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The much-anticipated first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia began on January 29, 2025, at the iconic Galle International Cricket Stadium. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first in a match that promised plenty of drama, with a historic milestone on the horizon for one of the visitors’ key players, Steve Smith.
Australia’s solid start and early drama
The Australian innings began with Usman Khawaja and Travis Head opening the batting. The duo set a strong foundation for the𓃲ir team, with Head taking a particularly aggressive approach. He struck three boundaries in the first over itself, immediately p🦹utting Sri Lanka on the back foot. Sri Lanka missed a major opportunity when they failed to review what seemed like a plumb LBW against Head earlier in his innings.
Meanwhile, Kha🧸waja remained solid at the other end, continuing to play well and dispatching the bad balls for boundarie🌃s. However, the first breakthrough came when Head was dismissed at 57 runs off just 40 balls featuring 10 fours and a six.
Soon, Marnus Labuschagne, who was struggling against the impressive Jeffrey Vandersay, was dismissed for 20 after being undone by the le💙g-spinner’s clever bowlin🐽g.
Also READ: Key facts about Kam𒐪indu Mendis: The rising star of Sri Lankan cricket
Steve Smith raises his bat after scoring his first run
With Australia losing Labuschagne, in walked Smith, the stand-in captain for this Test. Smith faced his first delivery from Prabath Jayasuriya, and as soon as he took a quick single to get off the mark, he raised his bat in celebration. This moment was not just a c🌠asual acknowledgment of a run; it was a milestone in his career.
Reason behind Smith’s celebration
The reason for his celebration was that this single brought him to 10,000 runs in Test cricket, a remarkable achievement that only a few players in history have reached. Smith’s effort was met with a huge ovation from the crowd at Galle, and the Australian team members were also seen applauding the achievement.
Here is the video:
There it is!
Steve Smi෴th is the fourth Australian to reach 10,000 Test ru✤ns 🙌
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket)