Lee leaves Sri Lanka in tatters

Lee leaves Sri Lanka in tatters

SECOND TEST MATCH, Hobart (day three, stumps):
Australia 542-5d & 111-1 v Sri Lanka 246

Match scorecard

Lee's pace was enough to cause Sri Lanka's innings to unravel

Brett Lee cut a swathe through Sri Lanka's batting as the tourists were all out for 246 in reply to Australia's 542 in the second Test in Hobart.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene hit his first Test century against Australia but his effort was feebly supported.

Australia then chose not to enforce the follow-on, and moved to 111-1 at stumps on day three, for a lead of 407.

Lee took 4-82 before Phil Jaques continued his excellent form in the series to be unbeaten on 53.

Sri Lanka began Sunday's play on 30-0, but the tone was set when Lee removed Michael Vandort's middle stump after just 11 runs had been added.

The other opener, Marvan Atapattu, soon followed when attempting an ambitious shot and edging Lee to Michael Clarke in the gully.

Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara put on 53 for the third wicket, but needed much more than that.

Their partnership came to an end when Sangakkara, on 57, flayed Mitchell Johnson through the off-side, only to be caught by Michael Hussey at backward point.

The innings unravelled quickly as first Stuart MacGill got in on the act by defeating Sanath Jayasuriya's sweep and then having Chamara Silva caught behind.

Prasanna Jayawardene fell for a duck before the injured Farveez Maharoof, batting with a runner, was run out following a terrible mix-up.

That exposed the tail, and the captain was forced to go for his shots. He was last man out for 104.

Jayawardene's ton was a crumb of consolation for Sri Lanka

He had played MacGill particularly well, hitting most of his boundaries off the leg-spinner.

Australia batted quickly in their second innings, and lost only Matthew Hayden, lbw to Muttiah Muralitharan for 33.

It was his 704th Test wicket and left him just four wickets adrift of Shane Warne's world record.

The Sri Lankans, down to just three frontline bowlers because of Maharoof's ankle injury, posed little threat to Australia.

Afterwards, Lee was happy to explain why Ricky Ponting had elected against enforcing the follow-on.

He said: "When they were about eight wickets down Ricky said that we would have a bat.

"It's just the fact that it was back-to-back Tests and back-to-back innings as well.

"The bowlers have all pulled up brilliantly after this first innings but it's a precaution to make sure the bowlers are all looked after, go home and have a good night's sleep and come back tomorrow at some stage."

Jayawardene said: "Unfortunately, we still haven't got that hunger for victory. We need to bring that out in ourselves.

"As a team, we need to focus more. We've been pushed to the wall now.

"There's nowhere else for us to go, except to push them back."

The Aussies are on course to notch a 14th Test win on the bounce, the sequence beginning against South Africa in Melbourne in December 2005.

They hold the record of most successive Test wins with 16 under the captaincy of Steve Waugh from October 1999 to February 2001.

Warne and Murali deny falling out

Warne and Murali deny falling out

Warne and Muralitharan now have a trophy named in their honour

Cricket spin bowlers Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan have both denied that there is a rift between them.

Muralitharan had called Warne "a miserable man" but said he made the comments after falsely believing Warne had cast doubts on his bowling action.

But Muralitharan said: "We talked to each other and we patched up, it was a mis-communication more than anything."

Australian Warne added: "I have got no issue with Murali or his action or anything like that."

The pair, the only players in cricket history to have taken more than 700 Test wickets, were speaking in Hobart at the launch of the new Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.

The trophy will be awarded to the winner of future Test series between Sri Lanka and Australia.

Muralitharan, who is six behind Warne's record of 708 Test wickets, has had his bowling action questioned throughout his career.

And he was left fuming after hearing of Warne's comments, vowing not to speak to his rival at the trophy unveiling.

"He can't keep his mouth shut because he wants to keep making these comments," Muralitharan said earlier this week.

