Dilshan warms up for Tests with ton

Tillakaratne Dilshan warmed up for the Test series against Australia with a century as most of Sri Lanka's top-order batsmen spent some valuable time in the middle on the second day of their tour match in Canberra. After Scott Henry brought up a double-century for the Cricket Australia Chairman's XI, who declared at 6 for 439, the Sri Lankans moved their own total on to 4 for 276 by stumps on the second day of the three-day game.

Dilshan and Dimuth Karunaratne put on 105 for the opening wicket, a stand that ended when the young Western Australia spinner Ashton Turner had Karunaratne caught at mid-on for 40. Dilshan brought up his hundred shortly before tea and retired out to allow his captain Mahela Jayawardene to spend some time in the middle, along with Kumar Sangakkara.

Sangakkara made 55 before becoming a rare victim of the medium-pace of Usman Khawaja, who in 60 first-class matches has only claimed one wicket, that of the bowler Chris Duval. Khawaja trapped Sangakkara lbw and Jayawardene was caught and bowled by the offspinner Glenn Maxwell for 36, before Prasanna Jayawardene (24 not out) and Dinesh Chandimal (12 not out) took the Sri Lankans to stumps without any further damage.

The Chairman's XI had started the day at 4 for 390 and they added 49 to their overnight total for the loss of two more wickets. Their resumption allowed Henry, who is yet to post a first-class century, to bring up his double-hundred, an innings that ended only when the declaration came. Dhammika Prasad picked up both wickets of the morning for the Sri Lankans, Travis Head caught for 35 and Sam Whiteman caught and bowled for 4.