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

123d over: Australia 513-3 (Khawaja 222, Inglis 67) Usman moves onto Richie Benaud’s favourite number with a couple of slow singles. Khawaja has been out there for 123 overs and 330 deliveries now and may start to cramp up soon. Put the pickle juice on ice, Twelfthie!

122nd over: Australia 513-3 (Khawaja 220, Inglis 66) Inglis gets onto one leg to whack Nisha Peiris into the deep for a couple. He is the third consecutive debutant to score a fifty in his debut innings after Sam Konstas in Melbourne and Beau Webster in Sydney. Who said there’s no succession plan in Australian cricket?

In the Women’s Ashes Test being played at the MCG, England have collapsed to 136-7. What about this classic catch from Phoebe Litchfield?

121st over: Australia 508-3 (Khawaja 218, Inglis 63) Fernando returns for an 11th over. He’s going at almost six per over and hasn’t done much to trouble the batters or stem the flow of runs. Khawaja cuts a run. Inglis, still scoring at better than a run-a-ball, gets the fielders to scatter. Short ball trap coming here. Sure enough the bouncers fly way over the top. Wasteful bowling. Can you hear the drums Fernando?

120th over: Australia 507-3 (Khawaja 217, Inglis 63) A Khawaja push brings up the century partnership between these two. But there’s a huge appeal next ball when an Inglis reverse sweep misses the ball and crashes into the back pad down low. Umpire says OUT. Inglis confidently reviews… and rightly so. UltraEdge shows a delicious flurry of static to prove he got a splinter on it. Inglis gets the reverse sweep right next ball to bank a single. Khawaja, a natural leftie, then sweeps it to the same fielder. Inglis ices the over with a bludgeoning cut shot to the boundary.

119th over: Australia 500-3 (Khawaja 215, Inglis 58) Asitha returns for a 10th over desperate to break a partnership up to 91 already. Make that 95 after Inglis hooks a bouncer to the fine leg boundary. That could be the first bouncer of the Test and, sorry Asitha, it wasn’t worth the wait for anyone but Josh Inglis. Khawaja leans on a straight ball to earn a single and bring up the 500 for Australia.

118th over: Australia 492-3 (Khawaja 212, Inglis 53) A chance? Maybe not. Khawaja edged hard and it flew past the left hand of first slip who seemed slow to move. Ah well, at least he wasn’t nutmegged. Khawaja takes two from it, then a soothing single. Inglis continues to motor, returning the strike with a push through midwicket.

117th over: Australia 487-3 (Khawaja 209, Inglis 51) Inglis has a dash at Fernando’s first ball and cuts it to backward point for two. A crashed pull shot gets him the single he needs for a maiden Test half century. Well played Mr Inglis! That 50 came from 51 balls and featured five fours.

This is now Australia’s highest total in Sri Lanka. Their highest ever total in Asia is the 617 they scored in Faisalabad against Pakistan in March 1980.

116th over: Australia 482-3 (Khawaja 208 Inglis 47) Nishan Peisa gets a 31st over. If you’re wondering why Sri Lanka haven’t turned to a part-timer it’s because their go-to cameo man, Angelo Mathews, has a hamstring injury that prevents him from bowling. That’s s a shame because Sri Lanka desperately need some X factor in their attack and Angelo – who has 33 wickets in is 116 Tests – might’ve provided it. Three singles from the over.

115th over: Australia 479-3 (Khawaja 207, Inglis 45) Asitha Fernando must have made the case for pace over lunch because he’s got the first over after the break. This is just his eighth over for the Test after Travis Head hammered him into a specialist fielding role in the first hour of play yesterday. This over goes better for Asitha, just two singles and a driven two from it.

What’s a nutmeg? asks Tom Lewis via email. Even though the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper has mastered the art of nutmegging in this Test, to nutmeg is a football expression for when a ball travels between the legs (nutmeg is English rhyming slang for leg).

The Khawaja-Smith partnership was worth 266. It broke the record for the biggest third-wicket partnership for Australia in men’s Tests in Asia, which was held by Allan Border and Kim Hughes who put on 222 in 1979. The Smith and Khawaja 266 sits fifth on the list of all-time third-wicket partnerships for Australia in men’s Tests.

Over at the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG, England are 99-4 after Australia’s Alana King took a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss Sophia Dunkley for 21.

That session belonged to one man: Usman Khawaja.

He has batted for 10 hours and 298 balls and now has a maiden Test double century to his name, a highest career score and the honour of being the first Australian man to hit a double-ton in Sri Lanka. After 34 innings without a century, the 38-year-old has cashed in here in Galle and may have locked himself in for another Ashes series later this year.

With Steve Smith (141) and frenetic debutant Josh Inglis (44 not out), Australia have rolled to 475 with ease. Will they bat to 600, slamming quick runs in the second session (and giving Khawaja a sniff at 300) before chasing fast wickets in the final session? Or does Smith, looking at a weather forecast predicting showers for the next three days, think 500 runs is enough?

Join us after the break to find out.

114th over: Australia 475-3 (Khawaja 204, Inglis 44) Usman Khawaja strokes another run from Peiris as he enjoys life in the exclusive club of Australians to score a Test double century in the subcontinent. He joins Mark Taylor, Greg Chappell, Dean Jones, Matt Hayden and Jason Gillespie in that club. Incredibly though, Khawaja is the only Australian man to hit a double century in Sri Lanka. Take a bow, Ussie.

113th over: Australia 471-3 (Khawaja 203, Inglis 41) Australia have scored 140 runs from the 31 overs in this session and done it for the loss of one wicket (Steve Smith for 141). Inglis, who has 40 runs from 40 balls, tamps five before clipping a single off the hip.

112th over: Australia 470-3 (Khawaja 203, Inglis 40) Another nutmeg from the ‘keeper as Inglis’s attempted reverse sweep of Peiris catches the bottom edge, almost hits the stumps then bounces between the ankles of the gloveman and runs away for three.

111th over: Australia 465-3 (Khawaja 201, Inglis 37) Four singles from the Jayasuriya over but the most important was the first, a misfield, which allowed Usman Khawaja to scamper a single and bring up his maiden Test double century.

He’s got it! The 200th run came from a prod and a misfield but that doesn’t taint the beautiful 199 runs prior. 290 balls. 113 singles. 16 fours. And a six. Well done Usman! He raises his bat to the dressing room and sinks to his knees to kiss the turf. He was deropped from the Australian XI after being dismissed twice in the same day at this ground. But Khawaja’s comeback story is one for the ages and he now has his first double ton in Tests.

110th over: Australia 461-3 (Khawaja 199, Inglis 35) Nishan Peiris gets a whirl before lunch. He is wicketless for 117 runs from his 27 overs so far and has barely fired a shot. Khawaja is one shot from his first Test double century and Sri Lanka are slowing things down, moving fielders hither and thither. They’ve set a trap for the reverse sweep but Khawaja drops and runs for a single. Inglis swats square and gets two, then skips out and drives a single to mid-on. Khawaja clips another run to make 199.

109th over: Australia 455-3 (Khawaja 197, Inglis 31) Khawaja’s spanked single through covers gives him a PB – his highest Test score, surpassing his 195 against South Africa. Inglis is going at a rate of knots at the other end, swiping Jayasuriya square for another FOUR.

108th over: Australia 445-3 (Khawaja 192, Inglis 26) Vandersay enters his 28th over. He has 2-130 and has doubled his career tally of wickets already in this innings. Inglis skips out and chips a half-tracker down the ground for another FOUR.

107th over: Australia 438-3 (Khawaja 190, Inglis 21) Inglis dances down and clouts Jayasuriya for FOUR. Great shot by the debutant! And another streaky one by Khawaja as another bottom edged sweep shot misses the middle, skims the stumps and eludes wicketkeeper. Instead it runs away fine for another boundary, this time as leg byes. Khawaja reverse sweeps a single to close out the over.

Weird situation in Australian cricket today with Alyssa Healy and Josh Inglis – both specialist wicketkeepers – taking the field as specialist batters. What does it mean?

106th over: Australia 428-3 (Khawaja 189, Inglis 16) Was that a chance? Khawaja reverse swept Vandersay and bottom edged… but no, it’s another nutmeg as the ball hits glove and bounces through wicketkeeper Mendes’s legs for another four, Khawaja’s 14th.

105th over: Australia 422-3 (Khawaja 184, Inglis 15) Inglis late cuts for FOUR! That was so late it nutmegged the second slipper. Nice shot though. The rookie is rattling along at ODI pace and that shot takes him to 14 from 17. Sri Lanka are crowding him and have a back pad fielder breathing down his neck. Unperturbed, Ibnglis reverse sweeps a single. Khawaja drops and runs to retain strike.

104th over: Australia 416-3 (Khawaja 183, Inglis 10) Inglis races to double-figures with a swept full toss and a dancing drive to mid on. Khawaja gets the reverse sweep out again but Vandersay shoots it through a tad quicker and Usman can’t connect.

