Australia v Sri Lanka: first Test, day one – live!





TEA: Sri Lanka 58-3

26th over: Sri Lanka 58-3 (Mendis 14, Silva 0) Another outstanding over from Lyon to finish, beating Silva on both the outside and inside edge, turning and bouncing the ball as much as you will see from a finger spinner in the first session of a Test Match. And with that maiden, it is the tea break. It being a day-night Test, we take the 20 minute interval now, dinner taken after the middle stanza. All told, a very good two hours for Australia after losing the toss, Cummins, Richardson and Lyon all into the book along the way. I’ll leave you now with Geoff Lemon to take the OBO through the next session. Catch you tomorrow!

















WICKET! Karunaratne c Paine b Lyon 24 (Sri Lanka 54-3)

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WICKET! Chandimal c Burns b Richardson 5 (Sri Lanka 31-2)

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WICKET! Thirimanne c Labuschagne b Cummins 12 (Sri Lanka 26-1)

























































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Sri Lanka batting first!













Welcome to the opening day of the First Test between Australia and Sri Lanka!

Hello from the Gabba! The good news for the players is that the stinging heat of yesterday has not been repeated for the opening afternoon of this two Test series, the temperature currently 30 degrees, with a tiny bit of cloud cover.

For the hosts, this could serve as the platform to a much better 2019, finding a way to win again. Alternatively, if they drop this series, it will be the worst possible result ahead of an away Ashes in August. As for the visitors, they have suffered from their own well-documented troubles over the last 12 months, keen here to find a way to salute in their first ever Test Match in this country.

In the middle, Kurtis Patterson and Jhye Richardson have just received their baggy greens from Mike Hussey and Damien Fleming. They are into the side along with home town booy Joe Burns, recalled for his first Test at home for 27 months.

We’re still none the wiser as to what Sri Lanka will do at the toss, blessed with quite a few options following a productive tour game at Hobart last week. But with big outs – Mathews and Pradeep – they go in as underdogs. To what extent the pink ball can level things up after dark, time will tell. More on that in a moment.

Geoff, JP and I are looking forward to your company throughout the week from Brisbane. How do you see this going? Drop me a line, send me a tweet.

This’ll get the blood pumping.

source: theguardian.com