Cricket: Gilchrist puts Australia back in driving seat

1.00am

KANDY, Sri Lanka - Adam Gilchrist smashed an unbeaten 140 as Australia fought back strongly to reach 221 for two at the close of the second day of the second test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Gilchrist added 195 for the third wicket with Damien Martyn to give Australia a lead of 130 runs after they had trailed by 91 on first innings and then slumped to 26 for two.

Gilchrist, who scored just four runs in his first three innings of the series, rediscovered his touch after being promoted up the order because of a back injury to captain Ricky Ponting.

Martyn, missed at second slip before he had scored, provided patient support with an unbeaten 64 as Sri Lanka's bowlers toiled on a pitch that had lost its early venom.

The pair came together after Matthew Hayden (five) chipped back a return catch off bat and pad first ball after lunch and Justin Langer (nine) nicked a catch behind.

Gilchrist cracked three sixes and 19 fours in his 175-ball knock, his 10th test hundred, while Martyn stroked eight boundaries.

The partnership was Australia's highest third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka, surpassing the 158 scored by Tom Moody and Allan Border in Brisbane in 1989-90.

Earlier, Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas struck an aggressive 68 not out as the hosts recovered from their shaky overnight position of 92 for seven to finish on 211 in reply to Australia's 120.

Vaas frustrated Australia as he added a record 79 runs for the last wicket with Muttiah Muralitharan, who clubbed an entertaining 43 from 28 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes.

The stand was the highest last-wicket partnership for Sri Lanka, beating the 73 scored by Sajeeva de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratne against Pakistan in 1999.

In a match dominated by bowlers on the first day, during which 17 wickets tumbled, Vaas carried the attack to Australia and reached his seventh test fifty, including nine fours and one six.

Leg spinner Shane Warne finished with figures of five for 65 and seamer Michael Kasprowicz took four for 83.

Ponting hobbled off the field in the morning session after spraining his back when his spikes caught in a sponsor's advertising mat. Australia are hopeful that he will be able to bat on Thursday.

Australia lead the series 1-0 after their 197-run victory in Galle last week.

SCOREBOARD

Australia first innings

J.Langer lbw b Zoysa 3

M.Hayden lbw b Muralitharan 54

R.Ponting lbw b Vaas 10

D.Martyn lbw b Muralitharan 1

D.Lehmann b Zoysa 8

A.Symonds c Tillakaratne b Zoysa 6

A.Gilchrist c Sangakkara b Zoysa 0

S.Warne c Muralitharan b Vaas 18

J.Gillespie c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 8

M.Kasprowicz b Muralitharan 0

S.MacGill not out 8

Extras (b-1 lb-3) 4

Total (all out, 42.2 overs) 120

Fall of wickets: 1-25 2-47 3-50 4-60 5-84 6-84 7-86 8-100

9-106

Bowling: Vaas 11.2-5-14-2, Zoysa 16-3-54-4, Muralitharan

15-4-48-4.

Sri Lanka first innings (overnight 92-7)

M.Atapattu c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 9

S.Jayasuriya lbw b Kasprowicz 1

A.Gunawardene lbw b c Kasprowicz 13

K.Sangakkara c Symonds b Gillespie 5

M.Jayawardene c Symonds b Warne 17

H.Tillakaratne c Gilchrist b Warne 16

T.Dilshan lbw b Warne 0

C.Vaas not out 68

N.Zoysa c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 4

K.Lokuarachchi c Kasprowicz b Warne 15

M.Muralitharan c Symonds b Warne 43

Extras (b-8 lb-9 nb-3) 20

Total (all out, 63.1 overs) 211

Fall of wickets: 1-6 2-34 3-39 4-49 5-67 6-67 7-88 8-111

9-132

Bowling: Gillespie 12-4-25-1, Kasprowicz 24-5-83-4 (2-nb),

Warne 20.1-3-65-5 (1-nb), Symonds 2-1-1-0, MacGill 5-1-20-0.

Australia second innings

J.Langer c Sangakkara b Zoysa 9

M.Hayden c & b Vaas 5

A.Gilchrist not out 140

D.Martyn not out 64

Extras (lb-2 nb-1) 3

Total (for two wickets, 59 overs) 221

Fall of wickets: 1-11 2-26

To bat: R.Ponting (captain), D.Lehmann, A.Symonds, S.Warne,

J.Gillespie, M.Kasprowicz, S.MacGill

Bowling (to date): Vaas 14-3-55-1 (1-nb), Muralitharan

22-2-81-0, Zoysa 9-2-35-1, Lokuarachchi 8-1-26-0, Jayasuriya

5-0-16-0, Dilshan 1-0-6-0