Prabath Jayasuriya to Travis Head, No run.
Prabath Jayasuriya to Travis Head, No run.
Champion time. A player who loves to take wickets just like we love to have our bed tea. Here's Prabath Jayasuriya.
Score after
6
overs
36 - 0
- Usman Khawaja 12 (23)
- Travis Head 23 (14)
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Flights it fuller and around off, Usman Khawaja takes a huge stride ahead and eases it to short cover.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, This quick and flat, on middle, Usman Khawaja brings his bat straight down to push it back to the bowler.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Tossed up, full and shy bit turning away from off, Usman Khawaja leans forward and defends it back to the bowler.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Full again, pushed towards mid off.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, FOUR! Lovely shot. Full, on middle, Khawaja comes down the track and chips it through mid on. You don't normally see mid on or mid off so early in a Test and this is no different. The ball races to the long on fence.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Full, around off, Usman Khawaja defends.
Score after
5
overs
32 - 0
- Travis Head 23 (14)
- Usman Khawaja 8 (17)
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, Huge shout for LBW! Turned down. No review taken. Height? On a good length, around middle and leg, or perhaps outside leg, Head looks to whip it across but misses and is hit on the pads. Sri Lanka appeal, but the umpire moves away. Asitha has a word with his keeper but neither is sure whether the review should be taken. Ball Tracking shows the ball to be pitching in line and hitting the stumps! Now then!
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, FOUR! Good attempt in the deep but in vain. On a length, outside off, Head punches it through the covers. The fielder chases it down from point, gets to the ball, does Jeffrey Vandersay, but in an attempt to pull the ball back, makes contact with the ropes. The third umpire checks it multiple times, before signalling a boundary.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, Interesting. With the ball not coming onto the bat, Khawaja decides to make his own pace. Walks down the track, converts the length ball into a half volley and drives it through point. There is a sweeper in place and the batters are kept to a run.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, FOUR! BEAUTY! That's an Uzzie special. Slightly over pitched from Asitha, outside off, Usman Khawaja comes forward and drives it gloriously through the covers, for his first boundary.
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, A bit too far down the leg side this time, Head whips it away again but this time, deep backward square leg cuts it off and keeps the batters to a single. This time Peiris picks it to huge cheers from the crowd.
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Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, FOUR! Stylishly played. That's a hattrick of boundaries for Head against Asitha. 4th boundary in the last 5 balls against him. A length ball, but a bit too straight. Travis Head whips it through mid-wicket. There is a deep square leg in place, Nishan Peiris, but he does not pick the ball. He runs to his left while the ball goes to his right and eventually, before realizing where the ball is, too late.
It is very hot and humid today in Galle. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan feels that if the sun continues to beat down hard on the pitch, one could expect the cracks to open up on Day 1 itself and the ball to spin a mile. What he doesn't counter is - sometimes, when the conditions are so hot, there is an imminent spell of rain incoming. We are expecting one today, in the second session. That could bring the seamers into action in the afternoon.
Score after
4
overs
18 - 0
- Travis Head 14 (10)
- Usman Khawaja 3 (15)
Nishan Peiris to Travis Head, Good use of the feet from Head. Comes down the track and works it to the left of mid on for a run.
Nishan Peiris to Travis Head, Full and straight, watchfully pushed back to the bowler.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Ooohhh.... cleverly bowled. A little quicker from Peiris, on middle and off, coming in with the arm from around the wicket, Usman Khawaja stays back to defend but is hurried into the shot. Gets his bat down just in time to sneak in an inside edge behind square on the leg side. A run taken.
Nishan Peiris to Travis Head, Fractionally short, outside off, Travis immediately rocks back and punches it to deep point for a single.
Nishan Peiris to Travis Head, Much fuller, around off, Head hammers it straight back to Peiris again.
Nishan Peiris to Travis Head, Flighted through the air, slow turn from middle, Travis Head hits it straight back to the bowler.
That was a much better over from Asitha Fernando. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan of the air, opines that in the first over, Asitha was bowling with a scrambled seam, hence he did not get much swing. In his second over, he opted for the conventional seam position with a change of angle and the swing was visible.
Score after
3
overs
15 - 0
- Usman Khawaja 2 (14)
- Travis Head 12 (5)
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, Full, around off, more hint of swing, Khawaja looks to flick but gets it off the inner half of the bat towards square leg.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, Full, outside off, hint of inswing, Usman Khawaja drives it straight to mid off.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, A half volley, on the pads, Uzzie whips it straight to square leg.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, Outside off, on a length, this one comes in with the angle and then moves away. A watchful UK watches it go past.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, A short ball, outside off, comes in with the angle from around the wicket, Usman looks to pull but misses and is hit on the stomach. The third umpire informs the on-field umpire, Chris Gaffaney that it is a NO BALL.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, Fuller, outside off, Khawaja comes forward and drives it towards cover.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, On a good length, outside off, Usman Khawaja looks to guide it behind point but plays a bit too early and gets a thick inside edge onto his pads.
