Once upon a time there were some Australian batsmen who ... It's becoming a familiar fairytale of big hitting against Sri Lanka - or a recurring nightmare depending on your view - and the second day in Hobart was no different, as Australia racked up 5 for 542 before declaring.
Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey pushed them past 400 before Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds weighed in with half-centuries, Symonds' second in a row. Gilchrist was in imperious form, cracking 67 from 77 balls, including three sixes which made him the only player to hit 100 Test sixes.
Two of his aerial on-side sixes against Muttiah Muralitharan were reminiscent of his destruction against another slow bowler, Monty Panesar, in last year's Ashes in Perth, but once Symonds brought up his fifty, Ricky Ponting called in his troops before Gilchrist could do further damage.
Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson were then immediately on the money, troubling Marvan Atapattu and Michael Vandort, who had been boosted to opener ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya, with their movement. Vandort survived on nought when Ponting couldn't clutch a hard chance off Johnson above his head at second slip. But the pair weathered a stormy 12 overs before bad light brought an early close.
As on the first day, the Test had been mirroring Brisbane, with Hussey and Clarke reaching their 100 partnership before lunch, before Hussey fell to Dilhara Fernando in the afternoon. Symonds then joined Clarke as they pressed the accelerator.
Then came an adjustment to the script, with Lasith Malinga finally striking to remove Clarke short of his hundred. At 5 for 447, however, Australia were hardly troubled and just to prove the point, Gilchrist stroked two fours from his first two Test deliveries since January.
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