Clarke, Hussey put Australia on track

BRISBANE—Twin centuries to Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey gave Australia’s scorecard a familiar look for their first Test innings of the home summer, which Ricky Ponting finally closed at 4 for 551.
In reply Sri Lanka suffered from a Brett Lee double-strike and gratefully accepted an offer of bad light, finishing the second day at 2 for 31 with Marvan Atapattu on 19 and Mahela Jayawardene on 5.
Clarke remained unbeaten on 145 when the declaration occurred and Hussey made 133 before he became the only Australian to fall on day two, ending their 245-run partnership shortly before tea. Their efforts meant further embarrassment for Jayawardene, who probably spent the better part of six sessions regretting his decision to bowl first on a Gabba pitch with a few green patches. He had hoped Australia would not repeat their strong recent Brisbane form; it was the third time in four years Ponting’s men had posted 500-plus at the Gabba in the first Test of the summer. Sri Lanka’s seamers had almost no impact and too much was expected of Muttiah Muralitharan, who toiled hard for 27 overs on the second day with no reward, finishing with 2 for 170 from 50 overs.
Muralitharan was considerably less threatening than on the first day, as Sri Lanka employed more defensive fields and loosened the pressure on Hussey and Clarke. That helped Australia continue their simple adjustment from one-day to Test cricket, with the pair looking comfortable in full-concentration mode following 31 ODIs and no Tests for the past ten months. Just for good measure, Clarke and Andrew Symonds switched back into a limited-overs mentality as they added a quick 75 from 12 overs after tea while the declaration approached. Symonds was responsible for most of that late boost as he raised a brisk 53 not out from 61 balls. He enjoyed the freedom of building on a solid platform with no questions over his place in the side, and celebrated his first Test at home in Brisbane with a series of vicious cuts to the boundary off the fast bowlers.
Clarke continued to play a sensible and relatively risk-free innings and made it hard to believe he was not in Australia’s preferred side when the Ashes started this time last year. A few weeks ago when he was mentioned as a potential long-term successor to Ponting as the team’s captain, Clarke said he was simply focussing on holding his Test position. His level-headed application backed up those words. Clarke took 187 deliveries to register his fifth century and he watched the ball tirelessly, using his feet effectively to Muralitharan as he often came forward to play handsome drives or rocked back to cut hard. There were moments when he slipped back into a coloured-clothing mindset - he flat-batted a pull straight over the bowler Farveez Maharoof’s head for four after a quiet patch - but generally his concentration was strong.—Agencies