"He must be a miserable man in his life. Maybe he just doesn't want me to pass his record. Why else would he keep saying these things?"

But after patching things up, the now retired Warne insisted that he had not queried the Sri Lankan's action.

"All I said in my column that I wrote was that common sense should prevail in that if anybody has an issue with an action - and I am not saying Murali - but anybody in world cricket then they should be tested in match conditions," Warne added.

Warne also said he was honoured to have his name on the new trophy alongside Muralitharan.

SECOND TEST MATCH, Hobart Aus-Sri Lanka NOWWW !

Twin tons power Australia effort

SECOND TEST MATCH, Hobart (day one, stumps):
Australia 329-3 v Sri Lanka

Match scorecard

Michael Hussey is building a quite exceptional Test record

Australia established yet another position of dominance by reaching 329-3 on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

Phil Jaques and Michael Hussey, centurions in the easy first Test win, each added another three-figure score while Sri Lanka fielded poorly.

Chaminda Vaas was denied a 100th Test cap because of worries about whether his shoulder would last the match.

And Muttiah Muralitharan managed just one wicket from 25 overs of toil.

The scalp of Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was caught at slip for 31, took Muralitharan to 703 victims in his bid to beat the retired Shane Warne's record of 708.

But the day was all about some effortless batting from Jaques (150) and Hussey (101 not out).

That said, Sri Lanka's bowlers endured some frustrating periods - particularly in the first session - when they beat the bat regularly or saw the batsmen splice balls wide of the slips.

Sri Lanka, who lost the toss, showed two changes from the side crushed in the first Test at Brisbane.

606: DEBATE Will Australia ever go into decline? I think they will always be the top team nobleCricketLover

Fast bowler Lasith Malinga returned to the starting line-up, ousting Vaas, and their leading batsman Kumar Sangakkara returned from injury to replace Thilan Samaraweera.

The Aussies were unchanged from the side that won in Brisbane, batsman Michael Clarke recovering from a tight hamstring.

After Matthew Hayden had gone for 17, Jaques and Ricky Ponting (31) added 85 for the second wicket.

The big partnership came either side of tea - left-handers Jaques and Hussey putting on 152 in 38 overs.

Hussey, in his 18th match for Australia, went to bed with a Bradmanesque Test average of 87.19.

His seventh century in Tests came when he pulled the second ball of the final over, bowled by Farveez Maharoof, expertly through midwicket for four.

Jaques' innings was studded with some powerful shots off the back foot square of the wicket on both sides.

Marvan Atapattu and Farveez Maharoof ponder a way through

He also indulged in some delightful cover drives, hitting 18 fours and scoring at a healthy rate throughout.

Jaques found Dilhara Fernando the most generous of the Sri Lanka bowlers.

But he was watchful against Muralitharan, who troubled him in the first Test.

Spin did account for Jaques in the end. Shortly before the new ball was due he advanced to lofted Sanath Jayasruiya straight to long-on.

Hussey compiled his runs with a minimum of fuss and looked at his best when cover-driving over-pitched balls, enjoying particular success against Malinga.

He did manage a couple of boundaries against Muralitharan too, including a regulation pull forward off midwicket from the third ball he faced.

Sri Lanka messed up two decent run-out chances to remove Jaques when the New South Welshman was in the 20s.

While those missed opportunities proved extremely costly, Hayden was more charitable.

Looking out of sorts, the Queenslander had already been dropped once when slashing Fernando to the wicket-keeper.

After the day's play Hussey said: "I've convinced myself [the average] is going to come down at some stage, but I'm happy to keep it like this for as long as possible.

"I just want to enjoy it while it's lasting and keep a level keel, not get too excited when things are going well, or too low when they're not going well."

Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss pleaded with his bowlers to be more persistent with their lines and lengths.

He said: "When the plan doesn't work, the discipline goes away."

Three major international news agencies have settled major media rights dispute with Cricket Australia.

