Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis achieved a remarkable milestone on Thursday by scoring the fastest century by an Australian on Test debut, and the second-fastest overall, during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Inglis, who has previously played 26 ODIs and 29 T20Is for Australia, entered the match at number five. He made an immediate impact by hitting a four off his very first delivery and continued to dominate the bowlers.
He reached his half-century in a mere 51 balls, hitting five fours, and completed his century in just 90 balls, which included 10 fours and a six, setting a new record for the fastest century by an Australian on debut.
The record for the fastest Test century on debut is held by former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored a century in 87 balls against Australia in 2013, surpassing Dwayne Smith's 93-ball century for the West Indies against South Africa in 2004, according to Wisden.
Inglis finished with a total of 102 runs off 94 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six, achieving a strike rate of 108.51. This strike rate is the highest among all Test debutants, surpassing Shikhar's strike rate of 107.47 during his 174-ball innings of 187 against Australia.
In the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. A strong opening partnership of 92 runs between Usman Khawaja and Travis Head (who scored 57 off 40 balls, including 10 fours and a six) set a solid foundation for the team. Steve Smith also made history by becoming the fourth Australian to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket, with contributions from both him and Khawaja leading Australia to a strong position at 330/2 by the end of day one.
The following day, Sri Lanka faced continued challenges as Australian batters relentlessly piled on the runs. The spin bowling trio of Prabath Jayasuriya (3/193), Jeffrey Vandersay (3/182), and Nishan Peiris (0/189) appeared to be in a state of despair. Vandersay dismissed Smith, who scored 141 off 251 balls, including 12 fours and two sixes, after the team surpassed the 400-run threshold. Khawaja, meanwhile, transformed his century into a remarkable double hundred, finishing with 232 runs from 352 balls, featuring 16 fours and a six. On his Test debut, Josh Inglis made an impressive contribution with a quickfire 102 off 94 balls, hitting 10 fours and a six, which propelled Australia past the 600-run mark.
Additional support came from Alex Carey (46*), Beau Webster (23), and Mitchell Starc (19*), allowing Australia to declare at 654/6, marking their highest-ever score in Asia, surpassing the previous record of 617 runs set against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1980.
In their first innings, Sri Lanka struggled early, losing their top order and finishing the day at 44/3, with Kamindu Mendis (13*) and Dinesh Chandimal (9*) remaining not out.
