The wicketkeeper struck an entertaining 64 to save blushes for the visitors before they were bundled out for 144 at the Gabba on Thursday.

Unlike his tentative teammates, Dickwella backed himself on a bouncy Gabba deck to provide rare fight in a rollicking 78-ball knock.

He thrashed six fours but the undoubted highlight was an audacious six off left-arm quick Mitchell Starc.

Dickwella got down on one knee to produce a stunning ramp shot that soared over the Gabba ropes behind gobsmacked Australian keeper Tim Paine.

Opener Karunaratne admitted few could reproduce the shots that Dickwella unleashed in Brisbane, with the pink ball Test at times resembling the Big Bash League.

But Karunaratne demanded Sri Lanka replicate Dickwella's fight in a bid to stay alive in the first Test.

Australia were in control at stumps on day one at 2-72.

"We have to play like him, we have to play positively," he said.

"If we played like that we could easily have put a 200-plus score on the board.

"But he always plays like that and he has success with those shots."

The No.7 didn't hold back despite arriving at the crease with the visitors in all sorts at 5-66 after Sri Lanka won the toss.

He chanced his arm before steering tailender Dushmantha Chameera around in a 38-run ninth wicket stand to give Sri Lanka a chance at a competitive total.

Remarkably Dickwella scored all 38 runs in their partnership.

His luck finally ran out when he tried to tonk Pat Cummins (4-39) and was caught at midwicket by debutant Kurtis Patterson.

"He has a couple of shots that no others can play," said Karunaratne, Sri Lanka's second top-scorer with 24, of Dickwella.

"But he knows his game. We have to play like him."

Australian Associated Press