They had been irked by some public suggestions that Inglis’ hundred in the first Test put the wicketkeeper’s spot up for debate. Not so, came the rebuttals, and Carey responded grandly on a far trickier pitch. He’s not far short of Adam Gilchrist’s record score by an Australian wicketkeeper in South Asia.
Unquestionably, Australia needed Smith to stand up on day two. He walked to the crease after Sri Lanka had scrambled to 257, and following Marnus Labuschagne’s swift departure.
It was a dismissal that the number three seemed to know now leaves his Test future very much in the hands of the selectors with Cameron Green due back soon. Since the start of 2023, Labuschagne is averaging barely 30, and has only one century.
After making 20 on a much less challenging surface last week, Labuschagne slapped his first ball to the cover boundary as he tried to take the positive approach required.
Alex Carey swept Sri Lanka to distraction.Credit: Getty Images
But he was bewitched by left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who found some sharp turn away from the bat before arrowing a flatter ball in towards the stumps to pin the number three haplessly in front on the back foot – although DRS was required to confirm the lbw.
Initially seeming confident that the ball was sliding down the leg side, Labuschagne sank to his haunches and hung his head when the verdict was relayed.
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Falling so soon after Travis Head (21) skewered another fiendishly spinning ball to slip as he tried to hit Nishan Peiris down the ground, Labuschagne’s dismissal left Smith with much to do. There were more tremors when Usman Khawaja (36) fell lbw to a correct call by umpire Joel Wilson, but Carey brought calm.
Needing one more wicket on resumption, Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann both looked a little below their best following a long day one in the field – ultimately they slogged through 67.4 overs between them.
The Australians had not wanted to concede much more than 200 to Sri Lanka given their assessment of the pitch’s vagaries, but Kusal Mendis (85 not out) gave Jayasuriya and company something to work with.
After Head and Labuschagne came and went, Smith’s first ball also skidded on and appeared to strike the back pad, drawing a vociferous appeal and another review.
But replays showed Jayasuriya’s delivery had in fact brushed front pad first, meaning it was destined to miss leg stump. Wilson gave Smith out soon after lunch, drawing an instant review as the striker confidently tipped the ball had struck him well outside the line, and indeed it had.
Khawaja’s exit, misjudging a pull shot, set the Australians back, but Carey did not allow himself to get bogged down. Playing at a high tempo and rotating the strike, Carey encouraged Smith to do likewise, and together they gained control.
Steve Smith’s reverse sweep.Credit: Getty Images
Smith combined decisive shots in attack and pad-lined, two-footed defence. Carey was never less than fluent, and as his captain tired, he took over the bulk of the scoring.
After tea, Smith and Carey carried on with grim resolve, pushing singles, weathering the occasional tough delivery or spell and taking Australia well into the lead. Smith’s century arrived with a pull shot that split long on and deep midwicket, causing Carey to raise his arms above his head in appreciation before the ball crossed the rope.
When Carey’s turn came, he nailed two sweep shots in three balls, splitting the leg side boundary riders as though wire-guided, to go from 92 to 100 from just 118 balls, and was warmly embraced by Smith. Inglis, by the way, was in the front row of the team viewing area to applaud.
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