Berliner Boersenzeitung - Smith joins 10,000 club as Australia start strong in first Test

The tourists opted to bat with openers Travis Head, who smashed a rapid-fire 57, and Usman Khawaja (65 not out) off to a blazing start in the first of two Tests in Galle.

Head, promoted to the top of the order in place of teenager Sam Konstas for his ability against spin, attacked early to put Sri Lanka on the back foot.

The left-hander regularly found the boundary ropes, forcing the hosts to abandon their tight field settings and spread out in an effort to curb his free-flowing hits.

Sri Lanka missed a trick when they chose not to review a leg-before appeal against Head when he was on 23, a decision they would soon rue.

Head brought up his fifty off just 35 balls and smashed 10 fours and one six in his 40-ball knock.

The 92-run opening stand was finally broken when Head took on Prabath Jayasuriya but failed to clear the fielder at long-on.

Sri Lanka struck again just before lunch with Jeffrey Vandersay, making his Test comeback after two years, removing Marnus Labuschagne for 20, caught at first slip.

Smith strode to the crease with 9,999 runs and calmly nudged his very first delivery to mid-on for a single.

He became the 15th batsman to 10,000 Test runs and only the fourth Australian to achieve the feat after Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

Sri Lanka squandered a golden opportunity to send back the Australia skipper when Jayasuriya spilled a return catch in the same over.

Not a single maiden over was bowled in the entire 32-over session –- a telling sign of Sri Lanka's struggles on a surface that is expected to deteriorate as the match progresses.

(S.G.Stein--BBZ)