Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, No run.
This might turn out to be a very good toss to win. The pitch is looking a lot drier as compared to the one used in the first Test. Additionally, there has been no rain in the leadup to this Test and that means, the sun has been beating down hard, allowing the cracks to open already. We are still in the first half hour of the Test but already, the pitch has shown signs of indifferent bounce.
Score after
6
overs
18 - 0
- Dimuth Karunaratne 7 (11)
- Pathum Nissanka 10 (25)
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Quick ball, 96 kph, around off, Dimuth Karunaratne blocks it out.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Flighted, around middle, DK pushes it back to the bowler.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Fuller, around off, Dimuth lunges and pushes it towards cover.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, This time, the length is held back, Karunaratne works it towards short leg.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Around off, the arm ball, left alone.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, FOUR! Full, on middle, Dimuth Karunaratne flicks it through mid-wicket. Short mid-wicket dives to his right but the ball goes through. Long on and deep square leg try and get across, with Nathan Lyon trying to reach the ball from deep square leg. But he can touch the ball only after it meets the ropes.
Sri Lanka will be relieved to see Pathum Nissanka back in the side. He missed the first Test after sustaining a groin injury against New Zealand, during Sri Lanka's T20I series in January. He has been their best batter for almost a year now and should be a ready reckoner to their batting woes.
Score after
5
overs
14 - 0
- Pathum Nissanka 10 (25)
- Dimuth Karunaratne 3 (5)
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, On a good length, around leg, swings in sharply, Pathum brings his bat down to block it but gets beaten and wears it on the front pad.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Short of a length this time, around off, Pathum Nissanka hops up a bit, transfers his body weight to the back foot, and cuts it towards extra cover and takes a couple of runs.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Nagging length, around middle, Pathum moves across a bit to cover the stumps and then shows the full face of the bat to keep it down.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, This time, Nissanka is clearly beaten. Landed outside off, Pathum feels for it as the ball angles away and gets beaten.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Landed around off, angling away, Pathum Nissanka keeps his bat behind his pad as the ball whizzes past the outside edge. A chirpy Starc straightaway tries to chide him, asking whether he was playing the ball or was he leaving it alone. First win for Sri Lanka. It has been just 2 overs but Starc is already flustered.
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Mitchell Starc to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a good length, down the leg side, Dimuth Karunaratne tucks it towards fine leg for a single.
Score after
4
overs
11 - 0
- Pathum Nissanka 8 (20)
- Dimuth Karunaratne 2 (4)
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Slower through the air again, full on off, Pathum Nissanka makes room and blocks it down back to the bowler.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Floated up, outside off, Pathum drops it down to cover.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Tossed up, around leg, Pathum Nissanka gets beaten on the inside edge as he looks to defend it and wears it on the chest because of an extra bounce.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Fuller, around off, Karunaratne pushes this down to long on for a single.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Around off, pushed back down the track.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, The arm ball, outside off, Dimuth Karunaratne stays back to push at it but the ball skids through, stays low and beats the outside edge.
Score after
3
overs
10 - 0
- Pathum Nissanka 8 (17)
- Dimuth Karunaratne 1 (1)
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Fired in a yorker this time, around off, with pace, Pathum digs it out towards cover point.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, On a good length again, but down the leg side this time, swinging in, Pathum Nissanka looks to tickle it finely but misses. The keeper moves to his left to collect it.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Hard length, outside off, well left by Pathum.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, On a good length now, around middle and leg, Pathum defends.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Fuller, outside off, Nissanka leans and drives it beautifully, but mid off cuts it off to his left.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, EDGED, FOUR! Lucky escape for Nissanka. Full, around leg stump, Pathum Nissanka looks to work it down the leg side, but the ball goes on with the angle, stays low as well and takes the outside edge. Luckily for the batter, it goes past gully, to his right, to the deep third fence.
Score after
2
overs
6 - 0
- Pathum Nissanka 4 (11)
- Dimuth Karunaratne 1 (1)
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Leg bye! A loud appeal for LBW but is turned down by the umpire. Steven Smith is going upstairs this time. Kuhnemann drags his length a bit this time and around middle, from around the wicket, turns in with the angle further, Pathum Nissanka brings his bat down to block it but gets beaten on the inside edge and gets hit on the front pad. The third umpire comes into play and the UltraEdge confirms that there is no bat involved and the Ball Tracking presents us that it is clipping the leg stump but it is an umpire's call. Pathum Nissanka survives and Australia will retain their review. Meanwhile, the batters run for a single for leg bye as the ball gets roll away towards cover after hitting the front pad.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Changes his line to the off stump, floated up, Nissanka defends it off the front foot.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Tossed up, around leg, Pathum comes forward and blocks it.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Another arm ball, down the leg side, Nissanka stays back to flick but misses and is hit on the pads.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Pathum Nissanka, Huge shout for LBW, turned down! Australia don't review. An arm ball, around middle and off, Pathum Nissanka stays half forward to defend but misses and is hit on the pads. Smith and Kuhnemann have a chat but eventually decide against the review. Probably going down leg. Ball Tracker indicates it to be clipping leg stump.
