Sri Lanka on the ropes after Australia batting blitz rewrites records

GALLE, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka was staring down the barrel at 44-3 after Australia achieved its largest ever total in Asia — 654-6 declared — on day two of the first test on Thursday.

Fatigued after spending five and a half sessions under the scorching sun, Sri Lanka’s batting resistance was minimal.

Oshada Fernando was the first to fall for 7, trapped leg before by Matthew Kuhnemann, setting the tone for a challenging evening.

Former captains Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews didn’t last long either, both victims of Australia’s exceptional fielding.

Karunaratne fell on 7 to a spectacular catch at gully off Mitchell Starc, and Mathews was dismissed for 7 in stunning fashion — caught off bat-pad to Nathan Lyon's off-spin.

Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis weathered some testing moments to reach stumps as Sri Lanka remain precariously placed at 610 runs down with three days to go on a deteriorating pitch.

Steve Smith, who became the 15th man and fourth Australian to reach 10,000 test runs on day one, pushed on to a masterful 141 off 251 balls. His 266-run stand with Usman Khawaja stands as the highest third-wicket partnership in tests between the teams.

They eclipsed the previous best stand of 200 between Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn in Kandy in 2004.

After Smith was trapped leg before by Jeffrey Vandersay, Khawaja remained unruffled, rotating the strike superbly and punishing loose deliveries with precision. He went on to register his maiden double century and Josh Inglis became the 21st Australian to score a century on debut.

Opener Khawaja’s eight-hour-plus knock of 232 off 352 balls was historic — the first Australian to score a double hundred in Sri Lanka. His is the highest individual score in tests between the nations. He edged behind slow left-armer Prabath Jayasuriya.

Inglis, meanwhile, wasted no time asserting himself, taking on the bowlers and racing to his century off just 90 deliveries. His attacking approach, combined with Khawaja’s measured brilliance, saw the pair put on 146 runs for the fourth wicket, cementing Australia's dominance.

Inglis made 102 off 94 balls, also edging Jayasuriya behind.

While Australia made merry on a placid surface, signs of turn emerged late on day two, offering a glimmer of hope for the spinners. The pitch is expected to deteriorate further, making survival increasingly difficult – especially with Australia boasting three specialist spinners.

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