Sri Lanka opted to bat first on the second and final Test match against Australia after winning the toss in a hot and sultry condition in Galle. As has been the case in the subcontinent conditions, the visitors were made to toil for wickets, as only Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for 11. Dimuth Karunaratne, playing his 100th Test steadied the ship in the company of Dinesh Chandimal.
Earlier in the day, the Aussies gave Karunaratne a guard of honor for playing his marquee Test. The southpaw was flooded with emotions as his family came to see him one last time. As he has been doing for over 99 Tests, this time, it was also up to the veteran to get his team off to a good start.
For the visitors, only Nathan Lyon had something to cheer for as he got rid of Nissanka. Apart from Lyon, captain Steve Smith deployed three other bowlers in the first session, but Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Starc, and Beau Webster could not make further inroads. The Lankans were guilty of throwing their wickets away in the first Test, but in the second Test, the seniors Karunaratne, and Chandimal were flawless. The pair also played Kuhnemann and Lyon with good control.
Karunaratne aims to put a big score on his farewell Test
Great players never fail to convert good starts into big scores, and Karunaratne will be hoping to make a mark one final time at his favorite ground Galle. It was here where the southpaw played his debut Test, and it would be fitting if he ended his Test career on a high.
Meanwhile, the Aussies would be hoping to break the second-wicket partnership and would look to restrict the Lankans from a score below 300. Â
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