The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse all began providing coverage of the Hobart Test on Friday after failing to produce any material from the Brisbane Test.

Lanka face selection dilemma - Chaminda Vass to be OUT ?

Sri Lanka face selection dilemma - Chaminda Vass to be OUT ?

SECOND TEST MATCH, Hobart:
Australia v Sri Lanka
Play starts 2330 GMT Thursday
Live coverage: Sky Sports 1

Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga is hoping for a Test recall

Sri Lanka must decide whether to recall Lasith Malinga for the second and final Test against Australia in Hobart after he was omitted in Brisbane.

Chaminda Vaas, on 99 Tests, is most vulnerable, while Kumar Sangakkara may come back into the side to replace Thilan Samaraweera after injury.

Australia will name the same side that thrashed Sri Lanka in Brisbane.

Michael Clarke is the only minor doubt with a tight hamstring, but the 26-year-old is expected to recover.

Malinga is an attacking option; we need to win a Test match Mahela Jayawardene

Sri Lanka need their fast bowlers to offer better support for spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who needs only seven wickets to pass Shane Warne's world bowling record.

And captain Mahela Jayawardene hinted that Vaas will be the man to miss out.

"We have four quicks and Muttiah so we will have to make a decision," he said.

"Malinga is an attacking option. We need to win a Test match. I think there's a good possibility he can come into the side.

"I made tougher decisions than this in the World Cup - when we left Marvan Atapattu out - and in England.

"It's a decision you have to take regardless of seniority or the [past] performances of the guys, just on form and who you think can get the job done."

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes the match will be closer than his side's opening Test victory, by an innings and 40 runs.

"There is a fair bit of moisture on the surface so it will probably spin from day one," said Ponting.

"It's only one Test in Brisbane we have played well [since the retirement of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer] and this Test could be different."

The world's three leading news agencies have not been providing material from the Australia-Sri Lanka series because of a dispute with Cricket Australia.

As a result, none of our pictures are from the current series.

Australia: Matthew Hayden,
Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart MacGill.

Sri Lanka (from): Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Michael Vandort, Chamara Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas.

Sangakkara , pays a heavy price for negligence

Sanga pays a heavy price for negligence

The Nation

Sa’adi Thawfeeq reporting from Australia
BRISBANE: There is nothing more frustrating for a cricketer than to sit out a match through injury knowing fully well that he should have been out there in the middle helping his team beat the opposition. When the opponent you are playing against happens to be the best team in the world then the frustration can become two-fold.

For Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan vice-captain and leading batsman of the team, the past 14 days have been one of disappointment and exasperation. Bad luck comes in many ways and for Sangakkara one of the fittest players in the team it came in the most unexpected manner.

In Sri Lanka’s opening match of their current Australian tour against Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI, Sangakkara had to wait for three and a half hours before going out to bat. He had been in for only 13 minutes and faced just three balls when disaster struck.
“We had a great opening stand in that game (Jayasuriya and Atapattu putting on 195). I was sitting around for about three hours waiting to go into bat doing a few stretches.

It was a cold day and I should have probably paid a little more attention to warming my muscles up before I went in,” Sangakkara told The Nation.

‘It went off in the third ball I faced. As soon as it happened I knew I had pulled something. I felt a completely new sensation which I had never felt before. I thought hopefully it was not so serious. I managed to pull it in the last three steps getting into the crease onto the other side.

“I wanted to make use of a runner and keep batting, but Tommy (Simsek, the physio) was smart enough to realise that I had to come off the field quickly enough. It stopped the bleeding and the injury in the muscle. At that point I was pretty lucky to have Tommy around with his experience knowing exactly what to do. I walked away to the dressing room pretty angry and disappointed that it had happened,” he said.

