Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green scored half-centuries as Australia moved into a strong position on a rain-affected day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Only 44 overs were bowled at the Galle International Stadium on Thursday after no play was possible in the morning session due to rain and high winds, which brought down the roof of a temporary stand.
The tourists made up for lost time after play got under way at 1.45pm local time, reaching 313-8 in reply to Sri Lanka's 212 all out when the umpires called stumps due to bad light.
The in-form Khawaja made a patient 71 and all-rounder Green struck an excellent 77, while Alex Carey scored a brisk 45 before Pat Cummins smashed an unbeaten 26 off only 16 balls.
Dhananjaya de Silva had Travis Head caught and bowled in the second over of the day and Australia were 157-5 when Khawaja became Jeffrey Vandersay's first Test victim.
Green and Carey then combined for an 84-run stand to put the tourists on top, scoring quickly as they swept with conviction in tricky conditions.
Dinesh Chandimal took an excellent catch running back from mid-off and Green finally fell leg before to Ramesh Mendis, the pick of the bowlers with 4-107, in the final session.
Captain Cummins provided a late flurry of runs to extend his side's lead to 101 at stumps, hitting two sixes in what proved to be the last over the day from Vandersay as Australia put themselves in a great position to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Khawaja purple patch continues
This was another assured knock from Khawaja, who made his 17th Test half-century at the top of the order in what has been a magnificent year for the left-hander.
After scoring two centuries, 91 and 44 not out in the series win over Pakistan, the 35-year-old took his tally of Test runs in 2022 to 822 at a staggering average of 117.42.
Green shows maturity
The 23-year-old Green was not required to bowl as Sri Lanka were dismissed on day one, but he made his mark with the bat.
He became the second-youngest player to score a Test half-century for Australia in Sri Lanka behind the late Phil Hughes (22y 290d in September 2011). Green scored found the rope six times in a composed knock.
Windwards Volcanoes restrict Barbados Pride to 28-3 at stumps on day three chasing 236 for victory at Queen’s Park Oval
The Windward Islands Volcanoes will enter Saturday’s day four of their final round fixture against the Barbados Pride seven wickets away from a possible title-clinching win after restricting the Pride to 28-3 chasing 236 for victory at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The Volcanoes recovered excellently to make 225 off 73.2 overs after starting the day 14-4 with Kavem Hodge and Sunil Ambris at the wicket on four and zero, respectively.
The recovery effort was led by Ambris thanks to a crucial 141-ball 79 including nine fours and a six while pacer Ryan John and wicketkeeper Tevyn Walcott made valuable contributions of 37* and 35, respectively.
Jomel Warrican took 4-58 for the Pride while Akeem Jordan and Jair McAllister took two wickets, each.
Chasing 236 for victory, the Pride were 28-3 off 17 overs at stumps with Jonathan Drakes (9) and Chaim Holder (0) at the crease.
If the Windwards Volcanoes win and the Guyana Harpy Eagles lose to the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, the Volcanoes could lift the title.
T&T Red Force crush Jamaica Scorpions by nine wickets at Torouba
In the battle between bottom-placed teams, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force crushed Jamaica Scorpions by nine wickets with more than a day to spare in their West Indies Championships match at Torouba on Friday.
Needing 99 for victory, after dismissing the Scorpions for 275, TT Red Force cruised to 102-1 in 24.2 overs. Vikash Mohan was unbeaten on 44 and Darren Bravo 14 when victory was achieved. Kamil Pooran was the batsman dismissed for 39 by Jermaine Blackwood.
Bottom-of-the-table Jamaica had resumed from their overnight score of 199-5 with Abhijai Mansingh on 10 and Aldane Thomas seven when play began. The pair would add a further 53 to their overnight stand of eight but were dismissed in quick succession by Shannon Gabriel for 32 and 39, respectively.
The dismissals triggered a slide that saw the hapless Scorpions lose their last four wickets for just 23 runs slipping from 252-6 to 275 all out.
Gabriel ended with figures of 2-52. Imran Khan claimed the last three wickets - Jeavor Royal, Ojay Shields and Marquino Mindley - to finish with 4-47. Anderson Phillip took 2-46 and Bryan Charles 2-75.
Titans edge IPL season opener as Gaikwad's knock proves fruitless
Ruturaj Gaikwad's stunning knock was not enough as Chennai Super Kings suffered a five-wicket loss to reigning Indian Premier League champions Gujarat Titans in Friday's thrilling season opener.
Gaikwad scored 92 from 50 balls at Narendra Modi Stadium, tallying up the third-highest score in an IPL season opener, after Brendon McCullum's 158 in 2008 and Rohit Sharma's 98 in 2015.
The Super Kings reached 178-7 from their 20 overs, with captain MS Dhoni hitting an unbeaten 14 from seven balls in the closing stages of their innings.
Titans debutant Kane Williamson suffered a knee injury while fielding and was unable to bat, but Gujarat made a strong start, reaching 37 from the first 23 deliveries before Wriddhiman Saha succumbed to Rajvardhan Hangargekar (3-36).
Shubman Gill (63) expertly anchored the innings, though Chennai looked well placed to push on for victory when Tushar Deshpande dismissed the opener in the 15th over, following on from Sai Sudharsan and Hardik Pandya losing their wickets.
Their chances of victory looked greater still when the dangerous Vijay Shankar (27 from 21) was brilliantly caught out by Mitchell Santner, leaving the Titans requiring 30 from 18 balls.
Yet an expensive over from Deepak Chahar saw Rashid Khan add 10 runs in the space of two deliveries, and similar slackness from Hangargekar enabled Rahul Tewatia to seal victory.
Gaikwad and Gill the stars of the show
Gaikwad's exceptional 92 came at a strike rate of 184. His knock included nine sixes, with a further four shots hitting the rope.
Gill, though, provided the steady pair of hands needed to help push the Titans to victory. His 63 came at a S/R of 175, the second-highest in IPL history (minimum 25 runs).
Ton up for Shami
It was the Super Kings' death bowling that let them down, and they will rue an opportunity missed to claim their first win over the Titans.
The champions' bowlers did not perform brilliantly either, but Mohammed Shami's 2-29 saw him move onto 101 IPL wickets. He is the 15th Indian and 19th bowler overall to reach that milestone.
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