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SL vs AUS 1st Test: Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja stunned Sri Lanka by scoring centuries
Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test at Galle: Steve Smith became the 15th batsman to score 10,000 Test runs off his very first ball. With this, he joined a special club of Australian greats, which includes Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting.
Usman Khawaja and acting captain Steve Smith hit unbeaten centuries as Australia bossed the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The visiting team managed a strong score of 330/2 till the stumps on the first day. Khawaja (147 not out), and Smith (104 not out), shared a 195-run partnership to put Australia in a strong position in the series.
Travis Head (57) provided the visitors with a solid start along with Usman Khawaja after winning the toss and opting to bat first, with three boundaries in the opening over against Asitha Fernando. The left-hander didn't stop there and targeted Fernando again in the fifth over, hitting two boundaries, while Khawaja too hit his first boundary in the same over to put pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers.
Head continued his aggressive play and scored at a strike rate of 142.5, but was dismissed by Prabhat Jayasuriya in the 14th over. Head tried to hit the left-arm spinner's delivery over the boundary rope but failed to connect properly and was caught at long-on.
Marnus Labuschagne (20) came to the crease after Travis Head's dismissal but struggled to find his rhythm. He scored at a strike rate of 40, but a full delivery from Jeffrey Vandersay saw the right-hander caught at first slip on the stroke of lunch.
