Dimuth Karunaratne strode to the crease to start his 100th and last test match after Sri Lanka won the toss Thursday and elected to bat against Australia.
After an embarrassing defeat by an innings and 242 runs in the first test – Sri Lanka’s worst loss in test cricket – the hosts made three lineup changes in a bid to bounce back in Galle and level the two-match series.
Australia made one lineup change, giving a test debut to 21-year-old Cooper Connolly, a batting allrounder from Western Australia who bowls left-arm orthodox spin, at the expense of Todd Murphy.
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The game holds special significance as it marks the farewell test for 36-year-old opener Karunaratne, who amassed 7,172 runs in his first 99 test matches.