At the Galle International Stadium, the much-anticipated Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia commenced with a prompt start at 04:30. After winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first, demonstrating their intent to set a challenging score for the hosts. The match was officiated by Adrian Holdstock, Chris Gaffaney, Joel Wilson, Jeff Crowe, and Lyndon Hannibal.
Australia's opening pair laid a solid foundation, with Usman Khawaja leading the charge. Khawaja remained unbeaten on 83 runs, showcasing formidable resilience against the Sri Lankan bowlers. Supporting him, Steve Smith, the Australian captain, also remained not out with a commanding 84 runs, steering the team towards a strong position.
However, the Sri Lankan bowlers found some success. Travis Head contributed a half-century before falling to Prabath Jayasuriya's delivery, caught by Dinesh Chandimal at 50 runs. Marnus Labuschagne faced an early exit, caught by Dhananjaya de Silva off Jeffrey Vandersay's bowling without scoring.
By the end of the day's play, Australia had amassed a total of 239 runs for the loss of just two wickets. Despite the efforts from Prabath Jayasuriya and Jeffrey Vandersay, Sri Lanka struggled to contain Australia's batsmen. Notably, Fernando's economy rate soared to 83 runs per over, while Jayasuriya's stood at 71 runs per over.
The host team featured prominent players such as Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, and Angelo Mathews. Leading them was Dhananjaya de Silva as captain with Kusal Mendis taking the wicketkeeping duties. The bowling attack faced a challenging day against Australia's disciplined batting lineup.
The day saw the fall of two Australian wickets: Head fell for 35 runs in 14.3 overs, while Labuschagne departed at the end of 29.6 overs without adding to the score. These breakthroughs provided brief respite for Sri Lanka amidst Australia's batting dominance.
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