1st Test, Day 2, The Gabba

First innings: Sri Lanka – 144, Australia – 323

Second innings: Sri Lanka – 1/17   

Attendance -16,303

Australia’s century drought is set to go on after Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head were both dismissed in the eighties while Australia built a first innings lead of 179 runs.

In a sensational finish to day two, Pat Cummins had Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne caught behind with the final delivery of the night.

🚨 LAST BALL OF THE DAY, @patcummins30 🚨#AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/hoRSYsHN1h

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 25, 2019

Sri Lanka will resume at 1-17 still 162 runs in arrears of Australia’s first innings effort.

Australia was dismissed for 323, their second-highest total of the summer.

Travis Head (84) went closest to ending Australia’s century agony.

The South Australian was trapped LBW by Suranga Lakmal within sight of three figures. The Sri Lankan quick followed up very next ball by claiming Australian captain Tim Paine (0) for a first ball duck.

WICKET: Paine goes for a duck.

📺 Watch LIVE on Fox Cricket & 📰 join our match centre: https://t.co/WJDnHBlfXe #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/BTWdLwBbTp

— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) January 25, 2019

Labuschagne (80) also fell agonisingly short of a first Test ton when he was caught at short midwicket by Lahiru Thirimanne off the bowling of Dhananjaya de Silva.

His dismissal ended a 166 run partnership with Head.

It was a bittersweet day for Labuschagne, who batted well but came up short of the ton.

“I love playing here, it’s such a beautiful ground, playing in front of my family and friends. As a team, it was good to put a good performance on the board. Trav (Travis Head) batted beautifully and it was good to spend some time out there with him,” Labuschagne told Fox Cricket.

He admitted he missed a chance to post his maiden century.

“Absolutely. Both me and Trav would be fairly disappointed about not going on with it but we’ll keep working as hard as we can,” Labuschagne said.

Since Usman Khawaja’s century in October against Pakistan,  Australian batsman have played over 100  individual innings without a Test century being registered, an extraordinary triple figure famine not seen for over a hundred years.

Out of absolutely nowhere.

Labuschagne chips it straight to the short mid-wicket #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/hduGe03ADs

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 25, 2019

Debutant Kurtis Patterson (30) put together a painstaking inning across 80 deliveries which included three boundaries.

Earlier, Labushagne brought up his maiden Test half-century midway through the second session. The desperately needed green shoots of Australia’s cricket revival broke through for a second consecutive day following Jhye Richardson’s performance with the ball on day one.

Head soon followed with his fourth Test 50 as Australia’s total ticked over 200.

💯 partnership between @marnus3cricket & @travishead34! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/NOlheq5Gif

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 25, 2019

Earlier, opener Marcus Harris began the day with a solid platform to attempt Australia’s elusive first century of the summer, but fell short of his own expectations. He was caught in the gully after slashing a wide delivery from Lahiru Kumara straight to Lahiru Thirimanne in the first over of the day.

Well … that's not an ideal start 😶 #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/hUclzSuvrS

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 25, 2019

He’s not the only batsman who struggled.

Usman Khawaja (11) was dismissed just before stumps on day one, blowing an opportunity to re-set at the start of day two and compile a big total.

Khwaja’s summer has been a miserable one. Australia’s senior batsman had to overcome a knee injury he sustained in the series against Pakistan in the UAE in October and has just one half-century from his nine Test innings in this campaign (72 in the 2nd innings in Perth). He has produced a paltry 209 runs at an average of just 23.2.

They’re damning stats for Khawaja and just as troubling for Australian cricket in that the Queensland captain hasn’t been forced to return to domestic cricket to find form – simply because there is no one making a compelling case to take his spot.

Lakmhal, Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera were enjoying the conditions, getting the pink ball to hoop around and causing uncertainty for the Australian batsmen who at times resorted to flashing hard at anything lose in search of runs.

BIG let off for Travis Head as a chance goes down behind the wicket #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/ApkBTTnt4Q

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 25, 2019

Travis Head received a lifeline on 30 after the tea break when he edged a rising Lakmal delivery to Sri Lankan keeper Niroshan Dickwella who dropped the catch.

Sri Lankan paceman Lakmal took 5-75  in an impressive display with the pink ball. It was Lakmal’s fourth five-wicket haul in Test cricket but he alone couldn’t put the brakes on the Australians who were able to compile what’s shaping as a match-winning first innings lead.