Melbourne, December 27: Michael Clarke became Australia’s highest-ever run scorer in a calendar year Thursday while sharing an unbeaten 121-run partnership with Shane Watson to help Australia take an 82-run lead over Sri Lanka on the second day of the second test.
Clarke was 56 not out at lunch, taking his run total to 1,545 for 2012 and eclipsing recently retired Ricky Ponting’s record of 1,544 in 2005.
Watson was at 60 as Australia confidently moved to 238-3 in reply to Sri Lanka’s paltry 156 all out on the first day.
After resuming on the overnight score of 150-3, Clarke made a watchful start before loosening his strokes to build a challenging lead. He timed seven boundaries, showing little sign of the hamstring strain sustained in the first test at Hobart.
One of Clarke’s fours came courtesy of an error when Shaminda Eranga fielded a straight drive off his own delivery only to beat Kumar Sangakkara behind the wicket with a return that carried to the boundary.
Clarke brought up his 50 with a nick to fine leg off a short ball from Angelo Mathews.
At the other end of the wicket, Watson looked untroubled by the increasingly frustrated Sri Lankan bowlers and brought up his 50 with a boundary off Mathews two overs later.
Sri Lanka’s injury woes worsened on the second morning when paceman Chanaka Welegedara pulled up while running in to bowl to Clarke and limped from the field. He left the grounds for scans on a strained hamstring.
The visitors lost regular wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene to a fractured right thumb on Wednesday and his place behind the stumps was filled by Sangakkara.
Mitchell Johnson claimed four wickets Wednesday to help dismiss Sri Lanka in under two sessions. The only highlight of the Sri Lankan innings was a defiant 58 from Sangakkara that included his 10,000th test run.
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