Ricky Ponting passed Steve Waugh as Australia’s most prolific century maker when he chalked up his 33rd hundred in the second Ashes test against England on Sunday.
Ponting survived a dropped catch on 35 and a missed run out to reach 101 not out at tea on the third day at Adelaide Oval with Australia 185 for three in reply to England’s 551 for six declared.
Mike Hussey was unbeaten on 49, sharing an unbroken partnership of 120 with his skipper after joining him at the crease before lunch when Australia lost two early wickets.
Seamer Matthew Hoggard dismissed Matthew Hayden for 12 and Damien Martyn for 11 to leave Australia teetering at 65 for three after resuming on 28 for one.
The pitch, ideal for batting over the first two days, was starting to play a few tricks, forcing Australia to adopt a cautious approach against a much-improved England attack.
Hoggard (2-45) and Andrew Flintoff (1-51) beat the bat a number of times and Steve Harmison (0-42), who was hopelessly erratic in the first Test in Brisbane, also bowled much better, although he did not take a wicket.
Hoggard dismissed Hayden with the total on 35 before the left-handed opener had added to his overnight score with a delivery that moved sharply off the pitch and caught the edge on the way through to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.
Martyn batted 42 minutes for his 11 but gave his wicket away when he fended a low catch to Ian Bell at gully, playing forward and away from his body to a shortish delivery from Hoggard.
England may regret missing two clear chances to get rid of Ponting early after he was named man of the match in Australia’s 277-run victory Brisbane following scores of 196 and 60 not out.
He was dropped on 35 by a leaping Ashley Giles at deep square leg then survived a suicidal run on 46 when Paul Collingwood missed with a throw at the stumps when he was well short of his ground.
Ponting, the ICC’s player of the year for 2006, grew in confidence after his two close shaves, pulling James Anderson for four in the last over before lunch to reach his half-century.
He then registered his hundred just before tea, off 183 balls in 266 minutes, when he scampered through for a single off Flintoff, raising both his arms in triumph and embracing Hussey.
Ponting’s hundred was his 10th in his last 13 tests and lifted him into outright fourth on the all-time list of century makers behind Brian Lara (West Indies) and Sachin Tendulkar (India), both with 35, and Sunil Gavaskar (India) on 34. – Reuters