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Gilchrist takes up attack after Lankans remove Hussey, Clarke

With Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke out, Sri Lanka got a look at Australia's lower middle order for the first time in the series on Saturday.

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HOBART: With Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke out, Sri Lanka got a look at Australia's lower middle order for the first time in the series on Saturday.

That did not stop the run flow.

Adam Gilchrist, batting in a Test for the first time in 10 months, clubbed three sixes and seven boundaries in an unbeaten 67 before Australia declared its innings at 542 for five on the second afternoon of the second Test.

Gilchrist hit consecutive sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan -- the second out of Bellerive Oval and down an adjacent road -- to become the first batsmen to hit 100 sixes in a Test cricket career.

Skipper Ricky Ponting declared the first innings closed in the next over when Andrew Symonds hit a single to reach 50.
   
The Australians declared last week at 551 for four and won the series-opening match by an innings and 40 runs.

Hussey scored 132 and shared a 125-run fourth-wicket stand with Clarke, 71, before both were dismissed in the afternoon session.

The same pair each scored centuries and put on 245 for the fourth wicket in the first Test. Opener Phil Jacques, who scored a hundred last week, backed that up with 150 in Hobart.

Australia resumed at 329 for three on Saturday and added 213 for the loss of two wickets in two and a bit rain-interrupted sessions.

Hussey stroked 18 boundaries and a six before he was trapped lbw by a Fernando yorker with the total at 410.

The 32-year-old left-hander is averaging 84.64 every time he bats.

Clarke edged the second ball of a new spell from Lasith Malinga down leg side and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene held a brilliant diving catch, making the Australian total 447 for five.
   
Five balls earlier, Clarke had a reprieve when he was dropped by Chamara Silva when he stepped down the wicket at Muralitharan and got an inside edge to short leg.

That deprived Muralitharan of a 703rd Test wicket. The Sri Lankan spinner started this match needing seven wickets to surpass retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's world record 708 test wickets.

The way Australia is batting, it's unlikely he'll beat Warne's record in this two-Test series.

Gilchrist went to the crease when Symonds was on 24 and dominated their 95-run stand after consecutive slashing boundaries against Malinga to open his account.

Symonds' first three scoring strokes were 4, 4 and a hoisted 6 down the ground off Muralitharan, but even he looked subdued compared with Gilchrist.
   
And the bowling figures suffered.

Fernando's 2-134 as the best return of a under-strength Sri Lankan attack missing Farveez Maharoof, who was unable to bowl because of injury.

Muralitharan ad 1-140 from 46 overs and Malinga's figures were 1-156.

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