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James Wallace
Thanks Angus, top stint that. I don’t know what you were messing about at though, this pitch is obviously a snake pit… no sooner have I shifted my flanks into the OBO armchair there is a wicket! It’s the big one too – Usman Khawaja is out! Repeat out!
As drinks come onto the field – water for the Aussies, something stronger for the Sri Lankans – Henning Brammer emails to say, nay plead: “They’ll surely give Inglis the chance for a century, won’t they?” It appears so, Henning. And it could be just a few brutal swings of the bat away. He’s on 87 from 79 balls with nine fours and a six and looking good to smash a century on debut and write his name into history.
Time for some fresh blood on the blog. Thanks for your company today and cath you on the morrow. From the London end, it’s James Wallace!
128th over: Australia 547-3 (Khawaja 232, Inglis 87) Inglis goes big and that is SIX! Vandersay skidded it in flat and fast but the debutant was fast to the pitch of the ball and got enough willow to muscle it over the rope. Vandersay, frustrated, throws in a half-tracker to close and Inglis spiflicates it for another FOUR. He’s flying!
127th over: Australia 534-3 (Khawaja 230, Inglis 76) Jayasuriya gets taken for four singles and a deuce. He’s nagging away at a length but the angles he extracted yesterday haven’t been spotted on day two and neither batter looks troubled.
126th over: Australia 528-3 (Khawaja 226, Inglis 74) As Inglis smokes Vandersay for a FOUR to rocket into the seventies, let’s tempt fate by mentioning that Inglis is striving to be the first Australian to score a century on debut since Adam Voges in 2015.
If he makes it, the 29-year-old would be the 21st Australian to achieve the feat. Five of the past six to achieve the feat were at Windsor Park to see Voges do it a decade ago, with Shaun Marsh and Michael Clarke as Voges’ teammates, Greg Blewett as Australia’s fielding coach, and Mark Waugh as national selector.
The first to the milestone was also the hioghest score by a debutant: Charles Bannerman’s 165 retired hurt) in the very first Test ever played in 1877 against England. Bannerman opened the batting and scored 165 of Australia’s first innings245 at the MCG to spearhead a 45 run victory. He retired hurt with Australia at 7 for 240 after copping a nasty blow to his index finger. The next best score was 18.
125th over: Australia 528-3 (Khawaja 226, Inglis 70) Inglis and Khawaja stroll a couple of singles, as if bored with the tepid nature of this Sri Lanka attack. There’s more vim, vigour and venom in this Alana King over than Sri Lanka have shown all Test match.
124th over: Australia 518-3 (Khawaja 224, Inglis 67) Vandersay is back in the attack. He’s been the pick of Sri Lanka’s bowlers and has the scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to his name. Just two Khawaja runs into the covers from this over.
When do Australia declare ya reckon?
123d over: Australia 513-3 (Khawaja 222, Inglis 67) Usman moves onto Richie Benaud’s favourite number with a couple of slow singles. Khawaja has been out there for 123 overs and 330 deliveries now and may start to cramp up soon. Put the pickle juice on ice, Twelfthie!
122nd over: Australia 513-3 (Khawaja 220, Inglis 66) Inglis gets onto one leg to whack Nisha Peiris into the deep for a couple. He is the third consecutive debutant to score a fifty in his debut innings after Sam Konstas in Melbourne and Beau Webster in Sydney. Who said there’s no succession plan in Australian cricket?
In the Women’s Ashes Test being played at the MCG, England have collapsed to 136-7. What about this classic catch from Phoebe Litchfield?
121st over: Australia 508-3 (Khawaja 218, Inglis 63) Fernando returns for an 11th over. He’s going at almost six per over and hasn’t done much to trouble the batters or stem the flow of runs. Khawaja cuts a run. Inglis, still scoring at better than a run-a-ball, gets the fielders to scatter. Short ball trap coming here. Sure enough the bouncers fly way over the top. Wasteful bowling. Can you hear the drums Fernando?