Matthew Kuhnemann to Dimuth Karunaratne, Off the mark straightaway. Full toss, around off, Dimuth Karunaratne punches it down to long on for a single.
Will we see spin straightaway? Yes. Matthew Kuhnemann to bowl. For those looking at the team sheet, the question might pop up, 'Any other choice?' Well, with the new ball swinging, one might have thought that Beau Webster might get a look in.
- Pathum Nissanka 4 (6)
- Dimuth Karunaratne 0 (0)
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, BEATEN! Serves this full, just outside off, seaming away, Pathum Nissanka comes forward to drive it but gets beaten on the outside edge.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Back of a length, around off, Pathum Nissanka gets squared up and looks to defend it with the full face of the bat but gets an outside edge that goes on the bounce to the gully fielder.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Much better from Starc! Drags his length, in the channel, a hint of outswing, Pathum Nissanka draws forward to defend it but gets beaten on the outside edge.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, FOUR! CLASSY! Fine way to get the Test match underway in terms of the scoreboard! Overpitched, wide outside off, there is a bit of swing, but Pathum Nissanka covers that, leans ahead, covers the swing, reaches the ball and drives it through the covers!
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Better from Starc. He swings this ball too, but this one lands around off and comes in towards middle. Nissanka blocks it back down the pitch, towards the bowler.
Mitchell Starc to Pathum Nissanka, Oh dear, a Starc special. A wayward inswinger, way down the leg side, swinging further down, Pathum Nissanka looks to flick but cannot connect.
Another wonderful gesture by Sri Lankan cricket. As Dimuth Karunaratne gears up to walk out to the middle, a guard of honour has been presented by youngsters from school cricket, raising their bats as Karunaratne walks past. Oh wait. not so soon. Not before you meet me, says Angelo Mathews. He stops Karunaratne right in his tracks and embraces him, with a warm smile. Probably muttering in his ears, 'Aye, you leaving before me? Not fair!' Jokes apart, Mathews leads him for a foot or two and then lets Karunaratne soak in the moment. And here come the Aussies too. Steven Smith is readily waiting for him, congratulating him and then embracing him in a hug as well. Really nice scenes to view. And now, we are ready for the match to begin. Mitchell Starc has the new ball in his hand, with two slips and a gully waiting behind. Pathum Nissanka, Karunaratne's opening partner, will face the first ball, understandably so, letting Dimuth settle down with his emotions. Here we go then...
Presentation time! Naah... not the post-match one. This is a special one organized by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, for 'one of its own sons', as put by Roshan Abeysinghe on air. It is a very kind gesture as Dimuth Karunaratne is given a special memento, first for playing 100 Tests and second, for this being his last match for the Island nation. Sanath Jayasuriya, the coach, hands him the memento and Karunaratne is surrounded by his family and even Charith Asalanka, the ODI captain of Sri Lanka as they pose for a photograph. Tears swell up in Dimuth's eyes and it is truly an emotional moment.
Steven Smith, the captain of Australia says that they will have to go out there and bowl well. Informs that there is one change in the side with Cooper Connolly making his debut in place of Todd Murphy.
Dhananjaya de Silva, the Skipper of Sri Lanka, wins the toss and he will like to bat first. He says that getting bat first is the key and he wants to put a big score in the first inning. Adds that they have good plans and they just want to execute them in the middle. Talks about Dimuth Karunaratne and he has captained me also he is a wonderful person and I will miss him. Informs that there are three changes.
PITCH REPORT - Farveez Maharoof is there pitchside. He says that this looks very dry and has very little grass. Adds that it has a lot of cracks already and there has been plenty of sunshine in the last few days. From the first over, there will be a turn so you want to win the toss and put up a good score here to put another team in the pressure right away.
Also, Former Sri Lanka skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne has announced that he will retire at the end of this Test match.
Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey(w), Beau Webster, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Kusal Mendis(w), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lahiru Kumara
UPDATE: Cooper Connolly will make his debut today, becoming the 471st player to wear the Baggy Green for Australia.
TOSS: Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to bat