Wed Jan 29 07:40:00 UTC 2025: **Australia Dominates Day One in Galle Test Against Sri Lanka**
GALLE, SRI LANKA – Australia ended day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka in a commanding position, reaching 249-2 at stumps. Usman Khawaja anchored the innings with a superb century (109 runs off 135 balls), his 16th Test hundred and fastest in some time, while Steve Smith contributed a solid 62. The pair shared a crucial 87-run partnership.
Smith reached his 42nd Test fifty and also passed the 10,000-run milestone during the day. He survived a dropped catch, one of several missed opportunities for Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan bowlers struggled to make significant inroads, with Prabath Jayasuriya and Jeffrey Vandersay being the most successful. Jayasuriya ended the day with figures of 20-3-82-0, while Vandersay had 1-50 off 10 overs. However, several dropped catches hampered their efforts. Asitha Fernando was expensive in his early overs, giving up a considerable number of runs before tightening his line later.
While the Galle pitch is expected to deteriorate, offering more assistance to the spinners, Australia showed great resilience and controlled aggression, playing the Sri Lankan spin attack with ease. The Australian batsmen displayed a careful approach at times, yet still managed to score runs at a healthy rate, particularly during Travis Head’s earlier blitzkrieg. The match is likely to continue on a similar trajectory with the Australians expected to press their advantage on Day Two.
First Piper 