120th over: Australia 507-3 (Khawaja 217, Inglis 63) A Khawaja push brings up the century partnership between these two. But there’s a huge appeal next ball when an Inglis reverse sweep misses the ball and crashes into the back pad down low. Umpire says OUT. Inglis confidently reviews… and rightly so. UltraEdge shows a delicious flurry of static to prove he got a splinter on it. Inglis gets the reverse sweep right next ball to bank a single. Khawaja, a natural leftie, then sweeps it to the same fielder. Inglis ices the over with a bludgeoning cut shot to the boundary.
119th over: Australia 500-3 (Khawaja 215, Inglis 58) Asitha returns for a 10th over desperate to break a partnership up to 91 already. Make that 95 after Inglis hooks a bouncer to the fine leg boundary. That could be the first bouncer of the Test and, sorry Asitha, it wasn’t worth the wait for anyone but Josh Inglis. Khawaja leans on a straight ball to earn a single and bring up the 500 for Australia.
118th over: Australia 492-3 (Khawaja 212, Inglis 53) A chance? Maybe not. Khawaja edged hard and it flew past the left hand of first slip who seemed slow to move. Ah well, at least he wasn’t nutmegged. Khawaja takes two from it, then a soothing single. Inglis continues to motor, returning the strike with a push through midwicket.
117th over: Australia 487-3 (Khawaja 209, Inglis 51) Inglis has a dash at Fernando’s first ball and cuts it to backward point for two. A crashed pull shot gets him the single he needs for a maiden Test half century. Well played Mr Inglis! That 50 came from 51 balls and featured five fours.
This is now Australia’s highest total in Sri Lanka. Their highest ever total in Asia is the 617 they scored in Faisalabad against Pakistan in March 1980.
116th over: Australia 482-3 (Khawaja 208 Inglis 47) Nishan Peisa gets a 31st over. If you’re wondering why Sri Lanka haven’t turned to a part-timer it’s because their go-to cameo man, Angelo Mathews, has a hamstring injury that prevents him from bowling. That’s s a shame because Sri Lanka desperately need some X factor in their attack and Angelo – who has 33 wickets in is 116 Tests – might’ve provided it. Three singles from the over.
115th over: Australia 479-3 (Khawaja 207, Inglis 45) Asitha Fernando must have made the case for pace over lunch because he’s got the first over after the break. This is just his eighth over for the Test after Travis Head hammered him into a specialist fielding role in the first hour of play yesterday. This over goes better for Asitha, just two singles and a driven two from it.
What’s a nutmeg? asks Tom Lewis via email. Even though the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper has mastered the art of nutmegging in this Test, to nutmeg is a football expression for when a ball travels between the legs (nutmeg is English rhyming slang for leg).
The Khawaja-Smith partnership was worth 266. It broke the record for the biggest third-wicket partnership for Australia in men’s Tests in Asia, which was held by Allan Border and Kim Hughes who put on 222 in 1979. The Smith and Khawaja 266 sits fifth on the list of all-time third-wicket partnerships for Australia in men’s Tests.
Photograph: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images
Over at the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG, England are 99-4 after Australia’s Alana King took a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss Sophia Dunkley for 21.
LUNCH: Australia 475-3 (Khawaja 204*, Inglis 44*)
That session belonged to one man: Usman Khawaja.
He has batted for 10 hours and 298 balls and now has a maiden Test double century to his name, a highest career score and the honour of being the first Australian man to hit a double-ton in Sri Lanka. After 34 innings without a century, the 38-year-old has cashed in here in Galle and may have locked himself in for another Ashes series later this year.
With Steve Smith (141) and frenetic debutant Josh Inglis (44 not out), Australia have rolled to 475 with ease. Will they bat to 600, slamming quick runs in the second session (and giving Khawaja a sniff at 300) before chasing fast wickets in the final session? Or does Smith, looking at a weather forecast predicting showers for the next three days, think 500 runs is enough?
Join us after the break to find out.
114th over: Australia 475-3 (Khawaja 204, Inglis 44) Usman Khawaja strokes another run from Peiris as he enjoys life in the exclusive club of Australians to score a Test double century in the subcontinent. He joins Mark Taylor, Greg Chappell, Dean Jones, Matt Hayden and Jason Gillespie in that club. Incredibly though, Khawaja is the only Australian man to hit a double century in Sri Lanka. Take a bow, Ussie.