Sangakkara blamed the injury partly to his negligence and to the fact that he had to wait for a long time before going out to bat.
“It was an unusually cold day in Adelaide. We had a fantastic start and I can’t remember in the past two years when I had my pads on for so long waiting to go into bat. It was also a practice game. Sometimes when you are in that situation you can forget to pay attention to some of the other details that are important. Usually I have a routine that I follow with my stretching,” said Sangakkara.

“Fitness is something that I take a lot of pride. I’ve been working very hard on it, in my weight training, my running and my conditioning. You can have all of those perfectly planned but a little slip-up somewhere could be costly. It was negligence on my part. I was pretty angry with myself for allowing it to happen.

“When you don’t get injured for some time you kind of feel invincible. When you start thinking like that and when you haven’t had an injury, you think your body is fine. When suddenly you get one, you feel really bad. Tommy said that it has made me come crashing down to earth. From now on I know I’ve got to pay a little more attention to making sure my muscles are warm when I go out to bat,” he said.

This is the first time Sangakkara had suffered an injury of this nature in his 67-Test career which had made him miss a Test match.
“I looked to this tour for a long time. Australia is a place I love to come to and play cricket. To sit out and watch the other guys get on the field and be involved in the competition I feel a bit jealous,” said Sangakkara.

“You know guys have to sit out at certain periods of their career. I had to do that through injury this time. But I have an opportunity to contribute having a chat and encouraging the guys from outside making sure that everything is taken care of off the field. I am still involved in it but I’d rather be out on the field,” he said.

The 30-year-old one-down batsman is making good progress and is hopeful he would be fit enough to be selected for the second Test starting at Hobart five days from today.

“The key was the first 24 hours after the injury. I had ice on every two hours on the affected area to curtail the bleeding into the muscle. I didn’t get any sleep that night icing the area for a minimum of 20 minutes every two hours. I did it completely throughout the night till about 7 in the morning. That’s what set about the foundation for a good recovery.

“I am back to about 70 percent speed-wise. I’ve been batting for three days with absolutely no pain or any other sensations. It is just a case of making sure that I am 100 percent fit at running between wickets because that’s important. I’ve got to get back to 100 percent fitness to stand a chance of playing because the pressure of running against the ball and the fielders is when you put extra stress. That’s when hamstring injuries can happen again. I’ve got to make sure that there is no chance of that happening because we’ve got Test match cricket coming up a week after we go back to Sri Lanka.”

Asked how the team took up his loss Sangakkara said: “There was a lot of support from the guys. They were very disappointed for me. It was nice to have all the guys coming and saying ‘well, hard luck we would love to have you, take care of yourself.’ The other thing is that it presented a nice opportunity for someone to go and play a Test match for the country. It is good to see that we have the strength to refill the position. No player is indispensable and that is something I believe in very strongly.”

****

Atapattu slams selectors as ‘muppets’

Atapattu slams selectors as ‘muppets’

Lakbimanews

Veteran batsman Marvan Atapattu made a withering attack on the Sri Lankan selectors, branding them “muppets headed by a joker”.

