Sri Lanka vs Australia, 2nd Test Day 2 Highlights: Steve Smith, Alex Carey Put Australia In Command

Australia will be happy with their 73-run lead but they will want more. Given their way, they would want to bat for another 2 sessions and take that lead as close to 200 as possible. There could be more turn on offer and batting could be challenging but partnerships could keep the Lankans at bay. Will we see a turnaround in fortunes of the Lankans? Or will it be another grind of a day for them? The first ball on Day 3, Saturday, 8th February, 2025, is scheduled to be bowled at 4.30 am GMT but our buildup will begin well in advance. Do tune in early then. In the meanwhile, you can catch all the action from the ongoing Test between Zimbabwe and Ireland which is turning into a nice one-inning shootout. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Body language. Extremely important in any field of work, and the most important in sport. When you look at the scorecard and see 330 play 257, you might think, okay, Saturday is a new day and Sri Lanka can still keep the lead under 125-150. But looking at the body language of the Lankans in that final session on Friday, it seemed like they have already given up. Yes, it is known that Galle pitches tend to crumble from Day 4, but the third day can still be a good one to bat. If the Lankans keep their spirits up and break this partnership quickly in the morning, you never know, the Aussies might just fold up for 380 or 400. But if you don't even believe, how will you achieve?

Make hay while the sun shines. The sun was shining brightly in Sri Lanka and as a chance, or call it a misfortune for someone, Alex Carey got a promotion in the batting order. He was due to bat at number 6 but because Josh Inglis was off the field for a while on Day 1 and the time had not elapsed for him to return, Carey got a chance to bat a bit higher in the order. Normally, in Test matches, due to the allrounders, Carey bats at 7, and that means he is usually shepherding the tail more often than not. Hence, his centuries are not there in number, with just the one before this game. But here, he got a chance and made the full use of it. He was proactive right from the start with his sweeps and reverse sweeps and just hit the bowlers off their lengths. When he came to the crease, Smith was on 27. At Stumps, he is 19 ahead of his skipper. This could be a knock which could actually cement his place in the side for a few years now.

Age is just a number, some say. At 35, has Steven Smith turned a purple patch in his Test career? Well, 4 centuries in his last 8 innings does make you think that way. Yes, he got a lot of luck in his knock but that's something which is not in one's control. He made the most of his luck and got another century. And to add to that. was involved in another double century stand, after a mammoth 266 with Khawaja in the first Test. In fact, since 2022. Australia have had 9 200-plus run stands in Test cricket - 7 of them have featured Smith. He is just the perfect glue that any team wants.

Factor this. Sri Lanka employed 6 bowlers on Day 2, 5 of them being spinners. And the lone pacer, Lahiru Kumara, bowled only 4 overs in the first 75 overs. As opposed to Smith on Day 1, who got Mitchell Starc back for some reverse swing. With the abrasiveness of the surface, Kumara might have extracted some reverse but if you don't try it, how will you know? It is understandable to think that on spinning surfaces, pacers may not have a great role but surely, they are worth a try when a wicket is not falling? The trio of spinners - Nishan Peiris, Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis - all looked threatening - but in patches. Just 5 maidens were bowled by the trio combined, which shows that the Aussies never let any one bowler settle down.

Nearly everyone expected the pitch to deteriorate on Day 2 but only Russel Arnold believed that in Galle, the pitches tend to get quicker on Days 2 and 3. When that happens, generally, the surface is bound together and the ball comes onto the bat nicely. Barring a few instances here and there, we did not see indifferent bounce and the turn, despite being prolific, was not causing much damage to the batters. In terms of proactiveness, what Dhananjaya could have done is - rotated his bowlers a bit more. One understands that bowlers like Jayasuriya like long spells but what happens is, if there is no bowling change for a while, the batters get used to the pace of the bowlers.

A difficult day for the Lankans to swallow. But honestly, there was not much that they could have actually tried. Throughout the day, there were not many instances where we could say bad bowling or bad lines, and in fact, they created plenty of opportunities. However, unfortunately, for them, none of them went to hand. On another day, they could have had Smith in single digits but that's the way the sport is. If any, Dhananjaya de Silva could have been a bit more proactive.

A top-class session for Australia. 133 runs in 30 overs. No wickets lost. Excellent run rate and no wonder, the entire Aussie dressing room is up in respect for the captain and Carey, who have been unseparated for more than 55 overs now. That's almost two sessions. While going back, Dimuth Karunaratne pats Steven Smith for his masterful knock and while that is a good sign of sportsmanship, the body language from the others is not that great, with shoulders dropping. Not great to see at all.

FOUR! A BOUNDARY ON THE LAST BALL OF THE DAY! Hard length, around leg, angling in, Alex Carey lets the ball come to him and helps it towards deep fine leg for a boundary. THAT WILL BE STUMPS ON DAY 2! Australia are 330/3, LEAD BY 73!

A hint of reverse swing! Fuller again, around leg, Alex Carey looks to play in the line as he goes for a flick but gets a leading edge towards cover.

Goes fuller, around middle, Alex Carey comes forward and just nudges it towards mid on.

In case you missed it, this will be the last over of the day.

Full, around off, slower ball, Carey gets a full stride out to defend.

On middle and leg, pushed back down the ground.

A length ball, down the leg side, Alex Carey helps it through square leg for a couple.

Much fuller, around middle, Steven Smith shuffles and drives it to the left of the bowler.

Floated up, around off, Steven Smith lunges and defends it back to the bowler.

Tossed up, around middle, Alex Carey goes on his knee and sweeps it along the ground to deep backward square leg for a single.

Full, around off, Smith leans and drives it through the covers for a run. Moves to 120.

Beautifully bowled. Slower through the air, around off, Steven Smith comes forward to defend but the ball pitches and then rips away, past the outside edge. Dhananjaya de Silva at first slip and the bowler are interested in the caught behind, but not the keeper. No review taken.