Centurions Put Sri Lanka To The Sword

Jaques and Hussey - no mercy.

Australia picked up where they left off in Brisbane as they dominated the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

For the second Test running, Phil Jaques and Michael Hussey racked up centuries as the tourists found themselves on the back-foot with Australia reaching 329-3 by the close of play of day one.

Indeed, there were comparisons aplenty with the opening day of the Brisbane Test as Matthew Hayden fell cheaply to pace and Ricky Ponting was dismissed by Muttiah Muralitharan, but ultimately Ponting's choice to bat first proved a shrewd one.

As he did in Brisbane when he took 34 balls to get off the mark, Jaques found the early going tough, this time needing 18 balls before registering his first run.

Opening partner Hayden had already enjoyed a life when dropped at slip by Mahela Jayawardene, but did not make the most of his luck, adding only a further three runs before getting a bottom-edge through to the wicket-keeper off the bowling of Dilhara Fernando for 17.

That brought Ponting to the wicket and he constructed an 85-run stand with Jaques, looking in little trouble as he eased to 31 off 66 deliveries.

However, Muralitharan was again the man to do for the Australian captain as a full delivery outside off stump induced a loose drive that caught the outside edge and presented Jayawardene with a chance that he this time clung on to.

Ponting's dismissal offered Sri Lanka little respite, though, as Hussey continued his impressive form, looking at ease against both the quicks and the spin of Muralitharan.

Once again Jaques was not so confident against the slower bowling and Muralitharan in particular with none of his 18 boundaries coming off the leg-spinner.

However, he was at his brutal best off the seamers with numerous cuts and pulls easing him to three figures off 152 balls.

Eventually he departed for 150 after lofting a catch to Fernando at long on off the bowling of Sanath Jayasuriya bringing to an end his 152-run partnership with Hussey.

His fellow left-hander looked like being stranded in the nineties as stumps approached, but ensured he was celebrating a century of his own by the close with a pull for four off Maharoof's final over of the day.

With the hosts now in a position of real strength, any hopes the tourists had harboured of leveling the two-match series seem to have all but evaporated.