The former skipper also hit out at the politics that were ruining Sri Lankan cricket as the tourists lost almost all hope of saving the first Test at the Gabba.
Atapattu’s sensational post-stumps spray came after he was the only man to pass 50 as Sri Lanka was outgunned by Australia on a third straight day.
The 37-year-old opener batted for close to five hours as the sheet anchor in making 51 before Sri Lanka were rolled for 211 and forced to follow on 340 runs in arrears.
Atapattu, dismissed for 16 as his side lurched to 2-80 in the second innings, let his frustration out on the selection panel which initially overlooked the right-hander for the two-Test tour.
He was only added to the 17-man squad when Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister intervened late last month and cemented a place in the Test side with good form after premier batsman Kumar Sangakarra was injured.
Atapattu has endured a running feud with chairman of selectors Ashanta de Mel this year and branded him a joker who held a personal grudge against him.
The pair have a history dating back to 2004-05 when the then captain attacked the newly government-appointed de Mel by accusing him of blocking his attempts to blood new players
“Sri Lankan cricket, at this moment in time, is not going the way, the direction, it should be going,” he said.
“Especially with the muppets, basically, headed by a joker.
“If three guys are controlled by a joker you can do the wrong thing once, twice but not the third time. You can be called muppets then.”
Atapattu felt his controversial call-up to the squad showed the four-man selection panel had dropped the ball.
“I don’t give credit for the way they have handled things,” he said.
“If they have handled things well we should have a good back-up (batsman).
“For some reason we don’t have and at the age of 37 or 38 for people to come and play for Sri Lanka these become tough tours.”
Atapattu denied there was friction in the Sri Lankan dressing room but had a shot at tour selector Ranjith Madursinghe for feeding off the gravy train.
“We don’t have problems inside the dressing room but people from outside are trying to create unpleasantness - certainly through the media No.1 and that can be ex-cricketers who have been giving statements,” he said.
“People are trying to say it’s not a happy dressing room but it is.”
Atapattu showed fierce courage on the field also lasting 184 balls in a dogged half-century before mistiming a quick short ball from Mitchell Johnson to square leg.
He then made it his point in blasting the politics in Sri Lankan cricket in a stunning press conference.
Atapattu said the national board had no control over the selectors who were appointed by the government and gained their positions through cronyism.
“If selectors are only there for going on tours and getting whatever they are getting it’s a waste of time,” he said, adding the “right people” needed to be appointed.
“Just because you have political backing is not good enough for Sri Lanka. The board has no control as far as I am aware because these things come from the Minister of Sport and he appoints the selectors.”
Atapattu’s tour selection was the second controversial big-game choice this year after seam bowler Dilhara Fernando was chosen in the World Cup final against Australia days after being heavily criticised by the selectors. - AAP

A good test of our skills and temperament _By Chaminda Vass

A good test of our skills and temperament

The first test against the Australians is in its second day as I write and the battle is on. Australia has piled on a 500 plus score and we are two down with three days to play. Most reports say the Aussies have a stranglehold on the game but I would dare to say it is excitingly poised.

Vaas was most impressed by Hussey’s knock

We were not seen as favourites before the game but it is not that were short of support here in Brisbane: Over 650 guests turned up for a Sri Lankan dinner get-together in our honour. Also, this was our first test match in many months and we are determined to do really well.

Many-including myself-were surprised at the beginning of the game itself to find Lasith Malinga not in the playing XI. I expected him to make the team believing that we would play four fast bowlers and six batsmen especially because two of us, Farveez and myself can contribute with the bat as well.

However I guess the decision to omit Lasith was taken considering the ground conditions on match day when it was overcast and the wicket was bound to play slow with the ball expected to seam around rather than be quick.

Critics have also pointed out that on the last four occasions Australia have been asked to bat first at the Gabba they have posted scores nearing at least 400, but I believe Mahela did the right thing. On the day before the match it rained for most of the day and the wicket area was covered; so there was a lot of moisture in the wicket, conditions which we hoped we could exploit.

However, as the game got underway the conditions changed. The ball did move around during the first few overs but as it picked up moisture, that ceased. An interruption for rain did not help our cause because thereafter, the wicket improved for batting.To give credit to Australia though, they played the conditions really well. They were patient and watchful when necessary. We bowled in the right areas but they made only a few mistakes and their shot selection was good. They also had their share of luck with two close calls for catches against Michael Clarke and Hussey going in their favour.

We did make our own mistakes in fielding, dropping a few chances that came our way. Had we held on to them we could have had them five down at the close on the first day. I would also argue that we did manage to keep a lid on the scoring, because the Aussies took more than 150 overs to reach their score despite the wicket being favourable for batting.

Clarke and Jacques also made centuries but I was most impressed with Hussey’s knock. He showed immense patience, leaving many deliveries and often scoring in singles and his innings was a lesson on how to play in these conditions.

