Green and Carey lead Australia to lead of 22 at tea on day 2

Cameron Green and Alex Carey propelled Australia 22 runs ahead of Sri Lanka at tea on the second day of the first test at Galle Stadium on Thursday.Usman Khawaja scored 71 then Green and Carey combined for 76 to push Australia from 98-3 overnight to 233-5 in reply to Sri Lankas 212 all out.Play commenced on the second day only after the entire morning session and one hour of the middle session were lost because of heavy wind and rain.Australia lost overnight batsman Travis Head for 6 with just two more runs added to the total.

Cameron Green and Alex Carey propelled Australia 22 runs ahead of Sri Lanka at tea on the second day of the first test at Galle Stadium on Thursday.

Usman Khawaja scored 71 then Green and Carey combined for 76 to push Australia from 98-3 overnight to 233-5 in reply to Sri Lanka's 212 all out.

Play commenced on the second day only after the entire morning session and one hour of the middle session was lost because of heavy wind and rain.

Australia lost overnight batsman Travis Head for 6 with just two more runs added to the total. Offspinner Dhananjaya de Silva struck in his first ball bowling the second over of the day when Head tried to force a ball pitching on leg stump on the on the side. He found a leading-edge, instead, for a return catch, which de Silva held brilliantly diving to his right.

Khawaja and Green used their feet against sharp turn and bounce, easily making singles and doubles while rotating the strike. The ploy brought success on a pitch where the defense didn't seem a wise option with close catchers around the bat. They added 57 runs for the fifth wicket before legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay got his first wicket in his first test. Khawaja was caught at square leg by Pathum Nissanka.

Khawaja's 17th test half-century came in his 50th match. He faced 130 deliveries and hit seven boundaries.

At tea, Green was 48 not out and Carey on 43.

Offspinner Ramesh Mendis didn't have a wicket on Thursday but the Australians were struggling to score against him. Mendis wasn't getting help from the other end, though, to maintain pressure on the visitors. The play was not possible until after the scheduled lunch break. Umpires, after inspecting the field, rescheduled the start of play for 1:45 pm. local time with the number of overs for the day reduced to 59. AP NRB NRB