Vandort, rain and bad light frustrate Australia

Michael Vandort gave Australia's new-look attack its first real examination, forcing the players to work a full five-day week with his resilient 82 before he became Stuart MacGill's 200th Test wicket. Australia had set out to wrap up the first Test within four days but Vandort, regular rain breaks and bad light denied them a free Monday in Brisbane.

When the umpires offered Sri Lanka the light the visitors had reached 5 for 218 with Chamara Silva on 5 and Prasanna Jayawardene yet to score. However Australia were still well on the way to victory - weather permitting - as Sri Lanka trailed by 122 runs in their follow on.

Australian fans who have spent the past ten months watching their team in 50-over or Twenty20 matches were given a stark reminder of what Test cricket is all about as Vandort patiently batted throughout most of the day and through four rain delays. Shortly after the final break his 170-ball stay ended with MacGill ripping a super legbreak out of a slightly rough patch back into Vandort's off stump.

MacGill was in his 19th consecutive over when he finally had that first stroke of luck. The classic MacGill legspinner was an appropriate way for him to collect his 200th wicket, achieving the feat in his 41st Test - only Clarrie Grimmett, Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis took fewer games to get there.

Vandort had been a major frustration for Australia but his dismissal gave the hosts back the momentum they had been lacking. The next over Thilan Samaraweera, who had spent nearly an hour and a half at the crease compiling 20, cut Mitchell Johnson viciously to gully where Michael Hussey took a sharp catch on the second grab.

It gave Australia a brief hope of finishing the task before stumps, however the batsmen jumped at the chance to finish due to bad light soon afterwards, at 4.25pm local time. The day had been a trying one for Australia's unfamiliar combination of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Johnson and MacGill. They enjoyed a brief honeymoon period in the first innings but endured a more rigorous probe in the second, mainly thanks to Vandort's determination.

Ricky Ponting no doubt wished he could call on the proven Gabba wizards Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath but he had to calculate his bowling changes without the star pair in the equation. Instead there was a distinct lack of wizardry from Ponting's men, who spent most of the day toiling hard but struggling to create chances on a pitch that remained good for batting.