Hussey and Jaques. Again.

Phil Jaques and Mike Hussey added to their fabulous efforts at the Gabba, in the second Test today to put Australia in an imposing position at the end of day one.

All the luck was with the Australians today in the final match of the series at Hobart. The weather was brilliant and after winning the toss, Ricky Ponting had no hesitation in sending his men out to bat first on such a good batting deck.

Lasith Malinga returned to the side at the expense of veteran bowler Chaminda Vaas, who would have played in his hundredth Test had he been picked. Kumar Sangakkara also made a welcome return to the team. Malinga’s pace and slingy action at first seemed like it would be the difference between the Sri Lanka of Brisbane and the Sri Lanka of Hobart.

Australia, like in the first match, started off cautiously and Hayden was given a life on 12 when he was dropped by Jayawardene at second slip. He wasn’t able to make the tourists pay however and was out soon afterwards on 17, the session still in the balance at 0-48.

Local boy Ricky Ponting came to the crease to a deafening applause and seemed to be in great touch with aspirations of performing big at home. However on 31, Muttiah Muralitharan ended the Australian captain’s dreams when in a magnificent piece of cricket, he had Ponting caught at first slip with a superb doosra that managed to catch the end of Ponting’s bat, much to his dismay.

The story of the morning was Phil Jaques though, in only his second Test back in the side, he showed marked improvement on his hundred in his previous innings and in the face of a better bowling outfit as well.

Audacious and attacking shots dominated his innings. The New South Welshman’s confidence knew no bounds as he took it to all bowlers, reaching his 50 before lunch and looking to go on for a big one.

After lunch, Jaques, who waited so long for a spot in this champion side, carried on and in the 48th over, made his second successive Test match century. It was a knock that included 13 fours and one that seemed effortless right from the start.

The astute, however, will remember Jaques’ post match interview at the Gabba, where he was visibly disappointed at not going on after getting his century.

It was clear, given the opportunity, that he would not make the same mistake at Hobart and the 28 year old added another 50 runs to take his score to an excellent 150 before playing a reckless shot, again on a milestone.

Jaques, looking to accelerate as he is known to do domestically, lofted the ball off part-timer Sanath Jayasuriya, looking for a boundary, but only finding Dilhara Fernando at long off.

Ordinarily the day, maybe even the match, would have been Jaques’. It took something special to upstage his fine innings and surprise, surprise, that something was none other than Mike Hussey.

Hussey helped himself to runs and rarely looked troubled as he played sensational pull shots and cover drives almost every other ball. He bought up his 50 in 90 deliveries, taking 14 runs off a Malinga over in the process and after Jaques was dismissed, the Hussey side-show became the Hussey main event with the only question being, could he get to the ton before stumps?

Get there he did and in fine form pulling Maharoof for four through midwicket in the final over of play, commencing on those all too familiar celebrations that many fans over the world have come to love and hate in the past few years of the still young career of Michael Hussey.

Australia ended the day on 3-329, clearly in front and working towards a sizeable total with Hussey and Clarke still in overnight and Symonds and Gilchrist yet to come.

For Sri Lanka, they bowled much better than in the first Test but the result was very much the same. They were unable to make key breakthroughs throughout the day’s play and for long periods their bowlers looked unthreatening. Even the legendary Muralitharan was unable to stop the flow of runs.

Day two of the second Test will be a vital day for Sri Lanka. They will need to bowl and field out of their skins if they are to have any chance of getting back into the match and squaring the series.

Australia 3-329
Phil Jaques 150, Mike Hussey 101*
Sanath Jayasuriya 1-18, Muttiah Muralitharan 1-62