103rd over: Australia 414-3 (Khawaja 182, Inglis 8) Inglis almost chops on! That was good bowling by Jayasuriya. he rushed it onto the rookie and caught the bottom edge and almost hit off stumps. Inglis withdraws into his shell for the next two then steps back to late cut the fourth past slip. He gets two and adds a third with a paddle sweep to the last.

102nd over: Australia 407-3 (Khawaja 182, Inglis 5) Inglis adds a fifth run to his career tally with a little tap to point. He’s a busy player and an ardent stroke-maker. After arriving from Leeds UK as a 14-year-old, Inglis first caught the eye of selectors in the Sheffield Shield season of 2020-21 with 585 runs including three first-class hundreds for Western Australia. Impressing with the Perth Scorchers under the tutelage of Justin Langer, the 29-year-old has since played 26 ODIs and 29 T20s in the green and gold. Now he’s got his chance in the big leagues. What can he do with this massive platform laid for him?

101st over: Australia 407-3 (Khawaja 180, Inglis 4) After waiting almost 30 years to debut and waiting all day yesterday and another 90 minutes today to bat, Josh Inglis has hit his first ball in Test cricket for a boundary. Khawaja’s single gives the debutant a look at Jayasuriya. He plays in a low crouch with soft hands and a hard jaw as his chewing gum cud gets a real workout. Nerves or nonchalance? We’ll soon find out.

Smith is gone! Good bowling by Vandersay who sent one in straight and tricked Smith into playing for turn. It slid on, missed the outside edge and hit back pad on an off stump line. That brings debutant Josh Inglis, Australian Test cricketer No 470, to the crease at last.

100th over: Australia 399-2 (Khawaja 177, Smith 141) Bizarre scenes! Australia’s 400 has come up via an overthrow from wicketkeeper Mendes who spotted Khawaja ambling back at the non-strikers end and had a shy only to narrowly miss the timbers. Replays show Usman would’ve been gone if it’d been a direct hit. And now we have an appeal by Jefrrey Vandersay against Smith for lbw. Umpire says Nah but Sri Lanka think Yeah and send it upstairs. This has hit Smith’s back pad dead in front… and it’s OUT!

Josh Inglis flicks his first ball in Test cricket through mid-on for FOUR!

Over at the MCG, Australia are well placed to complete a series sweep. They have England on the rack at 63-3 with England’s captain the latest to fall to Kim Garth.

99th over: Australia 399-2 (Khawaja 177, Smith 141) Khawaja ambles another single and Smith spanks two more with a cover drive that is picked up cleanly just inside the rope by a tumbling Angelo Mathews. Three from the over. 69 runs from the first hour. We’ll have some drinks.

98th over: Australia 395-2 (Khawaja 176, Smith 138) Mr Vandersay becomes the third Sri lankan bowler to notch a century, with Khawaja’s clipped single bringing up three figures from his 22-odd overs. Smith adds another four with a late cut that split the field and hits the rope just right. Australia are effortlessly marching beyond 500 here.

97th over: Australia 388-2 (Khawaja 174, Smith 133) Smith’s loped two through square leg brings up the 250-run partnership from 402 balls. Mighty effort by Australia’s senior men. But Smith edges the next ball and it skips just past second slip and runs away. Close! Poor old Jayasuriya has his head in his hands. He knows how close that was. He also knows his team desperately need a wicket. Instead it runs away for another two runs.

96th over: Australia 384-2 (Khawaja 174, Smith 129) Vandersay is probing an off stump line. The late blooming finger spinner is five days shy of his 35th birthday yet this is just his second Test. Smith skips down and clips two to fine leg then taps one through covers to retain the strike.

95th over: Australia 380-2 (Khawaja 173, Smith 126) Virtuoso Khawaja! That was a glorious stroke for yet another boundary. Jayasuriya tossed it up and Usman rocked back and punched it to the offside boundary with a delicious flick of the wrists. Holds the pose as he notches the highest score by an Australian opener in Sri Lanka. Now Smith signals his intent, skipping down and clobbering Jayasuriya down the ground…. and over the fence for SIX!

94th over: Australia 368-2 (Khawaja 169, Smith 120) This is the change Sri Lanka needed: Jeffrey Vandersay has entered the attack. The 35-year-old bowled beautifully yesterday and took the scalp of Marnus Labuschagne for 20 with a beautiful jagging delivery that caught the edge and was pouched behind the stumps. He leaks a couple of singles but finds some grip and bounce into the bargain.

