia 567-4 (Carey 6, Webster 0)

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Maiden Test Century for Josh Inglis!

It’s there! Inglis punches for three and brings up a Test ton on debut! Magnificent innings and great scenes as his parents cheer him on, his mother shedding a tear as he salutes them with his bat. The Aussie team let out a huge roar and he waves at them too, a broad smile across his face. What a moment for him and his family.

Cries of Yorkshire! Yorkshire! echo around the the fort in Galle. Just kidding.

132nd over: Australia 567-4 (Inglis 101, Carey 6)

Josh Inglis celebrates his century on debut for Australia in the first Test in Galle. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP
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131st over: Australia 560-4 (Inglis 96, Carey 4) Inglis rocks back and punches Jayasuriya through the covers for four to go within one shot of a century on Test debut. His mum and dad are at the ground in Galle and watching on nervously. Can their boy get there?

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130th over: Australia 554-3 (Inglis 88, Carey 1) Five singles collected off the over with ease. Inglis closing in on a maiden Test century. He comes from Leeds originally so us poms can take some of the credit, right?

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129th over: Australia 549-3 (Inglis 88, Carey 1) Alex Carey is the new man, fresh after being snubbed by Wisden Cricket Monthly. Arf. He gets off the mark with a single and Inglis heads towards the 90s with the same.

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WICKET! Khawaja c Mendis b Jayasuriya 232 (Australia 547-4)

Flames to dust, lovers to friends, why must all good things come to an end? Not my words, the words of Nelly Furtado. Jayasuriya angles one across Khawaja and he has a nibble at it, the thin edge is snaffled by Mendis behind the stumps and after 352 balls and over a day and a half at the crease Usman Khawaja is on his way. Fabulous knock, he’s still got some in the baggy green tank.

Australia’s Usman Khawaja departs after amassing 232 against Sri Lanka. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP
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James Wallace

Thanks Angus, top stint that. I don’t know what you were messing about at though, this pitch is obviously a snake pit… no sooner have I shifted my flanks into the OBO armchair there is a wicket! It’s the big one too – Usman Khawaja is out! Repeat out!

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As drinks come onto the field – water for the Aussies, something stronger for the Sri Lankans – Henning Brammer emails to say, nay plead: “They’ll surely give Inglis the chance for a century, won’t they?” It appears so, Henning. And it could be just a few brutal swings of the bat away. He’s on 87 from 79 balls with nine fours and a six and looking good to smash a century on debut and write his name into history.

Time for some fresh blood on the blog. Thanks for your company today and cath you on the morrow. From the London end, it’s James Wallace!

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128th over: Australia 547-3 (Khawaja 232, Inglis 87) Inglis goes big and that is SIX! Vandersay skidded it in flat and fast but the debutant was fast to the pitch of the ball and got enough willow to muscle it over the rope. Vandersay, frustrated, throws in a half-tracker to close and Inglis spiflicates it for another FOUR. He’s flying!

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