Sri Lanka v Australia: second men's cricket Test, day two – live

30th over: Australia 111-3 (Smith 38, Carey 9) A fruitful over for Australia as Smith finishes it with a rare reverse sweep that races away for four. Surely the batting mastermind isn’t getting a little bored out there facing over after over of spin? Or maybe he’s just taking inspiration from Carey, who started the over with two runs off his own sweep shot.

29th over: Australia 104-3 (Smith 34, Carey 6) Peiris turns to a much fuller length but Smith and Carey are up to the task, with three singles to long-off between them before Carey mis-times a drive but picks up one more at point.

28th over: Australia 100-3 (Smith 32, Carey 4) Ramesh Mendis into the attack as Australia reach triple figures when Smith nudges off his hip for a couple behind the wicket, then adds a single through midwicket. Smith is looking especially comfortable when working the ball onto the leg-side.

27th over: Australia 97-3 (Smith 29, Carey 4) No sweep shots off Nishan Peiris as he continues to pitch the ball back of a length. But both batters find a single with a straight drive.

26th over: Australia 95-3 (Smith 28, Carey 3) Smith begins the over with a flick of the wrists as he drives to deep cover for a single. Carey is soon off the mark from his familiar position of being down on one knee and sweeping, firstly for two with a traditional stroke, then a single from a reverse sweep. A reminder that Carey has jumped up the order with Inglis forced to wait after spending time off the field with back spasms.

Josh Inglis is in his whites and has been to the nets with the Australia coaching staff for a quick batting session as he nears the time when he is allowed to take to the crease after spending a long period of time off the field during Sri Lanka’s first innings.

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Nishan Peiris drops short and entices Khawaja to pull as the ball skids through and slams into his back pad. No doubt about that hitting in line but did it straight up or head down leg? Khawaja asks the DRS for a second opinion but the review shows the ball was tracking into leg-stump.

25th over: Australia 91-3 (Smith 27, Carey 0)

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24th over: Australia 90-2 (Khawaja 36, Smith 26) Smith takes a couple of long steps down the pitch and cracks a straight drive past Jayasuriya and … into Khawaja’s foot. That was heading to the rope but the Australian pair are only able to run one with their opener hobbling alongside the wicket. He walks it off and continues batting.

23nd over: Australia 87-2 (Khawaja 34, Smith 23) Smith steps onto his back foot and is deep in his crease when he is too slow getting his bat down to the ball as it stays low and crashes into his pad. The umpire raises the finger but Smith immediately sends it upstairs and replays show it has hit him outside the line. That could be seen as a life for the Australian skipper, but more likely he knew the whereabouts of his off-stump. Khawaja and Smith bookend the over with a single each to long-off.

22nd over: Australia 85-2 (Khawaja 34, Smith 23) Prabath Jayasuriya begins the session with a maiden to Steve Smith as the Sri Lanka field opens up the sweep shot in an attempt to tempt the Australia captain into a loose stroke.

Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith make their way back into the middle with the Sri Lanka XI close behind as Australia resume on 85 for 2 and still 172 runs behind the hosts in Galle.

I sense battlelines are being drawn even with the Ashes still more than eight months away. Ray Murphy won’t hear a bad word about Zac Crawley, who has a Test batting average that has come to the attention of another reader in an earlier comment.

Dan Langan shouldn’t fret about England opener averaging low 30s over 50 tests. Australia have also retained openers with similar stats – and then proceeded to play both sons who also averaged low 30s! Does Zac have any boys yet?

Sri Lanka edged the first session as Kusal Mendis (85 not out) and Lahiru Kumara added another 28 runs for the last wicket to take the hosts to 257.

Travis Head (21) looked set to chase down much of that total before lunch until taking his typically front-foot attack a step too far as he attempted to loft Nishan Peiris over his head but instead nicked off to slip. Marnus Labuschagne (4) was out shortly after as his troubles in sub-continent conditions continue but Usman Khawaja (34 not out) and Steve Smith (23 not out) steadied to see Australia through to the break at 85 for two.

The Australian pair took the game away from Sri Lanka with their hundreds in the first Test but the tourists’ other centurion from that match, Josh Inglis, might have to move down the order after spending long periods off the field yesterday and today due to back spasms.

