Sri Lanka claw back Aussies after day two fightback

A Sri Lankan top order that crumbled like shortbread last week defied the vaunted Australian bowlers in a gritty second day display during their tour-concluding Test in Galle.

The hosts enjoyed their best day to date in the two-Test series Australia currently lead 1-0, first neutering Steve Smith by robbing him of all his batting partners before captain Dimuth Karunaratne (86) and No.3 Kusal Mendis (84no) put on their side's first 100-plus run stand of the series.

In reply to the visitors' 364, of which Smith contributed 145 unbeaten runs, Sri Lanka had reduced their deficit to just 180 by stumps on Saturday thanks largely to the 152 runs Karunaratne and Mendis put on.

Having squandered all 20 of their wickets in the first Test inside 82 overs, the Lankans have so far given up just two through 63 overs here as they took their score to 2-184 at the close of play with Mendis and Angelo Mathews (6no) unbeaten.

Equally impressive was the haul of debutant spinner Prabath Jayasuriya (6-118 from 36 overs) who bounced back from a nervy start to his first day in the job to finish with the second-best bowling figures by a Sri Lankan on Test debut.

It came on a significant day of protests on the island-nation; anti-government demonstrators (peacefully) encircled the iconic seaside cricket ground as they marched to the top of the fort that overlooks it in the morning, before Sri Lanka's presidential palace, roughly 100 kilometres away in the capital Colombo, was stormed by protestors in the early afternoon.

Karunaratne, averaging 18 from as many innings against Australia coming into this Test, and Mendis, who burst onto the international scene six years ago with a series-defining 176 against Australia in Pallekele, were rarely troubled by attack leaders Mitchell Starc (1-28), Pat Cummins (0-34) and Nathan Lyon (0-69).

It took the wrist-spin of Mitchell Swepson to unsettle Karunaratne late in the day. After dropping a skewed drive off his own bowling from the opener when he was on 34 just before the tea break, the leg-spinner slid one into his front pad to trap him plumb lbw.

The plucky Mendis was closing in on his eighth Test century as he dispatched Australia’s fast bowlers when they dropped short while angling his bat smartly to hit Lyon through the off-side.

Marnus Labuschagne boldly predicted on Friday evening that his side's bowlers would extract more out of a tamer Galle pitch than the one they surged to victory on last week than their Sri Lankan counterparts.

But Australia, if anything, posed less of a threat than the hastily assembled local attack featuring two debutants and only one bowler left over from the series opener.

That was despite Australia twice having their ball battered out of shape and exchanged for a fresh one out of the fourth umpire's box, which was perhaps their best chance of getting any reverse swing given how little abrasion the well-watered wicket table is offering.

The visitors' first breakthrough in Sri Lanka's innings came via an awkward fend from opener Pathum Nissanka (6 off 25) that was snaffled by giant gully fielder Cameron Green.

Despite the unconvincing stroke, Nissanka had reason to feel aggrieved given few fielders in the world would have been both tall enough and quick enough to hang on to a ball that flew off the bat quickly, and at great height.

Amid the loud chants of the protestors and the firecrackers regularly let off at the city end of the ground hardly 30 metres from the outfield, Smith tuned it all out in the morning session as he built on the 28th Test century he had reached the previous evening.

But he found little support from his side's five other remaining batters, who added just 26 runs between them as Jaysuriya removed three of them.

Smith was left stranded after soaking up 272 balls in a virtually chanceless knock that marked his highest score and longest innings since his 211 at Old Trafford during the 2019 Ashes.

On a much truer surface than the first Test, the Aussies would have been hoping for more contributors outside of their star duo of Smith and Labuschagne (104), with only three others reaching double digits.

Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. Standby players: Matthew Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy

June 29 - July 3: Australia won by 10 wickets

July 8-12: Second Test, Galle, 2.30pm AEST

Sri Lanka v Australia Test matches will be screened live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports