Twitter Reactions: Centuries from Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne put Australia on command

Australia ended Day 1 on a high note as Labuschagne and Smith scored their respective centuries.

By Vaishnavi Thiagarajan Iyer

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3 Min Read

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne
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Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

After taking a 1-0 lead in the series, visitors Australia are looking to finish the deal once and for all in the second and final Test, whereas the hosts aim to settle the scores and level it at 1-1 at the Galle International Stadium in Galle. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. However, it was not the desired start they looked out for as Rajitha quickly removed David Warner (5 off 13), but Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne soon formed a substantial partnership.

While Labuschagne took some time to settle early on, Khawaja played a few strokes to get the scoreboard ticking. The former soon got into the game’s rhythm and played some brilliant shots. It was Ramesh Mendis who dismissed the in-form Khawaja (37 off 77) as his rigorous bowling style finally paid off.

Labuschagne was fortunate enough to have survived a stumping scare off his bowling as the first session ended with two wickets falling and Labuschagne being joined by Steve Smith. Following that, Australia dominated totally as the pair displayed exceptional batting skills in Galle.

While Labuschagne was the dominant, Smith was happy to take the backseat. The former attacked the bowlers, took advantage of the poor balls, and rotated the strike frequently. A milestone-filled period included Labuschagne’s first international century overseas and Smith’s fifty. Before Marnus (104 off 156) was dismissed by Prabhath Jayasuriya before tea, the duo reached their seventh-century partnership in just 21 Test innings.

Steve Smith’s century keeps the Australian innings going

Smith was then joined by Travis Head in the final session as Sri Lanka fairly maintained control of the situation, which allowed them to increase pressure and forge a few opportunities. Smith, however, repeatedly capitalized on even the smallest scoring opportunities and appeared to be in fine form. The hosts took the new ball in order to work things out in their favour before finishing off with the first day, but things did not go as planned for them.

Jayasuriya (three wickets) was Sri Lanka’s stand-out bowler as he dismissed Head and Cameron Green early, leaving no scope for them to make it big. Smith, while playing it cautiously, looked for an opportunity and smashed a couple of fours after the new ball was taken, which helped him get to a blistering century. Smith (109* off 212) had been struggling in the past, but gave out a powerful reply and hit his first Test ton since January 2021.

As a result, Australia ended the day on a high note as Labuschagne and Smith scored their respective centuries when other batters failed to gear up. Sri Lankan did their part but they would be expected to make a strong return on the second day in order to restrict the visitors. Australia, at stumps on the first day, finished at 298/5 with Smith and Alex Carey remaining unbeaten.

Let’s look at how Twitter reacted to Day 1 action:Β 

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