Slight holdup in play. Asitha Fernando is changing his angle, coming around the wicket and accordingly, the sightscreen is being moved. All ready now.
Score after
2
overs
14 - 0
- Usman Khawaja 2 (7)
- Travis Head 12 (5)
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Phew, what a quick over! Barely a minute, aye? Landed outside off, Uzzie pushes it through point for a single.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Slow turn, but UK misses out. Short ball, on middle, Khawaja waits and waits and waits and then looks to pull but finds short mid-wicket.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Fuller, around off, better from Usman, as he lunges and pushes it towards cover.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Closer to the off stump, Khawaja stays back and guides it straight to first slip.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Around off, pushed towards point again.
Nishan Peiris to Usman Khawaja, Landed outside off, coming in with the arm from around the wicket, Usman Khawaja pushes it towards point.
Well, that was an action-packed opening over! Will we see spin straightaway? Absolutely. Nishan Peiris has been given the ball.
Score after
1
over
13 - 0
- Travis Head 12 (5)
- Usman Khawaja 1 (1)
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, FOUR! Third boundary of the over! Not a bad ball this time. On a length, around off, angling away, Head stays on the back foot and looks to steer it behind point. But the foot movement is not the best and the ball runs off the bottom edge past gully, to his right. 13 from the opening over!
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, FOUR! Oh dear, Asitha has asked a question in bold letters on that ball - 'Will you hit me?' And Head obliges. Short and wide outside off, Travis Head stays leg side of the ball and bashes it through the covers.
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, On middle and leg, pushed towards mid on.
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, FOUR! Off the mark with a boundary. A loose ball from Asitha, on the pads, on a length, Head flicks it away through square leg and the ball just whistles away. Don't see much swing on offer.
Asitha Fernando to Travis Head, Around off, angling away, Travis Head pushes it towards mid off.
Asitha Fernando to Usman Khawaja, Australia and Khawaja are off the mark! Nice and full from Asitha, on off, Usman Khawaja plays it off the outer half of the bat to the off side for a single. Just a hint of swing for Fernando first up.
We are done with 'Advance Australia Fair' and 'Sri Lanka Matha'. It has gotten pleasingly sunny out there and a fair bit of a crowd has already turned up to the venue. Now then, the umpires and players stride out to the middle. The Sri Lankan players are in a huddle before scattering out to the field. Out walk the fresh opening pair of Usman Khawaja and Travis Head for Australia. And pace to start with as Asitha Fernando has the new ball and will deliver the first over for Sri Lanka. Khawaja to face. Off we go...
Just a few minutes to start then! But before that, the two sets of teams line up with the match officials for their respective anthems. It will be Australia's first, followed by the national anthem of Sri Lanka.
PITCH REPORT - Farveez Maharoof is inspecting the deck at Galle. He begins by saying that the sun is breaking down. Mentions that there was a lot of heavy rain in the last few days, but the ground staff has worked hard to prepare the ground for the match. Takes a closer look at the surface and observes that there is a lot of moisture on the surface. Also observes that there is hardly any grass on it. Informs that the groundsmen used fans to dry off the surface. Reckons that anything above 300 would be a good total because you don't want to bat fourth here. Concludes and says, in Galle, it is always spin to win.
The captain of Sri Lanka, Dhananjaya de Silva says that they wanted to bat first as well. Is hopeful they will perform well and put up good score on the board. Informs they are going with three spinners and one frontline pacer, with Angelo Matthews as another pace bowling option.
Australia already through to WTC final
The WTC final is already locked in and will be played between Australia and South Africa, after the two sides confirmed a place for themsevles in the top two of the ongoing WTC cycle, which will culminate with the title match at Lord's this June.
The captain of Australia, Steven Smith says that it is a little bit tacky and is unsure of how the pitch is going to play. Mentions that Josh Inglis is making his debut, says he has been banging the door down in Shield Cricket and has been consistent. Informs that they are going with three spinners in Murphy, Kuhnemann, and Nathan Lyon along with one quick in Mitchell Starc. Tells that Travis Head will be at the top of the order. Mentions that they have to adapt accordingly on what's in front of them. Adds that Sri Lanka are a good side and they play really well at home. On him nearing the milestone of 10,000 Test runs, he is hopeful that he can tick that in this game.
SL vs AUS Live Score: