Burns helps Australia avoid batting low

It may have taken four months, six Tests and 95 innings, but finally an Australian batsman has posted a Test century this summer.

Opener Joe Burns became the first Australian to celebrate a Test century this home season and ensured the hosts did not hit a 136-year low.

LIVE SCORES: Australia v Sri Lanka, second Test: Day one

The last time Australia went without a Test century on home soil over a summer of three or more Tests was way back in 1882-83 against England.

Tim Paine's side entered the final Test of the summer without one of his players getting within 15 of three figures, the closest being Travis Head's 84 at the Gabba last month.

But Burns snapped the century drought with a sublime hundred at Manuka Oval in its maiden Test match.

The barren run looked worryingly set to continue after Australia slumped to 3-28 having elected to bat first in overcast conditions.

Marcus Harris (11), Usman Khawaja (0) and Marnus Labuschagne (six) fell inside nine overs to Sri Lanka's new-look pace attack that has just five Tests of experience between them.

But Burns and vice-captain Travis Head (161) saw off the new ball then ploughed into the visitors' bowlers to lift and maintain the innings run rate at more than four runs per over.

Burns went to stumps unbeaten on 172, with Kurtis Patterson (25) the other not out batsman.

But it could have been a lot different had Dhananjaya de Silva held a sharp chance at first slip off the bowling of off-spinner Dilruwan Perera that gave Burns a life on 34.

The Queenslander made the most of his luck, crashing 16 boundaries on the way to his fourth Test hundred and first since his 170 against New Zealand in February 2016 at Christchurch. 

On Test eve, Paine was asked about the dearth of centuries this summer and called for his batsmen to be "relentless" in their pursuit of big totals.

"It's about being disciplined enough, all guys have had starts all summer, shown they can score runs at this level, but it's just being able to be relentless and be disciplined for not just two or three hours but disciplined and relentless for a day or two days," he said.

"When guys learn to do that we'll score hundreds, but certainly we talk about it a lot.

"We're working really hard on it from a mental and technical aspect, and sometimes you just need that one to break through the dam wall."

Domain Test Series v Sri Lanka

Australia: Tim Paine (c/wk), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Chamika Karunaratne, Vishwa Fernando

First Test: Australia won by an innings and 40 runs

Second Test: February 1-5, Canberra