Tea Australia 197 for 3 (Smith 78*, Carey 49*, Peiris 2-36) Trail Sri Lanka 257 (Kusal 85, Chandimal 74, Starc 3-37, Kuhnemann 3-63, Lyon 3-96) for 60 races
But Smith was not disturbed and shared an uninterrupted association of 106 races with Carey, who hit for the first time in his trial career at number 5 with Josh Inglis after having spent a significant period outside the field in Sri Lanka’s tickets to the posterior spasms. But Carey bat in that position for South Australia on the Sheffield shield and displayed his favored scanning for a good effect as Australia won the ancestry in the second test.
After having passed the Rick Ponting record of most of the races of an Australian in Asia, Smith will be looking at his thirteenth century in the final session.
Sri Lanka spinners have sometimes threatened and occasionally have produced an acute turn, but they have not been able to keep the pressure and appeared outside the responses as the second session progressed.
The head shook in a Run-A-Ball until 21, used his feet in Peiris, but surpassed in turn, and took a thick edge.
All eyes were then in Labuschagne, who only won 20 of 50 balls in the huge 654 of Australia for 6 declared in the opening of the series. Having not scored a century of proof from the 2023 ashes tour, the pressure is increasing in Labuschagne with its place for this game attracting some attention.
Smith, with his comfortable green, had a nervous start with a great cry of Jayasuriya rejected when Sri Lanka burned a review. After having done three centuries in his last seven test tickets, Smith sought to counteract the strong turn jumping through the field while Usman Khawaja deployed the reverse scan as he did in his double century last week.
They withdrew the spinners when Australia reached lunch well located in 85 by 2. The game gave life to the resumption with Smith delivered LBW by referee Joel Wilson after a low delivery of Peiris hit him under the knee roll. But Smith checked quickly and his trust was justified with the ball hitting him well out of the line.
Moments later, Wilson raised his finger again, but this time he was claimed with Khawaja Plumb Lbw in 36 after trying to pull peiris just to judge the line and length.
But Sri Lanka’s offer for more incursions stopped with Smith and Carey playing with relative ease while turning the strike and reached the occasional limit.
Jayasuriya was held out of the attack for some time, since Silva preferred her prominent against Carey left. But Carey’s trust grew as Ramesh Mendis advanced for six, while Smith displayed a rare inverse sweeping to the limit
Jayasuriya returned, but Smith was in his rhythm, jumping through the field and hitting a six. He lifted his half century with a limit while the races continued to flow separately from when Jayasuriya restored a leg bump line to Smith.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