93rd over: Australia 366-2 (Khawaja 168, Smith 119) Smith adds another run to his second 10,000, driving handsomely to long on. Khawaja sweeps the last ball of the over fine for two. Both these batters are clean shaven, unlike the nine-of eleven moustache-toting Australian tourists who contested the first Test against Sri Lanka back in 1983.

Travis Head did the lip-bristlers proud yesterday, as did Magnum PI Tom Selleck who turns 80 today and could’ve passed for an Ausralian fast-bowler back in the 80s with his taste in loud shirts, short shorts and flash cars.

92nd over: Australia 362-2 (Khawaja 166, Smith 117) Peirius rolls in again but he’s not getting the movement Jayasuriya is finding and it might be time to give someone else a chance with this fresh cherry. There’s another reason as Khawaja cracks another boundary through at deep midwicket. Fast feet from the old man of the Australian XI!

91st over: Australia 358-2 (Khawaja 162, Smith 117) Spin for Jayasuriya! Smith, batting in his baggy green cap, was beaten by that one. It missed the bat and ricocheted off the hector protector with a dull but painless thud. Just a single from this over.

Australia have their third wicket at the MCG with Kim Garth claiming another lbw to set England reeling at 45-3.

90th over: Australia 357-2 (Khawaja 161, Smith 117) Almost a catch! Khawaja lunged at Peiris with a reverse sweep and got a top edge and it narrowly cleared the outstretched claws of the man at third man and runs away for FOUR. Smith takes a more direct route, middling one against the turn to notch his 11th four for the innings.

89th over: Australia 348-2 (Khawaja 156, Smith 113) A couple of strolled singles for Smith and Khawaja as they unhurriedly steer Australia to a mountainous total. Sri Lanka have been tighter this morning but there’s little threat evident just yet.

In the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG, England are fighting back after losing both openers cheaply. Here’s Darcie Brown trapping Tammy Beaumont in front.

88th over: Australia 346-2 (Khawaja 155, Smith 112) Peiris notched his own century this morning and starts his 25th over with 0-102. Still easy runs on offer here as Smith taps a run and Khawaja swipes a single in return. Peiris gets one to jag back at Smith now and there’s a yelp from the bowler as a crowd catch off the thight pad lands in the ‘keeper’s gloves. Shame that didn’t happen yesterday. Sri Lanka grassed two behind the wicket yesterday and the first catch they took didn’t count because they didn’t review it!

87th over: Australia 343-2 (Khawaja 154, Smith 110) Jayasuriya has also notched a century but it’s not one he’ll relish. He starts his 35th over with 1-106, a far cry so far from his 12-wicket haul that crushed Australia and won Sri Lanka the second Test here in Galle back in 2022. Smith gets on his toes to steer a single through cover and Jayasuriya finishes the over on a bright not by flashing one past Khawaja’s edge. Close!

86th over: Australia 342-2 (Khawaja 154, Smith 109) That’s 150 for Khawaja! It came from 223 balls, a very good clip considering Khawaja’s usually circumspect methods. He celebrates by sinking into a crouch and sweeping Peiris to the boundary. That’s Usman’s 11th four of the innings. He also wailed a six yesterday for good measure.

85th over: Australia 336-2 (Khawaja 149, Smith 108) Almost a run-out! Smith tapped Jayasuriya’s first delivery into the covers and set off but Khawaja bellowed in the negative and he had to spin and scamper to make his ground. To avoid further confusion, Smith skips down and whacks the fifth ball just shy of the rope. He gets two runs. That brings up the 200-run partnership for these two.

84th over: Australia 334-2 (Khawaja 149, Smith 106) Peiris to Khawaja as Sri Lanka opt for twin-spin to start day two. Unsurprising given medium-pacer Asitha Fernando went for near six and over yesterday, most of it from the broad blade of Travis Head. Peiris does better and delivers a maiden, his first from 23 overs.

83rd over: Australia 334-2 (Khawaja 149, Smith 106) Prabath Jayasuriya has been thrown the almost-new ball that is just 12 balls old. I doubt the left-arm spinner slept as soundly as Khawaja after dropping Steve Smith off his own bowling when the batter was on one. Exactly 105 runs later, Smith slaps a run through midwicket. Khawaja works another run off his hip. Sri Lanka bowled too full yesterday and both batters are again finding easy runs off the back foot today.