There was a lot of pre-match attention on Murali. It was obvious the Australians did not want to give him their wickets because he is only a few wickets shy of Shane Warne’s world record and they played him extremely cautiously. But happily for Murali, there were no calls of “no-ball” when he bowled and he was left to concentrate on his bowling.

It must also be said that so far, the Australian players too have been quite friendly even though they play aggressively in the middle. There have been no arguments or hostility and the focus has been on the cricket that is played. I hope it remains that way throughout the series.

Three centuries, two half centuries and a score of five hundred and fifty by the Aussies would suggest an uphill task before us. But, what that also tells us is that conditions at the Gabba are really favourable for batting and that it is now up to us to put our heads down and post a decent score.

We were unlucky to lose Sanath early because he said he had not got a touch to that delivery, but what we require now is for two batsmen to come up with good innings just as the Australian middle order did. The conditions are good, so we must be patient and wait for the loose deliveries which will invariably come our way if we play long enough.

Saturday will be crucial for us and our plan is to bat session by session. The first hurdle would be to try and avoid the follow on mark of 351 and make Australia bat again. Having seen how true the wicket played, the boys are optimistic that they can do that.

From what we have seen of the game so far, we should still be able to make a game of it if we play with caution and common sense, minimising our mistakes. It would no doubt test both our skills and temperament. But, we cannot expect any less when we are playing against the best team in the world in their own backyard.

Sri Lanka facing Brisbane defeat

Sri Lanka facing Brisbane defeat

First Test, Brisbane, day three (stumps): Australia 551-4d v Sri Lanka 211 & 80-2

Match scorecard

Lee led the attack convincingly in the absence of Glenn McGrath

Australia were all set for victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Brisbane after play ended on day three with the tourists 80-2 in their second innings.

Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 211 and were asked to follow on.

At stumps they were still 260 runs behind after Brett Lee had taken 4-26 in the first innings, Mitchell Johnson adding his first two wickets in Tests.

Marvan Atapattu (51) and Chamara Silva (40) were the best of a poor set of scores from the Sri Lankans.

Lee, the new leader of the Australian bowling attack in the absence of retired greats Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, warmed to the responsibility thrust upon him.

But after the day began with Sri Lanka on an uncertain 31-2, it was his seam-bowling colleagues Johnson and Stuart Clark who supplied the early incisions.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene poked tentatively at Clark, edging to Adam Gilchrist for the first wicket on Saturday to make it 45-3.

Left-arm seamer Johnson's first strike in Test cricket followed 11 overs later, Thilan Samaraweera giving Gilchrist a fourth catch off a superb delivery that squared him up.

A moderate stand of 54 followed between Atapattu and Silva, but it was nowhere near enough.

The positioning of Michael Clarke at short third man paid off a treat as Silva slashed Clark straight to the fielder.

Sri Lanka took lunch on 124-5, and after the interval Atapattu's 127 ball vigil was finally ended as he mis-hit a pull off Lee to square leg.

Andrew Symonds and Stuart MacGill joined the fun with a wicket apiece before Lee returned to dispose of the tail.

With Australia's bowlers having barely broken sweat it was no surprise the follow-on was enforced.

Atapattu was dismissed for the second time in the day when gloving a pull shot off Symonds to Gilchrist.

And with the shadows creeping across the square, Ricky Ponting took a sharp slip catch to give Lee another wicket after Jayasuriya had blazed 39 off 49 balls.

It had been a decent cameo for a one-day match perhaps, but his innings had not aided Sri Lanka's cause.

Atapattu said afterwards that Sri Lanka's goal was to make Australia bat again.

"I don't hesitate to give credit to the Aussies," he said.

"There were not too many loose dismissals other than mine in the first innings, but we didn't do justice to our talent in the first innings.

"We dug ourselves into a hole and it's up to us to come out of it."

Atapattu was reported to have called his country's selectors "a set of muppets headed by a joker" in a separate interview - although the precise nature of his grievances was not clear.