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21st over: Australia 85-2 (Khawaja 34, Smith 23) Ramesh keeps giving Khawaja little to work with as he takes away the sweeping option. The left-hander finds a single off the back foot and Smith heads into lunch with one more taken from a nudge through midwicket. That’s lunch.

Adam Burke is on Team Marnus as well as he makes a reasonable point about the Australia No 3’s recent form, despite him falling for four today.

Dan Langan is right. It’s a bowler-dominated era and he just scored 72 & 70 in the Boxing Day Test for goodness sake.

20th over: Australia 83-2 (Khawaja 33, Smith 22) The Australian pair are falling into a familiar pattern with Khawaja taking an early single then Smith finding the boundary. The No 4 drives straighter this time for the same result.

19th over: Australia 78-2 (Khawaja 32, Smith 18) SHOT! All class from Smith, as we’ve come to expect from the Australia skipper, as he gets on the front foot and drives to the boundary. Smith appears to be moving through the gears but Ramesh is able to tie him down from there.

18th over: Australia 73-2 (Khawaja 31, Smith 14) A huge appeal as Khawaja is rapped on the pad trying to pull but replays show the ball pitched outside leg. It looked like a stretch on first viewing as well. But there is no doubt about the chance off the next delivery as Smith edges to slip but the ball falls narrowly short. Sri Lanka might have flashbacks to the first Test with half-chances like that.

17th over: Australia 70-2 (Khawaja 31, Smith 12) Khawaja and Smith share three singles playing off the back foot, though one is looking to get down on one knee at any opportunity and the other keeps searching for an excuse to go dancing.

16th over: Australia 67-2 (Khawaja 29, Smith 11) Smith is starting to look settled using his feet to Jayasuriya as he picks up an easy single to midwicket. Khawaja adds another with a reverse sweep.

Dan Langan has come into bat for Marnus Labuschagne.

Oh to have a problem like Labuschagne (30.3 in 25.5 Tests). England has a top-order batter averaging 30.5 in his last 53 Tests (his entire career) and he’s safe as houses.

15th over: Australia 65-2 (Khawaja 28, Smith 10) Ramesh Mendis into the attack for his first over of the innings but more of the familiar right-arm off-spin. Ramesh is a bit shorter than some of his teammates as Khawaja and Smith both look to play more standing up and off their pads.

14th over: Australia 62-2 (Khawaja 27, Smith 8) Khawaja is determined to sweep Jayasuriya whether in the more traditional fashion or a reverse. The shot almost undoes the opener when sweeps at a ball well outside off and takes a top edge. The ball flies high but lands safely. Khawaja finally gets one right with a reverse sweep the backward point boundary.

13th over: Australia 56-2 (Khawaja 22, Smith 7) Khawaja tries to sweep Peiris but misses as the Sri Lankans rise as one for lbw. The appeal is turned down and the hosts don’t bother to send it upstairs, though replays show it would have been umpire’s call. That’s probably the price of an overly-hopeful yet ultimately wasted review earlier from Smith’s first ball faced.

12th over: Australia 53-2 (Khawaja 21, Smith 5) SHOT! Smith steps down the track and whips Jayasuriya through midwicket for a classy boundary. But the spinner almost strikes back immediately as Smith attempts to drive, is beaten and Kusal lifts the bails. The umpire isn’t interested and Smith survives.

11th over: Australia 49-2 (Khawaja 21, Smith 1) Peiris is back with the first over after drinks to Khawaja and must have found some turn at the bottom of his cup. Maiden.

While the players take a well-earned break in the hot conditions in Galle, it’s an opportunity for us to ponder Marnus Labuschagne’s place in the Australia Test XI.

The No 3 has now averaged 30.3 in 25.5 Tests since the start of 2023, but will he get another life when Australia tour West Indies in June-July?

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10th over: Australia 49-2 (Khawaja 21, Smith 1) Jayasuriya pitches four consecutive deliveries up to Smith until Australia’s skipper gets off the mark with a single down the ground. The increasingly confident Khawaja pulls out the reverse sweep for a boundary at backward point. That’s drinks.

9th over: Australia 43-2 (Khawaja 16, Smith 0) Khawaja punishes a rare short ball from Peiris as he steps onto the back foot and pulls it away to the rope. The left-hander finds a single to cover as he looks comfortable as anyone in these conditions.

8th over: Australia 37-2 (Khawaja 11, Smith 0) A huge over from Prabath Jayasuriya as he sends Marnus Labuschagne packing and has Steve Smith living on the edge with the very next delivery. It’s another big appeal for lbw and another review but this time the ball is tracking well down the leg side as Smith played forward. Jayasuriya had Khawaja and then Labuschagne in all sorts from the first two balls of his spell.

Prabath Jayasuriya comes into the attack and begins with a cracking over. The ball crashes into Labuschagne’s pads as he plays on the back foot when he should have got forward, but the umpire waves the appeal. Sri Lanka are quick to send the decision off for a review and replays show the ball was taking out leg stump.

7th over: Australia 36-1 (Khawaja 11, Labuschagne 4) Nishan Peiris gets the critical wicket of Travis Head but Marnus Labuschagne picks up where the opener left off with a boundary through cover off his first ball faced.

Travis Head tries his luck one too many times as he steps down the track and tries to loft Peiris over his head but takes a thick edge to slip. Dhananjaya holds the catch.

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6th over: Australia 30-0 (Head 20, Khawaja 10) Dhananjaya continues without threatening the Australian openers. That’s at least until Khawaja takes a leading edge that sails wide of the bowler.

5th over: Australia 27-0 (Head 18, Khawaja 9) Nishan Peiris comes into the attack and starts around the wicket to Khawaja. He almost has the Australia opener on his way first ball but keeper Kusal Mendis spills the ball. It looks like there wasn’t any bat involved anyway, which might be some relief for the Sri Lankan’s who dropped so many catches in the first Test.

4th over: Australia 23-0 (Head 16, Khawaja 7) Dhananjaya has taken the new ball ahead of his two specialist spinners but seems to be bowling to a plan as he gives each ball plenty of flight. The Australia openers rotate the strike with a streak of singles in front of the wicket for five off the over.

3rd over: Australia 18-0 (Head 14, Khawaja 4) Ominous signs early for Sri Lanka with Travis Head already start to light up. The Australia opener hammers a controlled drive past mid-on to the boundary then betters it off the next delivery with a well-timed cover drive.

2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Head 6, Khawaja 3) Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva takes the cherry for the first time in the series and starts with a neat over to Khawaja. The opener whips off his pads for a single at square leg.

1st over: Australia 8-0 (Head 6, Khawaja 2) Head set the tone in the first Test with a blazing half-century and is quickly off the mark this time with a single of the first ball of the innings. Khawaja also rotates the strike with ease leaving Head to swing hard enough to make the most of a leading edge for a boundary through gully.

Australia openers Travis Head and Usman Khawaja make their way to the crease with Lahiru Kumara out of his pads and marking out his run to send down the first over.

Kusal Mendis (85 not out) helps guide Sri Lanka to a competitive total of 257 with 28 runs added this morning alongside No 11 Lahiru Kumara. Australia might have been expecting a dust bowl that made batting treacherous before the Test started but Sri Lanka’s 33-run final wicket stand suggests runs could be easier to come by after all.

Matthew Kuhnemann takes the last scalp to finish with three wickets, as do Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc. Usman Khawaja and Travis Head will be at the crease shortly, but Josh Inglish will have to bide his time before batting after spending several hours off the field during the Sri Lanka innings.

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Beau Webster takes a cracking catch at second slip to end the Sri Lanka innings and leave Kusal stranded on 85 not out.

97th over: Sri Lanka 256-9 (Kusal 84, Kumara 2) Rinse and repeat as Kusal takes an early single off Lyon’s over then Kumara shuts up shop.

96th over: Sri Lanka 255-9 (Kusal 83, Kumara 2) Kusal takes a single off the second ball of the over but Kumara has little problem defending the rest of the over on the front foot. This is turning into a frustrating partnership for the tourists.

95th over: Sri Lanka 254-9 (Kusal 82, Kumara 2) Kusal tries to play Lyon around the corner but can’t middle the ball as it is taken cleanly by Alex Carey behind the stumps. The Sri Lanka batter looks concerned but umpire Joel Wilson waves away the appeal, and replays show there was no spike on Ultraedge’s sound check. Lyon already had his cap in hand as players, Kusal included, started making their way to the locker room. But Kusal gets a life and immediately rubs salt into the wound with a sweep for four, after also doing much the same earlier in the over.

