Smith, Labuschagne ton up as Australia dominate day one

Steve Smith ended a 546-day drought without a Test century as he joined his protégé Marnus Labuschagne in saluting on the opening day of Australia's tour-concluding clash with Sri Lanka in Galle.

Labuschagne brought up a hundred inside the first two sessions, but it was Smith's chanceless century, his 28th in Tests, that stole the day, with his unbeaten 109 taking the visitors to 5-298 at stumps.

Smith battled what appeared to be a back concern, receiving occasional treatment from medical staff during his 212-ball stay, celebrating in understated fashion during the final session upon reaching his first ton in 16 innings.

Run out in the first Test last week, the former captain was in supreme touch against a depleted Sri Lankan attack, rarely allowing their spinners to find their groove as he reached stumps not out with Alex Carey (16no) at the other end.

Labuschagne had raced to his first Test century abroad (and his seventh overall) before tea as he made Sri Lanka pay for a costly missed stumping by Niroshan Dickwella when he was on 28.

The twin tons came against a stop-gap Sri Lanka attack decimated by COVID-19 cases and confidence issues, with the hosts forced into fielding three debutants (Prabath Jayasuriya, Maheesh Theekshana and Kamindu Mendis), while they also included Angelo Mathews, who only recovered from a bout of the virus earlier this week.

Jayasuriya, one of those three debutants, had an unlikely star turn as Sri Lanka's go-to bowler after bouncing back from a tough initiation through the early part of the day to snare 3-22 to finish it, including the key scalp of Labuschagne.

The 30-year-old, who begun the series as Sri Lanka's fourth choice left-arm spinner having failed to win a spot in the initial squad behind Lasith Embuldeniya (axed after a poor first Test), Praveen Jayawickrama (COVID-19) and Dunith Wellalage, finished the day with 3-90 from 28 overs.

Having reached his ton off just 147 balls, Labuschagne appeared to have few obstacles to making the kind of 'big daddy' hundred he hasn't scored in two-and-a-half years.

But Jayasuriya delivered a big blow against the run of play.

Labuschagne danced down the track only for the left-armer to rip and bounce one far more prodigiously than any of his previous 75 deliveries to have the star batter stumped.

It was well watched by Dickwella and some relief for the gloveman, with his wicketkeeping again under the microscope in the final session when he missed another stumping opportunity with Cameron Green on one.

Jayasuriya needed no assistance for his next two dismissals, clean bowling a bewildered Travis Head (12) before having Cameron Green (4) given lbw after a long deliberation by umpire Kumar Dharmasena.

Australia had left it to the last moment to make a call on the make-up of their XI, eventually deeming Glenn Maxwell's lower-order batting and off-spin less valuable than Mitchell Starc's left-arm pace given the more traditional pitch prepared for this Test.

Pat Cummins' decision to win the toss and bat was therefore a no-brainer, and the prevailing conditions would appear to have justified Starc's inclusion.

Yet while the kind of extravagant turn seen during the first Test is not yet consistently on display in the second, both of the tourists' openers could fairly say there was little they could have done to avoid their first-session exits.

For David Warner (5 off 13), that came courtesy of a searing delivery from recalled paceman Kasun Rajitha that nipped away and clipped his off-stump, while Usman Khawaja (37 off 77) also had his woodwork disturbed by a textbook off-break from Ramesh Mendis.

Labuschagne and Smith looked destined for a far bigger haul than the 134-run stand they eventually had to settle for when Jayasuriya struck on the stroke of tea.

That came on the back of some dry bowling from the disciplined Rajitha, who had contained the quirky duo's free-scoring by operating with a 7-2 off-side field and bowling well wide of the stumps.

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