Sri Lanka v Australia quick hits: Steve Smith breaks more records while Marnus Labuschagne fails as Josh Inglis is forced to wait – ABC News

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By Chris De Silva
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Topic:Cricket
Inglis arrived late, Smith carried on, and Labuschagne failed again. (Getty/AP)
Steve Smith broke more records as the man once dubbed his protege, Marnus Labuschagne, edged closer to being dropped. Meanwhile, Josh Inglis was on the wrong end of one of Test cricket's little-known rules.
Here are the quick hits from day two of the second Test in Galle.
Marnus Labuschagne's Test career has to be hanging by a thread.
Australia's number three was lucky to retain his spot in the side after being the only batter to struggle in the first Test.
Labuschagne started his innings well with a boundary off his first ball, but that would be his only scoring shot.
The right-hander found himself up against Prabath Jayasuriya a few balls later and was all at sea.
Marnus Labuschagne was forced to watch his own fate unfold on the big screen after Sri Lanka reviewed a not out call. (AP Photo: Eranga Jayawardena)
Jayasuriya got one to skid on with the arm and Labuschagne's bat wasn't even in the same area code as he was struck in front of middle stump on the back leg.
Incredibly, umpire Adrian Holdstock immediately gave the decision not out.
Jayasuriya was left in disbelief after the not out call and implored his captain to send it upstairs.
Labuschagne leaned on his bat handle hoping against hope that the ball would be projected to miss the leg stump, but instead saw the dreaded three reds and had to walk off.
Nathan McSweeney and Sean Abbott spent a lot of time in the field on day one, and after play we found out why.
Josh Inglis had been cut down by back spasms and couldn't field. He was limbering up before play and between innings on day two, but still was not allowed to bat in his listed position at number five due to the amount of time he'd spent off the ground during Sri Lanka's innings.
It was revealed that Inglis would not be able to bat any time before 1.27pm local time.
Josh Inglis had been off the field too long to come in at number five, as listed. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
At around 12.55pm, Inglis made his way gingerly down the steps in full kit alongside assistant coaches Daniel Vettori and Andre Borovec, only to see Usman Khawaja fall shortly afterwards, meaning Alex Carey was promoted ahead of him.
As Carey and Steve Smith put together a monster partnership, Inglis was forced to wait and wait and wait, as he did in the first Test when Smith and Khawaja put on a 266-run partnership.
The second-gamer's selection was a curious one considering questions over his fitness, perhaps shedding more light on the selection of batter Cooper Connolly.
Steve Smith's first run in Sri Lanka took him to 10,000 Test runs. On day one in the second Test he went past Ricky Ponting as Australia's safest pair of hands in the field with his 197th catch in his 116th Test, passing Ponting who took 196 in 168.
Then, on day two in the second Test, Smith passed another milestone.
When he worked Nishan Peiris down the ground for his 27th run, Smith went to 1,890 runs from 42 Tests in Asia to become Australia's greatest Test run-scorer on the continent.
Steve Smith played another dominant innings in Sri Lanka as he put Australia in the driver's seat on day two. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
Once again, he got there faster than Ponting (48 Tests) for another special moment in his impressive career.
Later in the day, he also passed Allan Border for the Australian record for Test tons in Asia, with his seventh in yet another imperious batting performance.
After looking like he was in a potentially career-ending form slump late last year, Smith is now humming, having scored four centuries in his last five Test matches.
Australia truly took control of this Test match with a monster partnership between Alex Carey and Smith in the final two sessions.
Carey came out to bat at number five due to Josh Inglis needing to spend a certain amount of time off the field, and Australia was in a perilous position, having just lost Usman Khawaja.
However, Carey's arrival at the crease breathed life into Australia's batting effort.
Steve Smith was seeing it well enough to play a shot he rarely employs: the reverse sweep. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
The left-hander repeatedly deployed sweeps and reverse sweeps against Sri Lanka's spinners, who failed to adjust accordingly.
To make matters worse for Sri Lanka, Carey's sweeping seemed to be contagious as Smith started ripping out his own sweeps and reverses, a shot that isn't really in his arsenal.
It's been a disappointing series for Sri Lanka, and the struggles continued for the home side on day two.
Sri Lanka started well enough with the ball, with Nishan Peiris and Prabath Jayasuriya ripping out Australia's top three.
But as Smith and Carey built their partnership in the final two sessions, Sri Lanka's bad habits from the first test resurfaced.
Sri Lanka's spinners all struggled to keep a lid on the scoring rate as Alex Carey and Steve Smith piled on the runs. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
Jayasuriya resorted to his negative leg stump lines, and Dhananjaya de Silva's bowling changes went from being proactive to reactive.
After bowling just four bowlers in the first Test, Dhananjaya opted to use himself and Kamindu Mendis here, but once again alienated his lone paceman.
Lahiru Kumara bowled just four overs, coming via two two-over spells, as Australia put itself on track for a massive win once again.
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