Sri Lanka dominates day two in Galle as Australia struggles to unearth breakthroughs

Alex Carey's wife told the Aussie wicketkeeper to put away the reverse sweep, a bit of advice he probably shouldn't have ignored.

Sri Lanka's top-order has frustrated the Australian bowling attack on day two of the second Test in Galle, with only two wickets falling on Saturday afternoon.

After the visitors registered a first-innings total of 364, Sri Lanka knocked off half of the deficit in two-and-a-bit sessions with the loss of only two wickets.

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Australia was in a commanding position at stumps on day one, but the Sri Lankans fought back in the morning session by claiming the final five wickets in quick succession.

Sri Lankan debutant Prabath Jayasuriya finished with figures of 6/118, becoming only the third Sri Lankan to take a six-wicket haul on Test debut.

Mitchell Starc snared an early breakthrough for Australia by removing Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka for 6, with all-rounder Cameron Green claiming a smart catch at gully.

But then Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and No. 3 batter Kusal Mendis combined for a marathon 152-run stand to thwart the Aussies.

However, Karunaratne fell agonisingly short of a 15th Test century, with Queensland leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson trapping him on the front pad for 86.

Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka. Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Sri Lanka was 2/184 at stumps on day two, still trailing Australia by 180 runs. Mendis remains unbeaten on 84 with veteran Angelo Mathews at the other end on 6.

Locals were barred from watching the Test from the ramparts of Galle Fort, but that didn’t stop peaceful protesters gathering on the iconic landmark’s walls and outside the venue.

Sri Lanka’s economy has collapsed after years of macroeconomic mismanagement by the ruling Rajapaksa family, resulting in severe food, fuel and electricity shortages.

Australian captain Pat Cummins posted about the tragedy just hours before the start of play and shared a link to support Unicef's humanitarian projects in Sri Lanka.