(Reuters) – Captain Steve Smith produced a batting masterclass against spin bowling as he and Alex Carey smashed unbeaten hundreds to power Australia to a commanding 330 for three on day two of the second and final test in Galle on Friday.
Smith’s unbeaten 120 is his second successive hundred of the series while Carey made a career-best 139 not out hitting 22 fours and three sixes between them.
The right-left duo scored at a rate of nearly four-and-half an over in their match-defining stand of 239 for the unbroken fourth wicket that kept Australia on course for a 2-0 series sweep.
Earlier, Kusal Mendis was left stranded on 85 as Sri Lanka were all out for 257 at the Galle International Stadium.
Matthew Kuhnemann ended Sri Lanka number 11 Lahiru Kumara’s 26-ball vigil to claim his third wicket of the innings.
Fellow spinner Nathan Lyon and Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc also claimed three wickets apiece.
While Kusal ran out of partners, the number seven batter eclipsed Dinesh Chandimal (74) as Sri Lanka’s top scorer in their first innings.
Travis Head gave Australia the kind of rollicking start they are used to from the attacking left-hander.
Head made a run-a-ball 21 before stepping out to a flighted Nishan Peiris delivery that took the edge of his bat and settled into Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva’s waiting hands in the slip.
Prabath Jayasuriya trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw for four after Sri Lanka successfully reviewed the original not-out decision.
Smith survived a strong lbw appeal in the very next delivery from the left-arm spinner and Sri Lanka used the review option again but could not overturn the not-out decision this time.
Smith was on 23 when he was adjudged lbw to Peiris but he promptly reviewed the decision, which was overturned as replays confirmed the ball struck him outside the off-stump.
Peiris removed Usman Khawaja (36) after lunch but Smith combined with Carey, who was promoted to number five because Josh Inglis was held back by a back injury, to deflate Sri Lanka.
A pulled boundary off Kamindu Mendis brought Smith’s 36th test hundred before Australia eclipsed Sri Lanka’s total.
Carey hit Jayasuriya for two fours in an over en route to a 118-ball hundred and eventually overtook his captain.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Christian Radnedge)
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