113th over: Australia 471-3 (Khawaja 203, Inglis 41) Australia have scored 140 runs from the 31 overs in this session and done it for the loss of one wicket (Steve Smith for 141). Inglis, who has 40 runs from 40 balls, tamps five before clipping a single off the hip.
112th over: Australia 470-3 (Khawaja 203, Inglis 40) Another nutmeg from the ‘keeper as Inglis’s attempted reverse sweep of Peiris catches the bottom edge, almost hits the stumps then bounces between the ankles of the gloveman and runs away for three.
111th over: Australia 465-3 (Khawaja 201, Inglis 37) Four singles from the Jayasuriya over but the most important was the first, a misfield, which allowed Usman Khawaja to scamper a single and bring up his maiden Test double century.
Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images
Usman Khawaja scores his first Test double century! (Australia 462-3)
He’s got it! The 200th run came from a prod and a misfield but that doesn’t taint the beautiful 199 runs prior. 290 balls. 113 singles. 16 fours. And a six. Well done Usman! He raises his bat to the dressing room and sinks to his knees to kiss the turf. He was deropped from the Australian XI after being dismissed twice in the same day at this ground. But Khawaja’s comeback story is one for the ages and he now has his first double ton in Tests.
110th over: Australia 461-3 (Khawaja 199, Inglis 35) Nishan Peiris gets a whirl before lunch. He is wicketless for 117 runs from his 27 overs so far and has barely fired a shot. Khawaja is one shot from his first Test double century and Sri Lanka are slowing things down, moving fielders hither and thither. They’ve set a trap for the reverse sweep but Khawaja drops and runs for a single. Inglis swats square and gets two, then skips out and drives a single to mid-on. Khawaja clips another run to make 199.
109th over: Australia 455-3 (Khawaja 197, Inglis 31) Khawaja’s spanked single through covers gives him a PB – his highest Test score, surpassing his 195 against South Africa. Inglis is going at a rate of knots at the other end, swiping Jayasuriya square for another FOUR.
108th over: Australia 445-3 (Khawaja 192, Inglis 26) Vandersay enters his 28th over. He has 2-130 and has doubled his career tally of wickets already in this innings. Inglis skips out and chips a half-tracker down the ground for another FOUR.
107th over: Australia 438-3 (Khawaja 190, Inglis 21) Inglis dances down and clouts Jayasuriya for FOUR. Great shot by the debutant! And another streaky one by Khawaja as another bottom edged sweep shot misses the middle, skims the stumps and eludes wicketkeeper. Instead it runs away fine for another boundary, this time as leg byes. Khawaja reverse sweeps a single to close out the over.
Weird situation in Australian cricket today with Alyssa Healy and Josh Inglis – both specialist wicketkeepers – taking the field as specialist batters. What does it mean?
106th over: Australia 428-3 (Khawaja 189, Inglis 16) Was that a chance? Khawaja reverse swept Vandersay and bottom edged… but no, it’s another nutmeg as the ball hits glove and bounces through wicketkeeper Mendes’s legs for another four, Khawaja’s 14th.
105th over: Australia 422-3 (Khawaja 184, Inglis 15) Inglis late cuts for FOUR! That was so late it nutmegged the second slipper. Nice shot though. The rookie is rattling along at ODI pace and that shot takes him to 14 from 17. Sri Lanka are crowding him and have a back pad fielder breathing down his neck. Unperturbed, Ibnglis reverse sweeps a single. Khawaja drops and runs to retain strike.
104th over: Australia 416-3 (Khawaja 183, Inglis 10) Inglis races to double-figures with a swept full toss and a dancing drive to mid on. Khawaja gets the reverse sweep out again but Vandersay shoots it through a tad quicker and Usman can’t connect.
103rd over: Australia 414-3 (Khawaja 182, Inglis 8) Inglis almost chops on! That was good bowling by Jayasuriya. he rushed it onto the rookie and caught the bottom edge and almost hit off stumps. Inglis withdraws into his shell for the next two then steps back to late cut the fourth past slip. He gets two and adds a third with a paddle sweep to the last.