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94th over: Sri Lanka 245-9 (Kusal 73, Kumara 2) Kusal slog sweeps Kuhnemann for a couple at deep midwicket then adds a single with a square drive. Australia crowd the bat with their left-arm spinner bowling to Kumara but the Sri Lanka No 11 twice defends comfortably on the front foot.

93rd over: Sri Lanka 242-9 (Kusal 70, Kumara 2) Kusal Mendis showed his intent to trust his batting partner yesterday when taking a single of the penultimate delivery of the day and does the same here with a run through midwicket. Lahiru Kumara gets off the mark with a couple to fine leg as Lyon drifts wide.

92nd over: Sri Lanka 239-9 (Kusal 69, Kumara 0) Steve Smith goes with double spin as Matthew Kuhnemann starts from the other end. The left-armer flights the first delivery and Kusal opens up with a classy cover drive to the rope as Mitchell Starc fails to cut it off. A single to point gives Kuhnemann three balls to Lahiru Kumara but the No 11’s defence is solid enough.

91st over: Sri Lanka 234-9 (Kusal 64, Kumara 0) Nathan Lyon starts with Kusal Mendis on strike and on 59 not out. The Australia off-spinner targets the foot marks outside off-stump until drifting down the leg-side for Kusal to sweep for four. The keeper-batter nudges a single to short fine leg to stay on strike.

Back in Galle, the Australia and Sri Lanka players are making their way onto the field with the tourists one wicket away from wrapping up the innings.

Nathan Lyon has the ball in hand and will bowl to Sri Lanka keeper Kusal Mendis.

Australia have been under pressure to boycott the Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in response to the violation of women’s rights in the country under the Taliban regime. Cricket Australia have so far resisted those calls and England will also avoid taking “unilateral” action to boycott their Champions Trophy game against the same opponent, while calling on the ICC to make a more unified stand.

We remain of the view that a coordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward, and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match.

Australia and Sri Lanka will also meet in a pair of ODIs next week in preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy to be playing in Pakistan and Dubai later this month. It already looks like Australia will take a new-look squad to the tournament with confirmation that ODI stalwarts Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis won’t be making the trip.

Cooper Connolly is one player who could force his way into the squad especially with a strong showing in sub-continental conditions in Galle.

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Australia turned to ever-effective part-time spinner Travis Head (1 for 31) for eight overs on day one, while left-arm tweaker Cooper Connolly (0 for 12) and seamer Beau Webster (0 for 13) both bowled three. But much of the heavy lifting was done by Nathan Lyon (3 for 78) and Matthew Kuhnemann (2 for 53) who each sent down 30 overs, as well as left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc (3 for 37).

Captain Steve Smith seemed to be short of a fourth frontline bowler suited to the conditions on day one, especially with Todd Murphy dropped for the second Test with all-rounder Connolly preferred. Australia bowling coach Dan Vettori explained the change to the XI after play yesterday.

First-innings runs are going to play a huge role in whoever wins this game. The anticipation that the wicket would probably be slightly more extreme than the first Test match, we thought that the number of overs would come down and maybe batting would come to the fore.

It’s an incredibly tough call on ‘Murph’ because I think whenever he’s come into the team, he’s done a fantastic job. It was just our interpretation of the wicket led us to believe that runs were going to be at a premium.

Australia may have a fight on their hands to seal a rare subcontinent series win against Sri Lanka after a see-sawing first day of the second Test in Galle.

Catch up on the day one report:

Hello and welcome to live coverage of day two of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia.

After being dismantled in the first Test the hosts put up more of a fight yesterday as they reached 93 for one before Australia struck back with Nathan Lyon (3 for 78) and Mitchell Starc (3 for 37) leading the way. Sri Lanka were able to recover from a couple of mini-collapses off the back of half-centuries to Dinesh Chandimal (74) and Kusal Mendis (59 not out) to finish the day on 229 for 9, but will be hoping their keeper can eke out several more runs to lift them to a more competitive first innings total.

Australia’s quartet of spinners found more in the pitch as day one progressed and the batters will be conscious of the need to amass a strong total before conditions deteriorate further. Debutant Cooper Connolly has so far bowled only three overs in the match but could get his chance to impress with the bat at some stage today.

The conditions in Galle are hot but not too humid, with a predicted high of 31C and no signs that rain will interrupt play today or over the next few days.

First ball will be at 10am local time or 3.30pm AEDT. Meanwhile, please keep me company with your thoughts and predictions on email or @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!