Adam Gilchrist replaced injured skipper Ricky Ponting at number three and shook off poor batting form to post his 10th Test hundred as Australia rallied on Wednesday for a 130-run lead over Sri Lanka in the second cricket Test.
Gilchrist scored an unbeaten 140 and shared a 195-run third-wicket partnership with Damien Martyn, who was batting on 64 when bad light stopped play on the second day with Australia at 221-2 in its second innings.
”It’s really pleasing to make an impact in this series and pleasing to get some Test runs after I’ve been a bit dry this summer,” said Gilchrist, who had compiled only four runs in his previous three innings and not scored a Test century since last October. ”I suppose I’ve about doubled my aggregate in one hit.”
The Sri Lankans had resumed Wednesday at 92 for seven in their first innings and were dismissed for 211 – an advantage of 91 runs – after Chaminda Vaas (68 not out) and number 11 Muttiah Muralitharan (43) combined for a national record 79-run last-wicket stand.
Australian legspinner Shane Warne removed last-man Muralitharan to return 5-56, his 26th five-wicket haul in Tests, and improve his career total to 506. He’s 13 behind the record of retired West Indies paceman Courtney Walsh. Michael Kasprowicz picked up 1-50 on Wednesday and ended with 4-83.
Muralitharan, who became the third bowler to reach 500 Test wickets by taking 4-48 in Australia’s first innings in Kandy, Sri Lanka of 120, didn’t add to his ledger with the ball on Wednesday after his impressive cameo with the bat, which included five boundaries and three sixes off 28 balls.
The Sri Lankan offspinner’s 22 overs cost 81 runs. Ponting, who injured his back when he stumbled trying to field a ball as it crossed a sponsors’ sign on the ground late in Sri
Lanka’s innings, was still undergoing treatment when Australia slipped to 26-2.
Matt Hayden (5), top-scorer with 54 in the first innings, gloved a return catch to Vaas on the first ball after lunch and Justin Langer (9) was caught behind off Nuwan Zoysa in the 10th over. Vice-captain Gilchrist volunteered to move up the order from number seven to number three and backed up his decision with a confidence-building ton.
”Ricky asked what I thought about everyone sliding up one, then I thought maybe I should do it to try and (limit) disruption to the middle order,” he said. ”So we made an agreement then, that I’d have a go at it.”
Ponting had recovered to the extent that he should be OK to bat ”whenever required” on the third day, Gilchrist said. After bowlers dominated and 22 wickets tumbled in the opening 119 overs of the match, Gilchrist and Martyn survived almost two full sessions to give the batsmen some control.
Gilchrist said the pitch wasn’t turning as sharply or quickly as it did on the opening day and was ideal for batting on. But he wouldn’t predict a winning target, saying he didn’t know when the pitch would deteriorate. He had a narrow escape on 88 when he hit out against Jayasuriya and Avishka Gunawardene took a brilliant catch in the outfield
before stepping over the boundary rope.
Umpire Steve Bucknor ruled that the ball carried over the rope and Gilchrist got six runs. The wicketkeeper-batsman moved to triple figures with a four off Vaas and blazed 19 boundaries and three sixes in all.
The extra responsibility of deputizing as captain didn’t influence his mindset, said Gilchrist, adding that he only wanted to break a sequence of two scoreless innings.
That’s ”been in my nightmares for the last five days,” he said. ”I wanted to play a little bit straighter today. If you’re thinking straight and you’re relaxed, your natural game takes over.”
Martyn notched his 16th test half century with a single off Muralitharan one ball after surviving a confident appeal for a bat-pad catch in the 44th over. He batted with Gilchrist for 211 minutes and faced 140 deliveries.
The Australians won the first test at Galle last week by 197 runs despite conceding a 161-run first innings deficit. Ponting’s back problem extended what the Australians have dubbed the ”Kandy curse.”
Muralitharan’s hometown was the venue for Australia’s only test loss to Sri Lanka. That match in 1999 was marred by an outfield collision between then skipper Stephen Waugh, who needed an urgent nose operation, and Jason Gillespie, who broke his leg and was out of test cricket for 12 months. – Sapa-AP