Hayden finds form at last

Having seen their previous tour match, a one-dayer against Scotland, washed out without a ball being bowled on Thursday, the 2005 Australian tourists were eager to get some play against Northamptonshire, their last opportunity for some fine-tuning prior to next week’s Fourth Test Match.

As had been widely speculated over recent days, the most notable omission from today’s Australian XI was the out-of-touch Jason Gillespie in what might well amount to a shoot-out between Shaun Tait and Michael Kasprowicz for the third seamer’s spot at Trent Bridge.

Northamptonshire captain David Sales won the toss and put the tourists in, and it looked to be a very good decision indeed as Ben Phillips struck immediately to have captain Justin Langer caught by Damien Wright for a single in just the second over of the morning.

Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich struggled early on against the new ball and with over half an hour’s play gone, the Australians were yet to register their first boundary of the day. When Steffan Jones was introduced into the attack, it proved to be Katich’s undoing as he too was caught by Wright for a disappointing 19.

Damien Martyn raced onto 26 in a whirlwind quarter of an hour, smashing five boundaries in the process, but with the Australian total on 66 he edged Jones through to wicketkeeper Riki Wessels, son of Kepler, erstwhile captain of South Africa and Aussie opening bat. After just an hour, it was not the start they had envisaged.

Enter Michael Clarke, a man whose innings at Old Trafford, bad back and all, had helped Australia maintain parity in this year’s Ashes series. Clarke led the way as he and Hayden started steadily, easing their way into a partnership which had realised 73 at better than a run a minute before the luncheon interval.

Come the afternoon, the acceleration was well and truly under way with Hayden in particular cutting loose. His hundred came at a decent lick – 155 balls – and when he finally departed midway through the afternoon session, bowled by Jason Brown, his 136 included 20 boundaries and 4 sixes.

Clarke went on to register a fine century of his own, peppering the boundary repeatedly until he fell to the spin of Monty Paneser shortly before tea for 121 to reduce the Australians to 317-5.

The two Brads, Hodge and Haddin, added 42 for the sixth wicket, but it is likely that only injury to one of the senior squad members would open the door for either of them to play at Nottingham next week.

The declaration on 374-6 an hour before stumps gave Tait and Kasprowicz the briefest of opportunities to show what they can do after senior partners Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee had bagged Bilal Shafayat and Robert White with just 10 on the board. For the support bowlers, the caps go into the ring tomorrow. Gillespie, on the other hand, carried the drinks.

Close of Play, Day 1

Australians 374-6 dcl
M Hayden 136, M Clarke 121
B Phillips 2-50, P S Jones 2-70

Northamptonshire 29-2
T Roberts 12*, U Afzaal 12*