Langer's double ton at expense of Franklin

Justin Langer's two favourite words right now must be "James" and "Franklin". The little West Australian made a mockery of pre-tour predictions that Franklin's swing, and the variety he offered as a left-armer, was a potential weapon, as he scorched to 215 on the second day of this second test.

Instead, Langer hit him hard and often on the way to his third test double century. He taunted Franklin with cover drives, savage pulls and, mockingly, late cuts. At one stage, 16 of the 24 boundaries Langer had hit were delivered from the hand of Franklin. You got the feeling Franklin was running up but dreading the moment he had to let the ball go - next stop, the pickets.

Langer started the day on 144 and brought up his 150 in an apologetic manner, miscuing a pull off the luckless Oram, the inside edge brushed past his off-stump on its way to the fine leg boundary. Langer put his hand up to say sorry, which was of little consolation to Oram.

There was nothing to apologise for in the way he notched up 200. A six-over midwicket off Paul Wiseman, New Zealand's most successful bowler from day one, was enough to take him past that landmark. Langer repeated the dose in the next Wiseman over, sending the ball soaring into one of the Chappell Stands, where it remained.

Langer has developed a love affair with this grand old ground, even if it's taken a long time for Australia to fall in love with him.

Langer has been seen, incorrectly, as a more stodgy version of his peers but he actually scores his runs quicker than most, including more natural stroke-players Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn. He has put together a remarkable record. His 20 test centuries mean only six other Australians have notched three figures more often. And on the Oval he has scored nearly 1000 runs at an average well into the 60s. If there's one thing that riles Langer, it's being seen as a tortoise among hares.

"Again, I keep telling Haydos [Matthew Hayden] that he's the blocker and I'm the aggressor," Langer said in mock indignation. "I can't believe he's playing one-day cricket and I'm not. He knows how I feel about this and enough has been said, my bat's doing the talking How many times do I have to do it?"

Langer might have been having a laugh but Franklin and the rest of the attack would not have been smiling when he and Darren "Boof" Lehmann savaged them in a partnership worth 184.

Together, despite Lehman falling agonisingly short of a cherished century on his home turf, they threatened to take the "test" out of New Zealand's reach.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY