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Sri Lanka vs Australia quick hits: Usman Khawaja and Josh Inglis help break records as Nishan Peiris claims unwanted slice of history

Usman Khawaja, Josh Inglis and Nishan Peiris

Usman Khawaja and Josh Inglis had vastly better days than Nishan Peiris. (Getty/AP)

Usman Khawaja and Josh Inglis helped Australia into the record books, while Nishan Peiris set a record he'd like to forget.

Here are the quick hits from day two of the first Test in Galle.

1. Umpires continue to have a rough time

Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva copped plenty of flak for not choosing to review two decisions that would have been out on day one. 

First, Travis Head should have been out lbw on 23, but was given not out, with replays later showing the ball from Asitha Fernando would have crashed into middle and off stump.

Usman Khawaja later received a reprieve when he was on 74 when he was given not out off a caught behind appeal, with replays showing a clear edge. 

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However, lost in the discussion was the fact that both not out decisions were downright average from the umpires.

The rub of the green didn't go Sri Lanka's way on day three either, when a massive lbw call against Steve Smith was given not out by South African umpire Adrian Holdstock.

This time, Dhananjaya opted to send the call upstairs, and DRS showed the ball would have been crashing into the top of off stump. 

It was a bizarre not out call to begin with considering Smith got struck on the back length right on the off stump line, but common sense prevailed in the end.

2. Usman Khawaja sets a new Australian record

It was a momentous morning of play for Usman Khawaja as he continued on his merry way to begin day two.

After returning to the crease unbeaten on 147, Khawaja ticked along effortlessly, bringing up his maiden Test double-century moments before lunch.

Khawaja's double was the first by an Australian in a Test match played in Sri Lanka, beating the previous highest score set by Justin Langer, who scored 166 in 2004.

Usman Khawaja raises his bat and helmet in celebration

Usman Khawaja brought up the first double-century of his Test career in the morning session on day two in Galle. (AP Photo: Eranga Jayawardena)

The knock continued Khawaja's dominance in Asian conditions, where Australian batters have traditionally struggled.

The century against Sri Lanka was Khawaja's fifth in 17 Tests played in Asia. He is the only Australian player to have scored Test centuries in Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan (as well as the UAE).

Khawaja has scored a Test century in every country he has played in outside of Bangladesh, where he has just one innings, and South Africa.

His 232 was also the third-highest Test score by an Australian in Asia, behind Greg Chappell's 235 in Faisalabad in 1980 and Mark Taylor's 334 in Peshawar 27 years ago.

3. Inglis joins the party with a century on debut

Josh Inglis had to wait 29 years for his Test debut, so sitting padded up for the entirety of day one after receiving his cap was no big deal.

When he finally got out there after the wicket of Steve Smith early on day two, Inglis clipped his first ball for four and carried on in that fashion.

In reaching 50 off 51 balls, he became the third Australian batter to make a half-century on Test debut this summer — after Sam Konstas in Melbourne and Beau Webster in Sydney.

Josh Inglis raises his bat and helmet in celebration

Josh Inglis scored a brilliant century on Test debut as Australia drove home its advantage on day two against Sri Lanka. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)

He was given out LBW to Nishan Peiris, but a canny review found a faint bottom edge on his reverse sweep, allowing Joel Wilson to overturn the dismissal and Inglis to continue batting on.

Mixing power and accumulation, Inglis looked in total control of the Sri Lankan spinners, motoring to a century in his maiden Test innings.

He is the first Australian man to reach three figures on debut since Adam Voges against the West Indies in 2015.

Unfortunately, moments after crossing the three-figure mark, Inglis was caught for 102 after a leading edge off Prabath Jayasuriya.

4. How good is Australia's total?

As Usman Khawaja, Josh Inglis et al batted for the majority of day two, records tumbled all over the place.

Prior to this Test, Australia had never reached 600 in Sri Lanka. It hadn't scored that many in a Test match since the Ashes in 2018. It hadn't happened away from home since Cardiff in 2009. It hadn't happened in Asia since 1980.

On that day in Faisalabad, Greg Chappell's 235 led the Aussies to 617 all out. This time around, Usman Khawaja's 232, aided by centuries for Steve Smith and Josh Inglis, took Australia to 6-654 declared.

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The score was Australia's highest in Asia, and ninth-highest away from home, the highest being Australia's overall record score of 8-758 made against the West Indies in Kingston in 1955.

Experts expected a spin-friendly pitch in Galle for this Test match, but other than the odd delivery which misbehaved, batting was pretty easy for the Australians.

Perhaps that played into Steve Smith's decision not to declare until the final hour of play on day two. 

5. Nishan Peiris notches the worst Test figures for a Sri Lankan

It was an innings to forget for all of Sri Lanka's bowlers, but no one had a tougher time of it than Nishan Peiris.

The off-spinner, playing in only his second Test match, finished with figures of 0-189 off 41 overs.

Peiris's figures were the worst by a Sri Lankan in Test history, with no bowler having ever conceded more runs for Sri Lanka without taking a wicket.

Nishan Peiris gets down on one knee for an appeal

Nishan Peiris had a nightmare outing against Australia in the first innings. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)

He would have been to avoid this unwanted slice of history if not for a DRS call during the middle session.

Peiris thought he'd finally gotten a breakthrough when he skidded a ball past Josh Inglis's sweep attempt and struck the debutant on the pads in front of middle stump.

The umpire raised the finger but Inglis immediately sent the decision upstairs to Joel Wilson.

After multiple replays, Wilson called for snicko and Inglis was revealed to have gotten a little under-edge on the ball.