Smith and Khawaja break 46-year record with mammoth stand v Sri Lanka

Smith and Khawaja put on 266 batting together across days one and two of the match, putting Australia in prime position. The two came together two overs before Lunch on day one after Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed by Jeffrey Vandersay for 20. He was the second wicket to fall in the session, new opener Travis Head having skied a ball from Prabath Jayasuriya to Dinesh Chandimal in the 15th over of the day.

Khawaja's brilliant run in Aisa continues

From there, the two senior batters stamped their authority on the innings. Smith scored his 10,000th Test match run off the first ball he faced, after finishing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy one run short of the milestone. Khawaja, who had already reached 50 by the time Smith came to the crease, reached his century midway through the afternoon session off 135 balls. It was his fifth hundred in Asia, all of which have come since he was recalled to the Test side in 2022.

Smith, who is standing in as captain for the series with Pat Cummins away on paternity leave and carrying an ankle injury, reached his own century in the evening session. It's his third Test century in four matches after he made up for an 18 month hundred drought in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Whose partnership record did Smith-Khawaja break?

When the pair's partnership continued into the morning of day two, they made their way up a number of record lists. The most notable of those was the record for the biggest third-wicket partnership for Australia in men's Tests in Asia, which was held by Allan Border and Kim Hughes since 1979. The pair overtook that however, surpassing Border and Hughes' 222 to reach 266 before Smith was dismissed.

They also reached fifth on the list of all-time third-wicket partnerships for Australia in men's Tests.

Smith was trapped lbw by Vandersay before Lunch on day two for 141. Khawaja, however, reached a double-century before Lunch, becoming the first Australia player to score a double-hundred in Sri Lanka. It was also his first 200 plus score, his previous best having been 195* against South Africa in Sydney in 2023.

Full list: Biggest third-wicket partnership for Australia in Asia

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