The world's three leading news agencies have not been providing material from the Brisbane Test due to a dispute with Cricket Australia.

As a result, our picture of Brett Lee is not from the current match.

Aussies dominate in Brisbane Test !

Aussies dominate in Brisbane Test

First Test, Brisbane, day two (stumps): Australia 551-4d v Sri Lanka 31-2

Match scorecard

Clarke made Sri Lanka suffer on day two in Brisbane

Australia hit 551-4 before declaring and reducing Sri Lanka to 31-2 at stumps on day two of the first Test.

Michael Hussey, dropped on 13 on day one, made 133 and Michael Clarke an unbeaten 145, the pair sharing a brilliant stand of 245 in Brisbane.

Muttiah Muralitharan, so dangerous for much of the time on Thursday, could not add to his Test wicket tally of 702.

Brett Lee then took two wickets with the new ball before Marvan Atapattu, in his first Test for two years, dug in.

Australia started day two on 242-3, with Hussey 28 and Clarke five.

Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene had not been unduly concerned with his team's position on Thursday night.

But as an extended morning session wore on the tourists' plight deepened.

606: DEBATE Whilst Murali can build pressure on a batsman, Warne has this incredible ability to build pressure on a team to the point where top teams completely capitulate Durhamfootman

Clarke and Hussey had to concentrate after 10 months away from Test cricket and never played their shots with carefree abandon - scoring at a little over three runs an over in their partnership.

By lunch the scoreboard had moved along sweetly to 359-3 in 111 overs, with Hussey on 85 and Clarke 64.

Muralitharan, having dismissed two left-handers on Thursday, and given Hussey frequent problems, was enduring a tough day at the office.

Hussey became gradually more confident against the spin, picking the ball more easily out of Muralitharan's hand and continuing to rotate the strike against the fast bowlers.

He was the first to reach triple-figures, passing the milestone with a pair of leg-glanced fours off Chaminda Vaas.

Hussey's century pushed his incredible Test average to 82.38 from 17 Tests but he eventually fell 15 minutes before tea, driving Dilhara Fernando on the up to Atapattu at short cover.

It was an ironic moment - Atapattu had been the fielder responsible for the costly error when dropping Hussey on day one.

By then, Clarke had reached his century and was especially effective against Muralitharan (2-170), using his feet well in coming forward to play handsome drives or rock back to cut hard.

With Australia in complete control, Clarke and Andrew Symonds (53 not out) played some bigger shots after tea leading to a typically imaginative declaration from Ricky Ponting, who gave his bowlers 16 overs at the Sri Lanka top order.

Mitchell Johnson bowled promisingly on his Test debut, but it was Lee who supplied the wickets.

Brett Lee was in irresistible form with the new ball

Sanath Jayasuriya got the faintest of outside edges as he flayed well wide of the off-stump and Michael Vandort was undone by pace, also edging to Adam Gilchrist.

Atapattu made Stuart MacGill ponder his return to the Test fold by stroking him for three effortless boundaries in a single over.

But it was a tiny crumb of comfort for Sri Lanka in a day of general misery.

Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss said: "You've got to give the [Australia] batters credit - they did very well - I thought we bowled quite well this morning, better today than we did yesterday when we didn't quite use conditions.

"We were a litlle bit wide and a little bit short [on day one] and against this opposition we needed to bowl a little bit better in those conditions yesterday.

"Our batters have got a lot of hard work in front of them, but if they're worth their salt they've got an opportunity on a good wicket tomorrow."

The world's three leading news agencies have not been providing material from the Brisbane Test due to a dispute with Cricket Australia.

As a result, our pictures of Michael Clarke and Brett Lee are not from the current match.

Murali eyes Warne Test landmark

Murali eyes Warne Test landmark - BBC

First Test, The Gabba: Australia v Sri Lanka
Match starts Thursday 0000 GMT

Murali did not play on the last tour of Australia in 2004

Muttiah Muralitharan has Shane Warne's record in mind as the two-Test series with Australia begins on Thursday.