82nd over: Australia 332-2 (Khawaja 148, Smith 105) Nishan Peiris will bowl the first over of the day and it’s to Usman Khawaja who must’ve slept sweetly with 147 runs in the bank. He chips a single to cover to reopen his account and Smith does likewise.

Steve Smith has been speaking with the host broadcaster about reaching 10,000 Test runs. He became the fourth Australian to the milestone and 15th player overall. BY reaching the mark in his 205th innings, Smith became the fifth fastest player overall to reach the milestone. Only Brian Lara (195), Sachin Tendulkar (195), Kumar Sangakkara (195) and Ricky Ponting (196) did it quicker.

Yeah nice to get that out of the way, it’s been some time coming. I had my opportunity in Sydney a few weeks back and let that slip. But nice to get it out of the way first ball yesterday. I feel like I’m batting nicely at the moment. Obviously very different conditions to back home. Yesterday was kind of a hybrid wicket I think, in terms of when we came here last time. One of the Tests last time was pretty flat first innings and the broke up. The other one was pretty extreme from the outset. So yesterday it seemed like in the middle somewhere. It was a nice partnership with Uzzie. I thought he batted beautifully and I think it’s one of those wickets it’s going to be challenging to start on. But once you get the pace of the wicket, it’ll get a bit easier.

After lighting up the cricket world with his batting pyrotechnics in the Boxing Day Test against India, plenty of cricket fans were disappointed by the omission of Sam Konstas from the Australian XI for this Test, but the 19-year-old seems to have taken the news with typical nonchalance.

I’ve had the Ouija board out channelling the late great Tony Greig’s Weather Wall and the good news is that it’s blue skies in Galle. The forecast for today was a bit grim, with more showers predicted, but the day has dawned bright and sunny and play will start on time, which is to say 15 minutes early, at 3.15pm.

In Galle, the next man in for Australia is new No 5 Josh Inglis who yesterday became Australian Test cricketer No 470 (despite being born in England).

As Australia and Sri Lanka duel for the Warne and Muralidaran Trophy, Alyssa Healy is captaining Australia against England in the sole Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG.

Play has just begun and England are in early trouble after Maia Bouchier nicked one behind for stand-in keeper Beth Mooney to take an early catch off the bowling of Kim Garth in the very first over!

Join Martin Pegan’s live coverage here…

For those who came in late, here’s a match report of day one…

Hello cricket fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s over-by-over coverage of day two of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka at Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Australia bossed the opening day and galloped to an imperious 330-2 at stumps with Usman Khawaja (147 not out) and Steve Smith (104 not out) piling on the pain for the home side with an unbeaten 195-run partnership for the third wicket.

Smith had a day to remember. Captaining the side in the absence of Pat Cummins (back home awaiting the birth of his second child), he won the toss and chose to bat first on a grassless centre square. Having made the tough call to leave Australian cricket’s shiny new toy, teen sensation Sam Konstas on the shelf, he promoted the side’s No 5 Travis Head to opener with a licence to thrill. Head did exactly that, flaying three fours from the first over as a statement of intent, before going beautifully berserk for the next hour, walloping 57 off 40 balls.

It inspired Khawaja to up the ante too. After 34 innings without a century and a lean summer against Jasprit Bumrah, the 38-year-old looked reborn yesterday. Mixing classical drives and late cuts with adventurous reverse sweeps and paddle slaps, he kept the accelerator down when Head holed out with the score on 92 and Marnus Labuschagne (20) snicked off on 135. Khawaja’s 16th Test century came from 135 balls.

For Sri Lanka, 135-2 was as good as it got. They had already inexplicably failed to review an lbw appeal against Head that replays showed was hitting the stumps, then made the same mistake when Khawaja snicked behind. Khawaja was also dropped twice behind the stumps either side of lunch. From there, it got worse – much worse.

The costliest spill was when Prabath Jayasuriya dropped Smith on his third ball at the crease. By then Smith had secured the solitary run he needed for 10,0000 Test runs. The 35-year-old joined an exclusive club with 15 members including a veritable Rushmore of Australian batters in Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. With a typically quixotic array of strokes, he surged to 50 at run-a-ball then cruised to a 35th ton.

The weather Gods spared Sri Lanka some humiliation, by sending down showers 45 minutes before stumps. It gives day two an early start of 3.15pm AEST. But even if Sri Lanka break the Smith-Khawaja partnership this morning, debutant dynamo Josh Inglis is in next with SCG hero Beau Webster and the cavalier Alex Carey waiting in the wings to pile on the pain. Can the home side hit back? Or will Australia roll on?

Join us in a hot half-hour and we’ll find out.