Sydney: Building on Steven Smith’s fourth ton of this series, Shaun Marsh and Joe Burns hit patient half-centuries to power Australia to 538 for five at tea on the second day of the fourth and final cricket Test against India at the SCG, here today.
Resuming the session on 420 for four, Marsh (73) and Burns (52 not out) stitched together a 114-run fifth wicket partnership to counter attack after the Indian bowlers put up a disciplined show in the first session of play.
If Australia rode on the 196-run third wicket partnership between Steven Smith (117) and Shane Watson (81) to get through the first session of play with just 72 runs in 30 overs then the hosts managed to score 118 runs in the post-lunch session, which consisted of 29 overs.
Mohammed Shami (3-101) was India’s most successful bowler after the medium-pacer picked up Smith in the morning session and then got Marsh caught behind to pick up the only wicket to fall in the second session of play.
The left-handed batsman though had done the job required of him after hitting 9 fours and a six in his 116-ball stay at the crease.
En route to his patient knock, Marsh got his third Test fifty in his 12th match to give Australia’s first innings score some more muscle.
Burns, playing his second Test, also got to his maiden fifty with a slog sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin (1-142).
Haddin (7 not out) joined Burns in the final few overs of the session and ensured that Australia keep adding to India’s misery.
Earlier resuming the day on 348 for two, Australia fought out some good opposition attack with Smith scoring his eight Test ton and Watson registering his 24th fifty in the longest format.
Watson was the first to go, adding just 20 more runs to his overnight score, as Shami got his second wicket.
Watson was guilty of throwing away a Test hundred after he forced a pull of a short ball only to pick the fielder at deep mid-wicket.
Smith departed six overs later as the in-form batsman was also guilty of chasing a wide Umesh Yadav (1-137) delivery only get a feather touch and it was a regulation catch for wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
India though could have got another wicket in the 115th over of the innings through Ashwin after the off-spinner forced Marsh, 14 at that time, to edge one to gully only to see a diving Murali Vijay drop the red cherry.
There was no appeal from Watling or other players behind the wicket, but Boult made a half-hearted appeal that was turned down by the field umpire.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum referred the decision to the television umpire.
The Hot Spot imaging technology did not register any contact between ball and the bottom edge of Sangakkara’s bat but the Snicko audio technology revealed the faintest of noises and that was enough to overturn the field umpire’s call and dismiss Sangakkara, who was clearly angry as he left the field.
The hosts moved closer to victory when Kaushal Silva (50) and captain Angelo Mathews (8) were dismissed in the last 15 minutes before lunch, sending Sri Lanka to the break at 110-5.
Silva battled throughout the morning to reach his seventh half century in tests in 174 minutes but fell to a slip catch by Mark Craig.
Mathews went on the last ball before lunch, acrobatically caught at slip by Kane Williamson, who lost the ball in the air but juggled and reclaimed before hitting the ground.
Lahiru Thirimanne and Prasanna Jayawardene stayed together for 51 minutes at the start of the second session before wicketkeeper Jayawardene was out for 10.
The innings unfolded quickly from that point. Dinesh Chandimal (13) and Rangana Herath (0) went to consecutive deliveries from Craig in the 62nd over.
Suranga Lakmal was run out for 6 and Nuwan Pradeep was bowled by Tim Southee to end the match, leaving Thirimanne 62 not out.
The match was turned by a world-record sixth-wicket partnership by Williamson and Watling in New Zealand’s second innings. Williamson notched his first double century with a 242 and Watling made 142 not out in a 365-run stand.
The teams will now play seven-match one-day international series beginning in Christchurch on Sunday.
