After resuming on 384-4 Australia declared their first innings closed after lunch, with Patterson, in just his second test innings, unbeaten on 114 and captain Tim Paine 45 not out.Sri Lanka’s left-handed opening pair of Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne held off Australia’s attack for just under an hour before the tea interval and took the touring side to 47 without loss.
Karunaratne was on 29 and Thirimanne 17 at tea.Mitchell Starc, who nabbed 15 wickets in five tests during the India series and opener against Sri Lanka, has come in for criticism for some wayward bowling and while he was regularly clocking over 150 kph during his opening spell of four overs the Australia pace spearhead once again lacked direction.
The home side have struggled with the bat recently, Usman Khawaja’s 141 against Pakistan last October the only hundred by an Australian batsman since they thrashed England at home, but they have three centurions in Canberra already.After hundreds from Joe Burns and Travis Head on the first day, the 25-year-old Patterson, who made his debut in Brisbane, looked untroubled against a second-string Sri Lanka attack that has lost three pace bowlers to injuries.
Sri Lanka’s seamers started with a tight line and length under overcast conditions and got an early reward in an eventful sixth over of the morning from Kasun Rajitha.
Patterson, who was dropped on the first delivery he faced on Friday, started with a confident pulled boundary before overnight centurion Burns picked up his first four of the day with an on drive.
But two balls later a moment of indecision cost Burns his wicket as well as the chance to score Australia’s first double hundred since former skipper Steve Smith’s 239 against England in Perth in December 2017.
Burns added eight to his overnight score before playing on to his stumps for 180.
Patterson and Paine then continued to plunder runs at will with an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 130.
Patterson hit Chamika Karunaratne through the covers to pick up three runs to get to his century, smacking 14 fours and a six in his knock.
Editing by Greg Stutchbury/Peter Rutherford
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SPORTS NEWSFEBRUARY 1, 2019 / 7:50 PM / UPDATED 16 HOURS AGO
Cricket: Sri Lanka's Karunaratne learns lesson in eventful test debut
Sudipto Ganguly
3 MIN READ
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Chamika Karunaratne made an eventful debut with a wicket in his first over in test cricket against Australia on Friday, but the all-rounder soon got a taste of what it takes to succeed at the top level.
The 22-year-old, who arrived in Canberra early on Thursday morning, got a call to join the squad for the second and final test against Australia as a replacement for paceman Lahiru Kumara, who had to return home due to injury ahead of the match at the Manuka Oval.
Karunaratne looked unlikely to win his first Sri Lanka cap but was drafted into the playing team after fast bowler Suranga Lakmal failed to recover from a stiff back.
He could not have hoped for a better start to his test career, however, when he dismissed Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for six with his fourth delivery.
That dismissal reduced Australia to 28-3 after the hosts had won the toss and opted to bat.
Yet Sri Lanka did not have much joy during the rest of the opening day as Joe Burns and Travis Head then smashed big hundreds and forged a mammoth fourth-wicket stand of 308 to help Australia reach 384-4 at the close.
Karunaratne was milked for 87 runs in his 14 overs with no further success in the day.
“The ball was moving around a little bit in the morning,” Karunaratne told reporters. “After the first session it got flatter and slow. The areas we bowled were short and we need to rectify that. We bowled a boundary ball every over.
“I gave away too much runs and am not happy with it. It wasn’t my best. I am hoping to do better tomorrow.
“Inexperience was an issue but we cannot give excuses. When you’re representing your country you have to give a hundred percent. You can’t say it’s because of inexperience.”
Karunaratne took a roundabout route to test-level cricket as the sport was not his first love.
The Colombo-born cricketer is the youngest of four siblings who has represented Sri Lanka in badminton.
“Three years ago I was a national number two,” he said. “All my family has played badminton, I am the youngest in the family. Yeah, badminton is my first sport.”
