Australia ended a rain-affected Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in total command of proceedings. Spin was expected to play a significant part at Pallekele, and Steve O'Keefe and Nathan Lyon continued their solid work from the practice match that preceded the Test, taking five wickets between them. However, it was Josh Hazlewood's slippery pace that the top-order Sri Lankan batsmen struggled with, as the hosts were bowled out for 117 after opting to bat. This was before the clouds opened up and washed away the last hour of the day's play, with the Australians at 66/2.
The decision to bat first backfired miserably for Angelo Mathews. Coming into the series after being humbled by England across formats, a good start was imperative. Making his way back to the side, Mitchell Starc had a mixed outing, but combined well with Hazlewood to reduce the Lankans to 18/3 within the first hour of the day's play.
When the situation cried out for patience and grit, belligerence was on offer from some of the Lankan players. That is what led to the lower-order collapse, just as Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal had bailed their team out. O'Keefe and Lyon made easy work of the lower order – the last five wickets fell for just 30 runs.
In reply, the Aussies found the going tough too. Joe Burns was welcomed to playing in the subcontinent by old warhorse Rangana Herath, who castled him, while Nuwan Pradeep demolished David Warner's stumps. For the Lankans, first-change bowlers Dilruwan Perera and debutant Lakshan Sandakan were not able to sustain the pressure created by Herath and Pradeep. Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith were fluent, and were looking comfortable at the crease when the skies opened up.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 117 (Dhananjaya de Silva 24, Kusal Perera 20; Nathan Lyon 3/12, Josh Hazlewood 3/21) lead Australia 66/2 (Steve Smith 28, Usman Khawaja 25; Nuwan Pradeep 1/3) by 51 runs.