The 35-year-old needs nine wickets to eclipse Warne's 708 scalps.

Sri Lanka, who have never won a Test in Australia, were beaten by Queensland in a three-day warm-up match last week and are without injured Kumar Sangakkara.

The Australians, who have not played a Test since the Ashes in January, begin a new era minus star bowlers Warne and Glenn McGrath and opener Justin Langer.

Muralitharan, now fully fit after a series of shoulder problems, has played 10 Tests for Sri Lanka against Australia, taking 50 wickets.

Only two of those matches have been in Australia, in which he took three wickets, and he last played a Test there in October 2005 when representing an ICC World XI at Sydney, when match figures of 5-157 failed to prevent the Aussies winning by 210 runs.

It would be particularly ironic if the record was achieved down under as he was twice called for throwing by Australian officials, firstly by Darrell Hair in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne on the 1995-6 tour then by Ross Emerson on the 1998-9 trip.

Johnson dismissed Jayawardene for Queensland in the tour match

Given a Test record of six defeats and two draws on Australian soil, with a 1-0 series defeat on their last tour in 2004, a four-wicket defeat against Queensland on Sunday will not have done much for Sri Lankan confidence.

Their star batsmen failed to spend as much time at the crease as they would have liked, Sanath Jayasuriya had scores of one and two, Mahela Jayawardene made nought and 35, Marvin Atapattu 48 and seven and Thilan Samaraweera seven and three.

However, some final day resistance with the bat from Chaminda Vaas, who fired 84, helped set a target of 141 and Farveez Maharoof and Lasith Malinga unsettled the Queenslanders with five wickets between them.

That included Andrew Symonds, who was caught by Jayawardene off Maharoof for only three.

The Sri Lanka skipper remained in good heart and said: "We don't fear Australia, we've improved as a group over the past two years, especially away from home.

"The last time we came we had a very good batting line-up but the bowling was too young. To face Australia right now, with the players we've got, we've got the right blend."

Sangakkara, who suffered a hamstring tear in that match that will keep him out of the side in Brisbane, also rejected claims that the Sri Lankans would wilt under a barrage of pace.

"There's been a bit of talk about people from the sub-continent not being able to play on bouncy tracks," he said. "That's a myth, our guys have learned to deal with it."

Warne and McGrath took 1,271 Test wickets between them and Ponting admitted he would expect to change his tactics with a new-look bowling attack.

"They were great at building pressure," he said. "Now we might have to come back to sheer pace to get our breakthroughs."

Stuart MacGill fills the considerable leg-spin void left by Warne, and the 36-year-old, who has taken 198 wickets in 40 Tests, was given a vote of confidence by his captain.

"His wicket-taking is second to none," the skipper said. "We know we've got options."

Aside from Brett Lee who has played 59 Tests, the Australian seam attack is far less experienced than Sri Lanka's, with Mitchell Johnson making his debut and Stuart Clark only nine matches into his career.

Ponting, however, is confident that left-armer Johnson, who took 1-47 and scored 50 for Queensland in the tour match, will quickly become a fixture in the Test line-up.

"I've been really excited about Mitchell over the last couple of years," Ponting said. "He'll be a bit nervous, but he's got everything there to be successful at this level. He can bowl at 150kph and swing the ball."

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Australia:
R Ponting (capt),
M Hayden,
Pl Jaques,
M Hussey,
M Clarke,
A Symonds,
A Gilchrist (wkt),
B Lee,
M Johnson,
S Clark,
S MacGill.

Sri Lanka (probable):

M Jayawardene (capt),
S Jayasuriya,
M Atapattu,
M Vandort,
T Samaraweera,
C Silva,
P Jayawardene (wkt),
C Vaas,
D Fernando,
L Malinga,
M Muralitharan.