The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Australia settles into a position of strength

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Saturday, Nov 10, 2007
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Australia settles into a position of strength

Brisbane: Australia moved to a position of strength on the second day of the first Test at the Gabba on Friday. Replying to the host’s mammoth 551 for four declared, Sri Lanka was in trouble at 31 for two at stumps.

Pace spearhead Brett Lee consumed the experienced Sanath Jayasuriya and No. 3 Michael Vandort, both batsmen edging to wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist. Comeback man Marvan Atapattu (19 batting) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene (5 batting) will resume the innings on the pivotal Saturday.

Earlier, the fleet-footed Michael Clarke stroked an unbeaten 145 (249b, 13x4, 1x6).

The left-handed Michael Hussey mixed industrious batting with glimpses of flamboyance on the off-side during his 133 (249b, 13x4, 2x6). Clarke and Hussey added 245 for the fourth wicket, and then Andrew Symonds powered his way to a 61-ball 53 not out against a hapless Lankan attack.

Maiden hundred

Left-handed opener Phil Jaques kept a lid on his aggressive instinct initially to notch up a 203-ball 100 (13x4) on day one.

His maiden Test hundred was an innings of judicious stroke selection; once set he drove and pulled with panache.

Jaques and Matthew Hayden laid the platform after Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, influenced by spells of rain and cloud-cover, elected to field.

Hayden (43) was the dominant partner in a 69-run opening association before he attempted to loft left-arm paceman Chaminda Vaas over extra-cover and saw Muttiah Muralitharan, running with his back to the ball from mid-on, hold a stunning catch.

The score had moved to 183 when Sri Lanka struck again. Ricky Ponting’s innings of spanking cover-drives and ferocious pulls ended when he fell to a clever piece of bowling from Muralitharan.

Clever bowling

The off-spinning wizard switched to round the wicket, drew Ponting forward and beat him with the change of angle; `keeper Prasanna Jayawardene whipped off the bails. The delivery spun across the right-hander. The Aussie captain’s 56 had, however, provided the innings momentum.

Muralitharan bowled beautifully during this phase of the Australian innings, often spinning the ball away from the left-handed Hussey. Jacques was, eventually done in by the off-spinner’s flight and turn.

However, there was little support for the champion off-spinner.

Dilhara Fernando struggled to generate pace on a Gabba strip that always offers some assistance to pacemen. Worse, Fernando offered the batsmen width. Chaminda Vaas and Farvez Maharoof lacked penetration.

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