RECAP: Australia in command as Steve Smith and Alex Carey post unbeaten centuries on day two

Interesting move after Dhananjaya De Silva didn’t bowl in the first Test instead letting is four bowlers bowl marathon spells.

Reports say he had a side strain.

He beats Khawaja’s outside edge with one that holds its line.

Khawaja whips a single off his pads for the only run of the over.

Lahiru Kumara with the ball with Head on strike.

He’s off the mark straight away chopping down a cut to point.

Khawaja is off the mark next ball with a drop and run single into the onside.

Head repeats the strike for another single. Both players playing off the back foot with some low bounce.

CLOSE. Head gets four but he’s lucky not to be out as a leading edge flies past gully to the boundary.

Very lucky to get away with that.

At 1/93 they may be disappointed with that but after falling to 6/150 they will be please they managed to graft out another 100-plus runs with the tail.

This pitch is still ok but is showing signs of sharp turn, Travis Head only bats in one mode in these conditions so expect fireworks one way or another.

Remember Australia will have to bat last on this deck and any chase above 150 could be very difficult.

Mendis has been trusting Kumara against the spin but Kuhnemann has been more dangerous this morning.

He fiddles at one that doesn’t spin back as far as he was anticipating and Webster takes an excellent catch low at second slip.

Mendis leaves unbeaten for an excellent 85 guiding Sri Lanka to 257 with the last pair putting on 33 runs.

Kuhnemann finishes with an excellent 3/63 off his 33 overs over to the batters to see how they fair on this deck.

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Lyon is convinced Mendis has gloved this down leg sie to Carey.

Mendis seems to think he has too but theirs nothing on ultra edge and they have to walk back to the middle after everyone thought it was out!

Earlier Mendis had swept four and then gets another with Lyon trying to bowl outside leg stump.

He sweeps again to retain the strike with a single as they pass 250.

Poor bowling from Australia.

Inglis is still off the field so scratch what I said earlier.

Mendis moves to 73 with some slog sweep with Australia bowling some junk this morning with Lyon particularly poor and unable to find a line.

This partnership now worth 21 runs.

FOUR. More valuable runs as Mendis nails the cover drive and beats the field for a boundary.

He takes the single off the third ball trusting Kumara to survive spin.

They crowd the bat but he survives.

SL 9/239

Mendis is on strike with Lyon to open the bowling.

Picked up the first three wickets on day one before Starc took over.

First ball is down leg and left alone.

The next two are defended into gaps but Mendis will not take any singles.

FOUR. Drifts down leg and swept for four.

Good running. Mendis works it to short fine but Jumara had set off immediately and they scramble the single to take strike.

Sri Lanka’s batting coach believed his side should’ve been targeting 350 but given the modest returns from their batting line-up in recent times that was always going to be a tall order.

The consensus seems to be 250 is a competitive total given how this pitch is expected to break up and that will be the target for Mendis this morning.

Good afternoon and welcome to day two in Galle were Australia will be hoping to wrap up Sri Lanka’s innings quickly and get batting before the pitch breaks up more.

They only need one more wicket but Kusal Mendis is 59 not out and aiming to add as many runs as he can.

In good news Josh Inglis will return to the field after missing half of yesterday with back tightness.

It means he’ll have to wait an equivalent amount of time before he can bat.

We’ve got just over 15 minutes before the first ball..